Assurance by police commendable
YESTERDAY, the Zambia Police Service issued a response to the concerns raised by Patriotic Front (PF) chairman for information and publicity Emmanuel Mwamba on the perceived selective application of the law.
On Friday, The Mast published a story with the headline ‘Where’s IG Graphael Musamba?’ in which Mwamba challenged the head of the country’s police to explain why his officers had only been targeting members of the opposition for the same offences it has been letting members of the ruling party scot-free.
In the story, Mwamba, who is out of the country, demanded to know why the police had not arrested Mafinga Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Chabinga, a stanch ally of President Hakainde Hichilema, for publicly threatening ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to Zambia with deportation and unspecified harm to their families for allegedly interfering in Zambia’s internal affairs.
He complained that while members of the opposition like former Lumezi MP Munir Zulu and Mfuwe MP Maureen Mabonga were being persecuted for just actions, UPND members had continued committing serious criminal offences without being arrested.
He cited some known UPND members in North-Western Province who had issued hate speech against former president Edgar Lungu and even threatened to physically harm him but had not been summoned or arrested.
“There’s no doubt, and it’s clear, that there is selective application of the law,” Mwamba said. “The police have been quiet on the youths who have threatened to take away the life of the former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Where is the Inspector General of Police on these cases? Why hasn’t he arrested them? Where is the Inspector General of Police if there are these youths that are saying they will circumcise Edgar Lungu?”
But in its response, the Zambia Police Service, through a statement issued by its public relations officer Rae Hamoonga, yesterday said the Inspector General of Police was “fully committed to his duties and continues to execute his mandate without distraction”. The service had opened an inquiry file to investigate the concerns Mwamba had raised in The Mast story.
“In view of the allegations and sentiments reported in the aforementioned article, the Zambia Police Service has opened an inquiry file to allow for a comprehensive and impartial review of the concerns raised,” Hamoonga said.
He explained that Musamba’s absence from public commentary on certain matters was not a sign of inaction or neglect of duty, but rather reflected a deliberate and professional approach to policing.
“In view of the allegations and sentiments reported in the aforementioned article, the Zambia Police Service has opened an inquiry file to allow for a comprehensive and impartial review of the concerns raised,” Hamoonga said.
He said the inquiry process would enable any actual affected persons to formally report by lodging a complaint, and provide relevant information that would aid investigations.
“We urge members of the public and stakeholders to exercise restraint and avoid speculative commentary that may mislead the nation or prejudice ongoing investigations. The Zambia Police Service remains committed to upholding law and order, promoting accountability and protecting the rights and freedoms of all citizens, irrespective of their political, social, or religious affiliations,” Hamoonga said.
We are encouraged by the response and assurance that a serious inquiry into the offences committed by known members of the UPND but for which they have not been arrested or even questioned by the police is under way.
The Zambia Police Service is mandated by the Constitution to serve the nation and not a ruling political party of the time. It is therefore expected to be impartial in the application of the law.
Zambians have seen for themselves the speed with which the police have moved to warn, summon, question or brutally seize and lock up members of the opposition for such offences as sedition, hate speech, unlawful assembly and corruption. But many members of the UPND have remained free even after committing similar offences, as Mwamba has said.
The Zambia Police Service should heed to advice that peace cannot be maintained through the partial enforcement of the law. Professional policing that is blind to political affiliation, which is not influenced by patronage, is the only guarantee for peaceful co-existence. For now, Zambians will be waiting for the results of the inquiry Hamoonga referred to yesterday.
