Date Of Article: 1/29/2003
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Rights groups want police chief fired
By: George Ntonya
Human Rights Consultative Committee, a grouping of local civil society organizations, has demanded an immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, accusing his office of fuelling political violence when Parliament was debating the controversial third term bill. While dismissing claims that the police acted unprofessionally during anti-third term bill demonstrations in Blantyre Monday, the Inspector General Joseph Aironi said he was ready to vacate office if President Bakili Muluzi told him to do so. “I am not the first person to hold this position. I’ll not be in this position forever, either. I am ready to go for someone to take over,” Aironi said in a telephone interview soon after a press briefing held by the human rights organisations to react to the just ended sitting of Parliament. “We are asking the president to dismiss the IG or force him to resign because he has failed to protect citizens who had a constitutional right to demonstrate,” Executive Director of Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Ollen Mwalubunju told the press briefing in Lilongwe in reference to reported police shooting that took place in Blantyre Monday. Some demonstrators got injured in the process. The human rights activists also expressed disappointment that the government convened an emergency meeting when it was not ready to face the consequences of the business to be discussed. “The government has wasted people’s time, the country’s financial resources and at the same time brought us embarrassment in the eyes of the donor community,” said Executive Director of Society for the Advancement of Women (Saw) Catherine Munthali. The human rights activists pleaded with the President to declare his position on the proposed constitutional amendment.
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