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Police Inspector General Mary Nangwale entered the new year by taking a swipe at the ruling UDF for exploiting the service during Bakili Muluzi’s regime, saying time is gone when the party’s bigwigs could bang their doors and tables demanding not to be arrested.
But UDF spokesman Salule Masangwi, who confirmed that the Police was unprofessional during Muluzi’s administration, said it is unfair for the Police to blame their failures on the UDF when the law demands that they should always be professional.
Speaking during a new year party in Lilongwe last Friday, Nangwale told her officers to be “very free” and not to fear any politician, not even from the UDF, because no party could touch them now.
“You will not see any [UDF] young democrats like [late Sam] Zimba beating people and damaging their property at police stations because we will arrest them. They have now realised that we are strong because we are not tied to any party. Do you think we could have arrested Ninja [Morris Kachimbwinda] during the previous administration?” she questioned.
“Even after this speech, they would have raided my house and transferred me to Karonga. All that is gone now. I now walk freely,” added Nangwale, who was transferred to Karonga at some point in her career.
She warned her officers to refrain from politics or resign to become politicians “because there is no room for politicians in the police service”.
“I don’t want to hear that you belong to UDF, MCP, Aford or any other party. If I hear that you will be fired,” Nangwale charged.
The IG accused some of her officers of contributing to the exploitation of the police in the previous administration because they were active UDF politicians themselves and “you couldn’t arrest them because they were your friends”.
“If some of you are still in politics and you want to report what I am saying, please go and phone them. I am not afraid of anybody,” she said.
Nangwale said her office is receiving many complaints from the public on the progress of their cases and the general conduct of some officers some of whom are being accused of cheating and called for change in the year.
Masangwi, who during Bakili Muluzi’s administration was the spokesman of the disbanded NDA, one of the parties that were very bitter with the police, could not be drawn to admit whether indeed the previous regime was interfering with police work.
But he said the admission by Nangwale that the police were being exploited is very sad because the police are supposed to work professionally without compromise since the law protects them and pushed the blame on themselves for allowing to be used.
“I know the police never operated professionally. I can’t change on that because I am now in different camp, but I can’t blame the UDF. I am blaming the police because they are telling us that they were not following the law but political parties,” Masangwi said.
“Maybe whoever was exploiting them was doing that because he discovered that the police was weak. Look at the Army. No one tampered with the military because they don’t allow to be exploited,” he added.
Meanwhile, Malawi Defence Force Commander Mark Chiziko called on his officers not to take part in politics and maintain high standard of discipline, as was the case last year “except for a few isolated incidents by some individuals”.
“Ours has always been a question of respecting and protecting all citizens of Malawi, irrespective of their party, colour, religion, tribe or sex,” said Chiziko during the Army’s night long annual new year ball at Kamuzu Barracks in Lilongwe.
“We will continue to serve all Malawians and the government of the day with honesty and total dedication”.
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