Speaker dares police chief on violence
Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya has asked Inspector General of Police Rodney Jose to arrest all perpetrators of the recent political violence or resign from his position.
The Speaker expressed his sentiments yesterday at a news conference on violence against women during the campaign period organised by the Parliamentary Women Caucus.
He said: “We demand that arrests be made forthwith and ensure that the cases are concluded. We want to see the perpetrators behind bars upon satisfying all legal channels and proceedings.
“We demand protection of all citizens of Malawi. We note that the violence is not only happening to women but even men too.
“If you cannot protect us as citizens then please resign and let others who can exercise the mandate of the Malawi Police Service to serve the interests of all Malawians [take up the position].”
National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said he could not comment on the calls for the IG’s resignation unless the Speaker addressed this issue directly to the person concerned.
But he said the police have established a task force to address political violence issues.
Kadadzera also asked political party presidents and their followers to take a visible stand against political violence and not shield any of their members when they cause violence.
In her remarks, chairperson for the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, Jessie Kabwila, said political violence cases will have a negative impact on the number of women taking part in political roles.
She said: “This is a recipe for disaster in this country and it is clearly telling women that if they attend a rally, they can lose their marriages because of what has happened to our colleague in Mangochi.”
Leader of opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera, who was invited to the news conference alongside the Speaker, asked President Peter Mutharika to address the situation and provide directives so that everyone in the country operates freely ahead of the elections.
The political violence condemnation from various civil society organisations and individuals has come against a background of attacks on mostly opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and UTM Party members and officials.
