ZAMBIA IS NOW A POLICE STATE
…observes Hon Mundubile as he castigates police for breaking into a Bishop’s office to stop a private meeting.
Kabwe – Friday, 17 May 2024 (Smart Eagles)
Sickened with their unprofessionalism, Mporokoso Member of Parliament Brian Mundubile has slammed the police officers in Kabwe who earlier today broke into Bishop Clement Mulenga’s office to stop a private meeting he was having with 6th Republican President, Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
He fumed that the unpleasant conduct of the police is confirmation that the country is now a police state.
Hon Mundubile said it is shocking that in a country with democratic Constitutional order, police can break through a bishop’s office and attempt to stop a meeting just because the former Head of State was there to meet the Bishop.
“On numerous occasions, we have stated that Zambia is now a police state and the police are the law unto themselves. For those that were arguing, for those that have wanted to dispute that, they could clearly see that those assertions that we made are actually true because a police man could break into anybody’s office and stop a private meeting, a meeting between private citizens, a meeting between the Bishop and a citizen could be stopped by a police man because he has been instructed to do so,” he said.
The lawmaker implored President Hakainde Hichilema to quickly look at the operations of the police in line with the country’s democracy.
“Citizens have rights… but it seems in the new Zambia, we have the police who donated unto themselves the power they don’t really have,” he said.
“The power to harass citizens, the power to break into offices and stop meetings as it were. The issue of President Lungu should be looked at like any other case. President Lungu is a citizen who has the freedom of movement. Its therefore shocking to hear a police man say you’re going to the Copperhead you can’t stop in Kabwe. That is unheard of.”
He said President Hichilema and police IG should be reminded that “we are a democracy, we are a Constitutional democracy and the rule of law should be at the center not the rule of men. So, it is indeed embarrassing to our democratic credentials to see that even private meetings will be subject of police authorization…”
“Those are things that were left 40 years ago but the UPND is slowly taking us back where they think everything we do should have permission of the police. So, we want to condemn that in the strongest terms,” he said.