By Chambwa Moonga
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has counseled deputy inspector general of police (special duties) at State House Fanwell Siandenge against being vengeful.
In August 2016, Siandenge, a former Western Province commissioner of police, went into hiding, after the PF autocracy set police on him.
Siandenge, Obvious Mwaliteta, Evans Mukobela, Emmanuel Mumbi, Laswell Phiri and McMillan Shimukonka were accused of attempting to intercept a vehicle, near Zambia Air Force (ZAF) headquarters in Lusaka.
They suspected the vehicle of carrying pro-PF pre-marked ballot papers for the August 11, 2016 general elections.
Siandenge avoided an arrest and was in hiding from 2016 to this year, while the five were arrested, charged with aggravated robbery and went on to spend a year in prison, before being acquitted on August 2017.
The Zambia Police went on to ‘advertise’ Siandenge in newspapers as a wanted person, but that yielded nothing.
Siandenge was saluting President Hichilema today, when he was being sworn-in as deputy inspector general of police (special duties) at State House.
The Head of State had a snippet of guidance for Siandenge.
“For the deputy inspector general of police, you know what you’ve gone through; the nation knows what you’ve gone through. [But] you are not coming back to punish those who treated you like that. No!” President Hichilema told Siandenge.
“You are coming back to show them that you are a better person, that you occupy a higher moral ground than those that persecuted you.”
He encouraged Zambians support each other and work together.
President Hichilema also said journalists have a role to play in enhancing the country’s democracy.
“They must be protected when they come to State House, by you deputy inspector general of police. Today they are journalists, tomorrow one of them will be a President. Life goes round!” President Hichilema said.
“Enforce law and order within the confines of the law [and] you’ll be okay. I said to your colleagues last time [that] that we cannot use tear gas on our people willy-nilly. [Using] teargas, live bullets on armless people. No! No!”
He continued his counsel on Siandenge, saying: “but I’m not saying you should not maintain law and order.”
“I’m not saying criminals should not be brought to book; they should and they will. But do it professionally,” advised President Hichilema.
Others sworn-in by the President are his senior private secretary Wallace Chakawa, Zambia Correctional Service commissioner general Fredrick Shakalinda Chilukutu and his deputy Kuyomba Bwalya.