By: Our reporter
The “controversial” transferring of police commissioner for the south, Luhanga has brought hot debate and resistance from the north.
Over the weekend, police issued a transferring of number of officers from south including the head of the helm in the region.
The citizens’ belief is that the transferring follows the blockage of presidential convoy by some Blantyre residents on Saturday.
Reacting to the development, number of the youths and non-governmental organizations in the north including Youth for Action Campaign (YAC) described the transferring as an insult to the north.
Executive director of YAC, Jackson Msiska whose organization has penned Ministry of Homeland security and police said while the citizens in the region are used of such insults, they were not expecting this from the Tonse Alliance government especially because of its campaign promises.
Msiska told this publication that citizens in the region expect that the area will be respected under Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s administration.
“We are just part of the grouping that is against the transferring of commissioner of police in the south to the north. We understand that his transferring is because of the presidential convoy blockage,” said Msiska.
According to him “if trouble workers within the civil service transferred to the north, how will they connect the region with government? People who connect government and citizens are the same civil servants. And if the area has more unwanted civil servants it means it will have no development.”
Msiska said together with other concerned organizations, they have already penned the ministry of homeland security and police over the same.
Steve Simsokwe, a renowned youth activist in the region while concurring with Msiska said the transferring has come at a bad time.
According to him, the region is in the mid of crying out this government regards it as dead north and that number of its campaign promises are yet to be fulfilled and it was unnecessary for MCP to commit this crime.
Simsokwe said Chakwera and his government were supposed to remove the negative picture, the region had toward their party.
He said he is ready to join any action the region want to use in expressing their anger.
“Not only on the police commissioner, but we have been witnessing the transferring of irresponsible District Commissioner and other senior off to the region. I think it is high time we deal with this,” he added.
Summoned by the authority, our reporter was forced to disclose the names of the CSOs and activists behind the call a thing it never happened.
National police spokesperson, Peter Kalaya while describing the transferring as normal, vehemently denied reports that the transferring was because of the fracas happened in Blantyre during the President journey to Democratic Republic of Congo.
He described the transferring as one of police way of strengthening its operation on the ground.
“The transferring is normal. And that is a routine as far as police strategy to boost security in the country is concerned. The story that it is because of what happened in Blantyre is fake,” he said.
Currently, northerners are waiting for the transferring and threat to take unspecified action against police.
