By Vincent Gunde
President and Commander in Chief of Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) Bantu Saunders Jumah, has called on former presidents Dr. Bakili Muluzi, Madam Dr. Joyce Banda and Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika to meet President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to stop treating suspects of free speech as convicts.
Jumah said the nation is disappointed over Malawi Police Service (MPS) officers treating Hon. Kamlepo Kalua and activist Bon Kalindo detaining them in Salima and Blantyre respectively and keep on transferring them from one police station to another for reasons that can best be explained by the officers themselves.
He said the arrest of Hon. Kalua and Bon Kalindo over free speech is speaking to itself that Malawi which was well known to be a peaceful country, is no longer a peaceful country, police is not using the Republican Constitution to arrest suspects of Cyber related crimes but MCP laws.
The MRP President said the MCP led government is doing everything possible to bring one-party dictatorship in the country by introducing mindset change in reverse claiming that detention without trial is the order of the day in the MCP.
He has questioned the MCP the motive behind moving suspects from one police station to another and away from their family members, relatives and friends who could be bringing food, beddings and clothes to them?
“The police have also issued a directive to arrest all speaking on circumstances surrounding Dr. Saulosi Chilima’s death, this is just stifling freedom of speech and press in Malawi, “said Jumah.
He said with the police directive, 20 million plus Malawians are on the risk to be arrested assuring the police that people are speaking and will not be silenced advising government that the best it could do is to establish a clear investigation and not fighting the mouth of people.
The MRP President has demanded three probes on Dr. Saulosi Chilima, one for church organizations, Civil Society Organizations and individuals, one for UTM and family members and that of government warning government that any investigations outside the three probes, Malawians will not accept it.
For transparent investigations, Jumah has proposed conditions such as sending on leave Commander of the MDF General Dr. Paul Velentino Phiri, Kamuzu International and Mzuzu Airport staff saying this will pave way for people to speak of their mind.
Jumah has made it clear that if their will be no accountability and transparency on the death of Dr. Saulosi Chilima, the Revolution coming in 2025 will exhume all the dead bodies to allow investigations to take place and Malawians will speak.
He has appealed to Malawians as voters in the 2025 elections that they should be very serious, keen and check who is a leader of sound mind to lead the country observing that Malawians trusted Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to lead them but has disappointed 20 million people and many are regretting to have voted for him into power.
