Malawi army chief speaks tough on soldiers political involvement: Assures Malawians of peace
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Commander, General Henry Odillo has strongly spoken against soldiers’ involvement into politics saying this does not mix with the profession.
Odillo said he was convinced that despite the challenges the Army encounters, officers, soldiers and members of the Malawi Defense Force should have a clear focus in their role in the Malawi society and “never be involved in politics.”
He stressed army’s commitment in ensuring that peace which has been prevailing in this country for a long time is safeguarded emphasizing that it comes with huge, huge price and investment.
Odillo, who recently inducted into the Hall of Fame by the United States military college, told Malawi’s Sunday Times newspaper :“Peace in Malawi will be there and we can assure Malawians that they are safe it is critical that the country should remain peaceful and stable to move forward…the society and individuals should use combined effort to ensure that this is sustained”.
He urged Malawians not to leave the sustenance of peace to the military alone, but ensure that there is stability in the areas that they are living in by relaying information to Police and the Armywhen unusual things happen around them.
“This is why we have our police presence in all regions of the country; so, if people in that locality have noticed unusual issues happening around them, I think they should not sit down and pretend that there is nothing happening, they should be reporting these things to the Police.
“That is where issues start being exposed; you start understanding the picture of what is developing around you,” he said as quoted by the paper.
Odillo was inducted into the International Hall of Fame by the United States Army Command and General Staff College on September 24. He is among 250 officers who have been inducted to the Hall of Fame since 1973.
He was at this college in the USA for one year, ending in 1996.
