Police pressed to clarify DPP cadets’ recruitment rumours
Electoral stakeholders on Thursday pressed the Malawi Police Service (MPS) to explain if it is true that the law enforcement agency has recruited Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadets to boost security during the polls.
Recently, there have been rumours circulating on the social media purporting to say MPS has hired a legion of cadets to help man polling centres during the May 21, 2019, tripartite elections.
This prompted stakeholders to the 2019 Civil Society Networks Elections Coordination Planning Meeting in Lilongwe to press the police to explain if there was any grain of truth in the rumours.
The Malawi Electoral Support Network (MESN) chairperson, Steven Duwa, stressed that the ‘rumours are very serious and could potentially discourage others from casting their ballots’.
“We have been hearing rumours that DPP cadets have been hired to boost security during polls. And that is why this was one of the issues that came out during the meeting because, apparently, the stakeholders needed assurance from the police that there will be no political interference from any political party in the voting process as well as counting of the ballots,” he said.
Duwa, who is also chairperson of the Council for Non Governmental Organisations in Malawi (Congoma), said the civil society is particularly that such rumours are emerging at a time Malawians have a few days before going to polls.
However, the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Police (SDCP) Stan Kaliza acknowledged the existence and circulation of the rumours, but pointed out that there is no grain of truth in them.
“We [the police] would like to assure Malawians that only government security agents from the police, Malawi Prison Service, Malawi Defence Force and the Immigration Department will be hired to provide security in all the polling centres across the country,” Kaliza said.
One of the major objectives of the meeting was to agree on common strategies of civil society organisation (CSO) involvement and resolution of disputes at all levels of the electoral process from polling to announcement of the results.
Duwa said it is important that government security agents ‘must’ discharge their duties professionally during the whole electoral process, stressing that this is key to achieving peaceful, credible elections and acceptable results.
The stakeholders also asked the police to ban vehicles with funny registration numbers such as ‘Ana a Dad’, ‘DPP 2019 Boma!’ until elections are over.
Congoma and Mesn jointly organised the CSOs meeting with the aim of consolidating efforts by various stakeholders in promoting peace during and after the elections.
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CAN WE HAVE A LIST OF ALL PERSONNEL WHO WILL BE PROVIDING SECURITY FROM ALL THE SECURITY ARMS OF GOVERNMENT? THIS IS FOR US CITIZENS TO VET. WE DONT WANT CADETS TO MASQUARADE AS IF THEY ARE FROM IMMIGRATION WHEN IN THE MIDIST OF POLICE OFFICERS AND WHEN THEY ARE WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICERS, THEY SHOULD PRETEND THAT THEY ARE FROM THE ARMY/
MEC PLEASE MAKE THE LIST KNOWN ASAP!
Hetherwich Ntaba was in Mzuzu on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 and gathered around 500 pastors and posed as a fox in sheep skin. He subtly told the men of God that the govt continues to depend on them and that DPP has no problem with Chakwera but Mia being next to him. What nonsense!!! If you think moslems are worse than you, then tell me who is worse between a Satanist who holds a bible with a good church position and the moslem? Pastors be careful, DPP are despots and draconian rulers. They hate our children from the north including… Read more »
As the partridge sits on eggs it never rared, it will never hatch them
The only absolute out come of 21 May elections is none from the North will make it to the State House, coz all the Front runners are from Southern & Central Region. .Southerners can fight each other so are from the Central but we all agree on one point never to let tumbukas to rule this country because they are the most Tribalism tribe in Malawi……………………….. copy that
At the close of campaign, please remove the bill boards for APM as they are bent to campaign for him. Period!!!
IF THESE CADETS WILL NOT REMOVE THEM, JUST BRING THEM DOWN WHEREVER YOU ARE!
The police do not have enough men and women for this exercise, may be that is why they have to outsource. Mind you DPP cadets may be the nearest qualified, they have already excelled well in violence, beatings, torture etc
There is no smoke without fire, these DPP thugs will do anything it takes to rig these elections. Ifnfact, these DPP police cadets were recruited long time ago and they are already in the Malawi Police system. U dont have to refute these allegations now Mr Steven Duwa, the glass of milk was broken longtime ago!!
All this is being pedalled by Arafat and his henchmen. Please stop this nonsense.
“No smoke without fire” goes the adage! Please, do not take the police refutaltseriously. Recently, a newspaper article carried a story that the same police are in Door to doorr campaign for APM & DPP. The police has not come forward to clarifyon this. So, please, don’t trust them as they are part of what the DPP has termed ‘Operation Landslide’. The Electaral Stakeholders, all opposition parties & Malawians of goodwill MUST be alert & watchful for any electaral misconduct ochestrated by the DPP, the cadets & the police! These groups cannot be trusted. Kutereku, a policewo alonjezedwa papakulu!
It is obvious that at the close of official campaign period any political displays will be removed including the “Ana a dad”. Secondly don’t create tension on social media and bother police and M.E.C. with silly questions to clarify.