HEAD MUST ROLL AT DEC - SAKI
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should either fire the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) director general Mary Chirwa or should ask her to resign, not only for incompetence but for initiating criminal proceedings against former Republican President Edgar Lungu who is protected from prosecution by the immunity he enjoys, Sakwiba Sikota has said.
And Mr Sikota, one of Zambia’s prominent and renowned lawyers has said arbitrary actions by Ms Chirwa and her staff had essentially turned Zambia into a banana republic where the rule of law was no longer the governing principle in running the affairs of the country.
Mr Sikota in an interview in Lusaka yesterday said should Ms Chirwa refuse to resign or President Hichilema fail to sack her, it would be sensible that the Head of State should instead resign for failing to discharge his duties by allowing lawlessness to reign in a country that is known for its democracy.
He said the searches the law enforcement agencies were conducting against former President Lungu were arbitrary and vindictive because they lack the sensibilities of the rule of law.
He said heads should roll at the DEC and whoever was so incompetently in-charge of seizing the properties of the former President should be made to account or resign.
Mr Sikota stated that if President Hichilema did not feel that Ms Chirwa should resign or be fired, the most prudent action would for the Head of State to tender in his resignation.
“Head must roll at the DEC. We should be seeing Ms Chirwa resigning or getting fired for that is what you do in civilised democracies. If President Hichilema does not feel that no one should be fired or resign, then he (Hichilema) should resign. Whoever was incompetently in-charge of the seizure of President Lungu’s properties should resign. This is what you do when you are following the rule of law in a democracy,” Mr Sikota said.
And Mr Sikota said the arbitrariness of the actions of the DEC was turning Zambia into a banana republic that did not respect the constitution nor the principles of the rule of law.
He explained that DEC had already initiated criminal proceedings against former President Lungu, arguing that criminal proceedings did not mean that only matters before the courts of law but immediately an investigation is commenced.