ARREST OF CHIEF CHIKWA ANGERS EASTERNERS
…as both Sean Tembo, Kum’mawa Development Coalition charge the arrest of the traditional leader is selective, malicious, meant to embarrass him to his subjects
THE arrest of Chief Chikwa of the Eastern Province for allegedly cutting timber in a game restricted area has irked some stakeholders with others demanding for the immediate withdrawal of the charges against the traditional leader.
Sean Tembo, president of Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) has said if Government did not want a single tree to be cut in the Game Management Area (GMA), it should not allow people to live in such places across the country.
“For as long as people live there, they need to cut trees for various domestic purposes including clearing land for cultivation. The Chikwa chiefdom lies almost entirely in the Chikwa GMA, so it is unreasonable for Government to arrest the Chief Chikwa for allegedly cutting down trees,” Mr Tembo said in a statement issued yesterday.
He said the chiefdom was entirely in the GMA, meaning that whenever they needed logs for constructing a new house, they had to cut within the very GMA.
“The action by Government to arrest Chief Chikwa through the so-called Joint Operations Team is draconian and an abuse of the basic human rights of the Chief and his subjects,” Mr Tembo said.
And Kum’mawa Development Coalition (KDC) also known as Umodzi Kum’mawa has described the arrest of Chief Chikwa as selective and malicious.
KDC spokesperson Chanoda Ngwira said in a statement the arrest of the traditional leader appeared to be highly selective and raised serious concerns regarding the fair application of the law.
The Coalition has since demanded for the immediate release of Chief Chikwa.
“It has come to our attention that several chiefs from different regions, who possess licenses similar to Chief Chikwa, have been freely cutting trees without facing any consequences or harassment. This blatant disregard for consistency in law enforcement undermines our faith in the justice system and highlights the inherent bias within it.”
“How can a Chief be arrested for cutting trees in his own chiefdom when he even had a government license? Hence, we deem this arrest as political, malicious, selective and unacceptable especially that other chiefs in other regions are doing the same,” Mr Ngwira said.
He said Chief Chikwa’s chiefdom existed entirely within a GMA and wondered where the Police and Government expected the chief to legally cut trees.
Mr Ngwira said the constraints imposed by the GMA had created an untenable situation that restricted sustainable development and exacerbated the socio-economic challenges faced by people.