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By IOMMIE CHIWALO
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) has written to the Speaker of Parliament to commission a joint parliamentary committee, including the Committee on Trade and Industry and the Committee on Defence and Security, to conduct a public inquiry into the spate of kidnappings.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa said the survey would help Malawians exercise their right to know and determine if Malawi is truly a safer place to live, let alone do business.
He said urgent attention was needed as Malawians were living in fear as allegations of kidnapping remained a serious security issue globally as they usually involved foreigners and businessmen.
Namiwa drew analogies between the reported cases, starting with the events of 2021 when two cases were reported in Malawi, those of Tariq Noorani and Faizal Aboo, while a three-year-old boy, Aaraf Kapadia, was also kidnapped in June 2022.
“We therefore urge your committee to summon the current Inspector-General of MPS, Ms Merlyn Yolamu, to explain to the nation whether she is in control of the country’s security system, including an explanation of the glaring security lapses in the country,” he said.
Namiwa stressed that the authorities’ silence is creating fear and panic among the people of Malawians, which could also scare off potential and existing investors, threatening efforts to revive the ailing economy and create much-needed jobs for young people.
CDEDI is confident that the investigation will address the pertinent questions as to why the Malawi police appear to be uninterested in these serious security issues, whether it is a matter of incompetence or outright negligence.
Namiwa said the people of Malawians will also know whether the ransom demanded in all these cases was paid and to whom?
As the voice of the voiceless citizens and in fulfilling its governance oversight role, CDEDI wants a thorough investigation to ascertain whether the reported kidnappings were the result of business deals gone bad.
On Thursday, July 24 this year, the people of Malawians were shocked to learn that a 26-year-old British businessman of Indian origin, Muhammad Kasiman, was kidnapped at about 2pm while returning to his office from the Mosque in Falls Estate (Region 1) in Lilongwe.
Lilongwe Police assured the nation that they were on top of the situation but later the same police informed that Mr. Kasiman was released on Saturday evening, July 27, 2024, without providing further details and arrest information.
Now, almost a month later, there has been no official statement from law enforcement agencies, let alone the families of the victims and survivors.
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