Why the police dog? Lugola order sparks backlash
What you need to know:
- Mr Lugola on Thursday gave the IGP hours to find a police dog that was reported missing at the Dar es Salaam Port. He told the IGP to personally call him with the information on the whereabouts of the German Shepherd or face unspecified consequence. The dog had not been found by Friday, with the minister telling The Citizen that the number of missing police dogs had risen to more than 30.
Dar es Salaam. The matter of the missing police dog has ignited debate about the separation of powers in government, with Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola taking the flak for issuing ultimatums to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr Simon Sirro.
Mr Lugola on Thursday gave the IGP hours to find a police dog that was reported missing at the Dar es Salaam Port. He told the IGP to personally call him with the information on the whereabouts of the German Shepherd or face unspecified consequence. The dog had not been found by Friday, with the minister telling The Citizen that the number of missing police dogs had risen to more than 30.
“Yes, the dog has not been found but I insist it must be returned,” he said before revealing that more similar police dogs had disappeared over the last few years. The minister promised to hold a press conference to “issue stern directives” to those under his docket. Mr Lugola was on Friday evening holed up in a meeting with the top command of uniformed forces under him. The agenda was not immediately known.
But it was the minister’s Thursday order to the IGP that drew varied reactions as the public tried to make sense of it. Opinion was divided but there appeared to be a consensus that Lugola might have gone overboard in dressing down an appointee of the President.
Those who made their views known on social media were blunter, questioning the minister’s vigour in finding the dog as opposed to directing the same to establishing the whereabouts of missing Tanzanians such as journalist Azory Gwanda who is missing for more than nine months now and Chadema cadre Ben Saanane who has been missing since end of 2016.
In an interview, political science lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Prof Bakari Mohammed, said Mr Lugola’s directive wasn’t supposed to be made public.
“They are both presidential appointees who report to the Head of State and were, therefore, supposed to consult before issuing such a statement in public. What the minister did isn’t good governance practice,” said Prof Bakari.
He said even though the minister’s directive was well intended, the public might interpret it negatively basing on his previous statement about the people who have gone missing.
“In my opinion Mr Lugola was wrong to say that the state wasn’t responsible for those, who have gone missing,” said Prof Mohammed.
Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (Saut) political science lecturer, Prof Mwesiga Baregu, said Mr Lugola’s directives to the IGP over the dog has discredited the police force and the IGP. He was of the same view that the minister didn’t have moral authority to issue such a statement few days after saying that the state wasn’t responsible for finding the people who have been missing, Mr Lugola has since clarified that investigations were open on the reported cases of the missing citizens.
Ms Fatma Karume, the president of the Tanganyika Law Society, wrote thus on her twitter account: “The IGP is appointed by the President just like the minister; he takes orders from the President, who is commander in-chief of security and defence forces, so the minister can’t give orders to the IGP”. Social media was equally awash with criticisms against the order.
