Matiang'i on June 25 Gen Z revolt: 'It wouldn't have happened under my watch!'

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang'i has weighed in on last year's Gen Z-led demonstrations that saw protesters breach Parliament, citing that the protests would have taken a different trajectory had he been occupying the security docket.

In an exclusive interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Matiang'i stated that while the right to protest is enshrined under the law, there must be limits when public order and national security are at stake.

The former CS also maintained that he would have utilised information from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to determine the best course of action before the protests by inviting the Gen Zs to engage in discussions and provide solutions. 

He added that the distinction between peaceful and chaotic protests lies in the nature and structure of demonstrations, pointing out that the recently held Gen Z protests were peaceful and well-organised, while past opposition demonstrations posed greater threats.

"If you were to write a manifesto out of the Gen Z uprising, you would outline several things; one is that Gen Zs voice is not being heard. Time is here for the leaders to have conversations with young people about their issues," he noted. 

"What I would have done differently: it would not have happened under my watch. How would it have gotten to a point that there's a rampage in town, Parliament is overrun? Since 1963, this has never happened before, instruments of power are carted away and we did not know that it was coming?"

According to Matiang'i, he would have formed an inquest to determine the issues posed by the Gen Zs to ensure that they would not have gone to the streets.

"It's not a surprise accident, it's something that ought to have been known. I know the NIS capacity, but I know they must have known it would happen. I expected the government to orchestrate an all-party inquiry to answer the question of what happened," he remarked.

“After it happened, the President's second statement was hopeful, even I thought he should be given an opportunity as he had solutions. Clearly, it hasn't happened and we had another riot. I don't know what will be done to avert the next one."

He recalled the tense environment during his tenure, pointing out that security agencies were battling terrorism threats, especially in Coastal regions.

“In 2017, it was a different story. We had information that the nature of such protests would cause chaos into businesses,” he said, adding that the government at the time had to remain vigilant, especially following attacks like the 2019 Dusit complex incident.

The former CS also weighed in on the cases of police brutality during his reign, whereby reports of police excesses were recorded during the opposition-led protests. 

Alluding to this, Matiang'i noted that some officers violate the law individually, citing that during demonstrations, there are established rules for conflict management that guide officers' actions.

He acknowledged that the ministry was transparent and took responsibility where necessary.

"We don't train police to kill citizens. The theory of policing is for the preservation of law and order. That doesn't mean individual police officers can go above the responsibilities they have. Police have standing orders. When riots have happened, there are rules of conflict management."