Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has claimed the violent turn of the June 25, 2024 Gen Z protests that led to the storming of Parliament would not have occurred if he were still in charge of the security docket.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Matiang’i argued that under his leadership, the situation would have been handled differently, stating that proper use of intelligence and proactive engagement would have averted the chaos.

“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?” he posed.

Matiang’i noted that while the Constitution allows citizens to protest, there must be a balance between that right and national security concerns. He emphasised the need to distinguish between peaceful protests and those that threaten public order.

He said the recent Gen Z-led protests were largely peaceful and well-structured, unlike earlier opposition-led demonstrations during his time, which he said posed more serious threats to security and property.

"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 said.

He suggested that ahead of such demonstrations, he would have relied on intelligence reports from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to initiate dialogue with organisers, identifying issues early and creating space for engagement.

"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 said.

He added that even after the protests, the President had shown initial promise in responding to the situation, but the follow-through has been lacking.

“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 said.

Reflecting on his own time at the helm of the Interior Ministry, Matiang’i recalled the security challenges his administration faced, particularly terror threats along the Coast, and how those threats influenced how they approached protests.

“In 2017, it was a different story. We had information that the nature of such protests would cause chaos into businesses,” he said, referring to the government's vigilance after attacks like the 2019 Dusit complex incident.

He also addressed criticism of police brutality during his time in office, saying while excesses occurred, officers were expected to act within the law and had strict rules guiding their conduct during protests.

"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," he said.

Matiang’i maintained that the ministry took responsibility where necessary and worked transparently when dealing with misconduct.