|
The Gecko
“Death sparks riots”
This was the
headline that screamed across the Zambia Daily Mail on 17
October
“Lusaka’s Misisi
residents yesterday ran riot over a man who died in custody after
police allegedly battered him at Kamwala South police post where he
was detained on Sunday for loitering”.
“Angry residents
besieged the police post commonly known as “Titanic” and attempted
to burn it including the vehicles parked there but quick action by
police prevented them from causing damage to property”.
My God!
These are trying
times, they are times which are becoming more violent by the day.
Oooooh! “Times,
they are really a changing”.
A month hardly
goes by without reports of people turning riotous.
This is not the
Zambia we know.
Violence tends to
rise at the slightest provocation and one wonders where the country
is headed.
In recent times,
residents mainly in the townships have fought many running battles
with the police.
There was the
Ng’ombe saga in Lusaka where the police post was destroyed and
vehicles parked there, burnt.
Misisi compound
is another case in point and so was Kamwala. These high density
residential areas in the capital, unveiled a wrath of destruction
that is frightening.
What has gone
wrong?
Something is very
wrong because this violence must stem from somewhere.
Poverty and
unemployment are generally the major issues that cause a people to
rise up in anger, especially against a system or the government.
A people who are
hungry and idle are easily moved to anger and in Zambia, there are a
lot of people who are hungry, without jobs and in some instances,
those in jobs, their salaries are slave wages and conditions. My,
they can make a minister weep.
These are easily
moved to anger.
What caused these
recent violent outburst? In all these cases it was the police.
Yes, the police.
The same police whose job is to protect citizens.
In Ng’ombe a
police officer shot and killed two young persons at a funeral. In
Kamwala, police were suspected to have beaten a suspect to death and
dumped his body by a rail line.
The Gecko feels,
the people rose against the system, a system in which they have lost
trust.
Their violent
reaction speaks volumes about how they feel.
It is sad that
the police who are supposed to protect the people are doing more
harm than good.
There is a need
to rid the police service of trigger happy cops and officers who
still believe in the Gestapo methods of doing things.
Zambia today is
in a dicey spot especially with the elections which have left many
people still reeling with anger.
If people are
angry, they can easily be moved to violence and those in power
should know that they are dealing with a very delicate situation.
Now is not the
time to talk down to people or show them that you are the mighty
one.
The Inspector
General of Police needs to be told this more than anyone else.
Whenever he speaks, his language is fighting talk like he was
commanding a platoon to engage in war.
Where is the much
talked about (especially after the polls) spirit of reconciliation?
Now is not the
time to show the might of the police because no sooner is one riot
quenched, than another will rise.
Even our leaders
must, like everyone else, watch their language. It will not do for
them to threaten others with talk of ‘sorting them out’.
This violence
means only one thing – that the people are hurting.
To quench it,
those in power must go to its root cause – is it the poverty,
unemployment or the just ended poll?
Surely there must
be an answer to what is causing these people to rise up, the way
they do.
Sort out the mess
someone.
|
November
2006