WHAT a time we live in: somebody is gunned-down or knifed, or chopped with a cutlass every other day. Lives are cut short, parents and loved ones are left crying while those who commit those acts feel justified and content with their actions.
We lament. we condemn their actions, seek answers and wonder it those acts of violence are here to stay or just a phase. We talk and talk, the governments and national security minister talk and talk about doing something about it — and all of it remains just that – talk and more talk. We dispute what methods or systems, should be used to arrest the problem, but cannot reach common ground or make definitive decisions, so everything remains at a standstill.
Every other day you hear statements about change, but sadly, things remain the same. There is an absence of problem-solvers, but a lot of hype, sweet talk and ‘we will fix things’ statements. Plenty people are paid to create that change, but changes never come — and we sit back and wait until the next time comes to talk again about what should be done.
We are content to just weather out the storm, stay in our comfort zone and blame the state for all the problems. We do not yet realize that we need a new brand of crime-fighting methods. Like our laws, some crime fighting methods are outdated, some need revamping.
We need real policies, real leaders, real workers and practical solutions to this home-made crisis. Only we can solve the problem that we have created and continue to let happen just because we are too afraid to put our hands in the air and say ‘Something different must be done because what exists is not working.’
We are always the last in line to implement policy. There are countless examples of our late actions: we drag our feet on every matter, we delay, we defer, we neglect, we protect — and we talk without action, which is our biggest strength.
So, the answer lies in change. But then, who changes what they are accustomed to when they tell themselves there’s no need for change when they just enforced a change?
We have changed governments each time for the past three elections because neither delivered what it promised in the five years we gave them. So, do we give up on continuing to punish governments that fail at the ballot box, or should we continue to change just for changing sake, until we make the right change?