Letter of the Day - Upsurge, a suicidal cycle

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I RESENT the rule of mobocracy. I resent the continued uglification of my country here and abroad, seeing the sensationalist images of people who don't represent me in deeds, words, manner or level of civility, portraying our nation as being on the lowest rung of the evolutionary ladder. I resent the shutting down of my country to satisfy the bloodlust, power-hungry egomaniacs who can no longer lead, or who have no moral authority to lead.

I resent communities who destroy or allow their communities to be destroyed only to return later to demand that my tax dollars reimburse them. I resent being regarded only as a digit, a statistic, a cipher, collateral damage, by those manipulators and pseudo-controllers who refuse to see me as a man. Most of all, I resent the examples we are setting for our children.

This recent upsurge in violence is just the continuation of our suicidal cycle. Most of us who were adults, and here in the seventies will recognise the same pattern, breath and ferocity. We recognise the same excuses... defence of territory and the restoration of party allegiance. We recognise the powerful weaponry brought to bear, the shootings, burning, co-ordinated roadblocks and terrorism. We recognise the police force divided into armed political camps.

This cycle cannot be broken by bringing overseas help as some people are crying for. It can only be broken by ourselves. For years, we have been hearing that the violence is fuelled, funded and organised by the political parties. Yet no member of the inner sanctum of any party is willing to step up and say publicly, "This is wrong. I have been a part of this and I can no longer allow my party to divide and brutalise my country".

The hands of the politicians are tainted with the blood of their own people, but none is interested in upsetting the gravy train. The lure of power and self-interest is obviously greater than the interests of the country. Yet they are guilty by omission and commission, guilty by silent participation, guilty by reason of cowardice and a lack of morality, guilty by personal greed. Our political landscape is a barren wilderness. No wonder at every election, the number of voters decline as only those forced to, vote for any member of this corrupt system.

I am etc,

LOUIS DAVIS

litework9@hotmail.com

Back to Letters