INspire

Zambia learn from Kenya election violence

by mazuba mwiinga

 No amount of blood; not even a single little drop of a human being is worth shedding, to justify one’s cause during elections. No matter how hurt or disgruntled you are; the fact still remains, you too aren’t carrying petrol for blood.

Recently Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe was attacked at a meeting in Livingstone for his country’s alleged violent tactics during elections; and Mugabe defiantly said Zambia is no better too when it comes to election violence, and true that; he was right.

Pockets of violence that may seem innocent now, in full view of the powers that may be, need to be checked; and checked instantly, and all right humane mechanisms put in place to avoid such to degenerate into streams and pools of blood during elections. Today high ranking officials from Kenya are facing murder charges among others in The Hague, for allegedly propagating violence during the 2007 elections in that country. Come think of it; it’s distressing.

We are no longer colonised and it seems no one wakes up to this reality when it comes to politics; our blood is somehow connected to one other in one way or the other in this country. And resorting to banditry and murderous acts to show remorse or displeasure at something, doesn’t justify anyone’s sane reason for doing such; our means must always justify the end; and violence is not that means at all. We don’t leave in animal Kingdoms where even a proof of one’s prowess is justified by how vicious an animal is. Sad that! Isn’t it?

For once I thought being humans meant having a reason to think before acting; having a personal judgement within oneself before picking a stone and throw at a fellow soul. Why should some one now make me think otherwise?

None of the Kenyan officials perceived that 4 years later they will stand in the dock of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face crimes against humanity, for allegedly organising and planning methods of butchering their fellow citizens. Why should it always come to the International community to poke us that what we do is wrong?

Don’t we, as Africans, have our own Supreme Being given conscience to know that the laws of nature, whatever religion one believes in, dictates that taking away someone’s life is not only a crime but naturally and morally wrong? And knowing that if I slice a sharp metal on the skin of my fellow being he will bleed blood and not some other fluid just like me?

Zambia needs to learn and learn seriously to what is now going on in Kenya. As we go for polls any time soon this year, only the power of the ballot can vindicate each one of us; no matter how one may try to manipulate the people’s wishes; when time comes, no one has the power to reverse it; no one at all.