Gassing Attacks and the Blame Game

Understanding the reasons behind recent gassings and mob killings is clearly a priority of national importance. However, it seems that increasingly such attempts to locate blame have been reduced to exercises in pointing the finger. The result is counterproductive, with public figures achieving little more than fanning the flames of chaos and violence.

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo’s comments are no exception in this respect. Kampyongo has laid the blame at the feet of an opposition political party, which he claims is seeking to breed confusion in the country. He has also warned that those issuing alarming statements with regards to the gassings could be prevented from participating in future elections.

Where Government officials have evidence or intelligence regarding the culprits behind the gassings then this should be communicated with the relevant authorities, in this case the police who must then take action.

People are looking to Government to provide reassurance that the matter is being dealt with and that the situation will improve, with those found guilty of breaking the law punished for their crimes. Pointing the finger without providing evidence only results in increased tensions in the country, which is already divided along partisan lines.

The escalation of recent events points to a bigger problem facing the country that is much bigger than party politics. As Socialist Party president Fred M’membe has stated current unemployment and poverty rates are a ticking time bomb.

“If we don’t adequately deal with the problem of unemployment and the generally growing poverty, criminal attacks like these gassing attacks will continue no matter how many soldiers and police officers we deploy on our streets and compounds,” M’membe is quoted as saying.

There is a well-established relationship between high rates of unemployment and criminality. Therefore, it is not only down to Government to re-establish calm and peace and bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, but to also recognise that it must tackle social instability more broadly if it is to prevent a repeat of recent weeks.