From time immemorial we have had wonderful people who decided to join the long arm of the law, and who have with their standards of service to the community and the nation, made us all proud to know them. We each have a family member, close friend or friend of a friend who have taken the oath to serve, and taken it upon themselves to build a safer space for us all. My naïveté does not run deep enough however, for me to assume that everyone with a uniform is on the same pathway, but when we now see blatant violations in the face of the nation? That is simply wrong! 

Nations such as ours have always relied throughout our checkered history, on clans and small groups representing the village headman, the area aristocrat, or the regional monarch to keep ‘law and order’ in that said area. The same goes for our northern neighbor and it is pretty much the adhered to system in feudal societies globally. Vassals within these mini dominions had very few, if any rights, and were at the mercy of the ‘whims and fancies’ of their over-lords. This of course is considered the ‘feudal system’ and as far as we are concerned, living in the 21st century, should be a thing in the distant past. Is it though? 

It has long been a known point that insecure bullies, who mull on their inadequacies are drawn to careers that give them some vestige of power. These people gravitate to join ‘brotherhoods’ that give them a sense of belonging, purpose and most of all, power. From the ‘Third Reich’ led by one of the most notoriously insecure sociopaths in history who led his goons to gleefully participate in genocide, to the notoriously vile ideologies of the ‘KKK,’ and the unflinching atrocities that were part of the play book of Iraq’s mass murdering former leader, ‘brotherhoods’ led by lunatics, left unchecked and given free reign, historically makes for disaster! 

Cut to our resplendent island home and the recent events surrounding the People’s Protests and also numerous infringements on the rights of the People, that thanks to the media coverage (social and traditional) was brought to our attention. We saw men in uniform beat and bludgeon media representatives who clearly identified themselves, just in case the fact that they were in media logo emblazoned attire, and carrying cameras didn’t penetrate those ‘state of the art’ military helmets! The helmets were certainly covering ‘empty vessels’ since these uniformed goons thought that they would get away with it! Beating up unarmed men and women? Oh how brave these soldiering keepers of the law must feel! As the global community looked on in disbelief and world governing bodies and their representatives on ground voiced unequivocal disapproval, the local ‘leaders’ from direct, through to the top found excuses to justify these heinous acts. When public property is being destroyed, when the safety of society is at risk of course the law needs to step in. The right to peaceful protest, however, has been a social corner stone, and when men and women are simply voicing their opinions, however loudly and however annoying for the ‘great and powerful,’ that is a right, which should not be handled with unchecked state sanctioned violence. 

Can any of us forget that thug in uniform at a petrol station kicking a citizen who was voicing unhappiness about having to wait days for fuel. Kicking? Really? Maybe these were residual vestiges of his past life as a Mule! Of course, with so much media attention, he was ‘officially’ taken to task, but what about all the hundreds and thousands of cases with similar behavior that goes unrecorded and unchecked? Disturbing to ponder indeed. Maybe before letting national uniform wearers beat one’s own citizens, the well padded decision makers in the halls of power should ponder how a nation got to this point, with citizens dying in line while waiting for fuel? And what about solutions? Scraping the bottom of the ravaged national coffers to pay for ‘a tanker’ to bring fuel that would be used up in a matter of hours? To still puff outs one chest and act arrogant while going with the begging bowl to anyone who has a dollar to spare? The history books will certainly remember these ‘power brokers’ as some of the most-inept and incompetent we have ever had! 

As I said earlier putting on a uniform representing one’s nation was something that in most cases equated honor. Bad apples, bad eggs, we can call them every name on the grocery list, is something that happens everywhere. The difference is that globally, with most uniforms including ‘body cams,’ accountability is usually the price they pay, and their superiors, all the way to the top, set in motion systems to curtail, control and punish any uniformed bullies. How idiotic must one be to assume that wearing a uniform means that one can bully, beat, and blackmail without repercussions? Well maybe in some of our ideal hamlets, villages and towns they could. From verbal, physical and sexual abuses through to coercion and extortion, this pandemic of ‘unchecked power’ seemed to be spreading. The only hope in sight is that with camera phones and an ever more vigilant and confident society bonding together, the previously unchecked behavior is now highlighted for all to see. Unfortunately, the blatant threats, the loud shouting of abuses, the vociferous arrogance of these ‘chest thumping’ men in uniform channeling their inner ‘King Kong’ still goes on regularly. The reason being that these ‘armed men’ are not smart enough to comprehend that the days of their great-grand-fathers running about the village abusing anyone they could, are long gone. Those loathsome genetics may still be present in the person today, but those on the receiving end are not simply going to take it anymore. Also thankfully there are fellow citizens who stand up for each other, and don’t let someone, simply because they are capped, badged and medaled, abuse those who are weaker. 

Some would blame the past and say that maybe these ‘uninformed uniforms’ were the recipients of abuse in their own right, and are simply taking ‘their turn’ to vent frustrations. This to me is ‘simply’ too simplistic, as one cannot blame the world and be given carte blanche to behave horribly, blaming ones own past grievances. Whatever the reasons, we as a nation need to take responsibility to stand up for our rights, to call out anyone who is abusing their ‘temporary’ powers, and also to ensure that we are here as a bastion of hope for those who have no voices. Every being, human and animal, deserves to live with protection and dignity, and we all need to highlight misdeeds, speak out, demand justice, and work collectively to protect all beings around us. We each have a duty to our society and that we need to remember and act on every single day.