TERROR PLAN

IMPORTANT lessons should be learnt from this “gassing” experience. As a nation we have taken peace too much for granted. Careless statements by self-professed political activists are the order of the day, replete with insinuations of illegal regime change. They must now realize that it does not take very much to destabilize a state. All it needs is a few “gassers” to force ordinary people including villagers to run riot, block roads and engage in running battles with the Police. Ultimately when peace and tranquility are displaced by mob justice, the rule of law is totally jeopardized leaving the individual, property and indeed the nation at the mercy of the marauding and rampaging crowds. This is not farfetched. Many countries have suffered and some continue to suffer the consequences of internal instability. There should be no mistake, the terrorism acts we are witnessing are intended to destabilize Government, by seriously undermining peace and security. They are deliberate, well planned, and obviously well financed. An undermined civil society is forced to take the law into its own hands thereby creating a mass breach of the rule of law against which an overstretched security system is unable to respond effectively. By its very nature terrorism is the use of fear to intimidate societies and more specifically Governments. It is used for political reasons to weaken Governments and arouse electorate ire against the leadership. So far everything is being done by the script. The people generally have lost confidence in the Police, a vital arm of statecraft that ensures the maintenance of the rule of law. Suspects, many of them innocent, have been killed in cold blood. Some have even been torched in a gruesome manner- a practice obviously copied from social media characterization of xenophobic violence in South Africa. The masterminds have heightened the fear factor by introducing the concept of ritual killings, blood sucking and magical transformation of humans into birds, dogs or cats. This is an appeal to the gullible. They know that Zambians are superstitious, religious and therefore amenable to even the most ridiculous suggestions. There should be no mistaking that this “gassing” phenomenon will have ripple effects. Once terror takes root and civil society has been sufficiently undermined ripple effects will manifest in compromised peace and security, which will in turn have economic repercussions, through among other things heightened criminality. The loss of life, destruction of property and general air of insecurity will inject uncertainty in the economy. Already some foreign Governments have issued travel advisories about the tenuous security situation. This will have direct and immediate impact on tourism. In the long term, investors will be forced to evaluate their options with many pending or completely withholding investment in Zambia. Already the entertainment and food industries have been hard hit with most customers preferring to remain at home rather than risk the danger of mistaken identity or indeed getting entangled in a riot. Many facets of the economy and social life will most certainly be affected with the passage of time. This abomination visiting Zambia will only be assuaged if Zambians cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying the people responsible. Afterall the perpetrators live within the community.