A curfew was announced in the Maseru District on June 15th. It is effective immediately. Ostensibly, it has been announced in order to free the police to contain an armed criminal element that is distabilising the capital city (and district?).
The curfew will hit the low income group hardest, all street vendors will be significantly affected as thier right to free and thier customer's right to free movement is curtailled. The factories and anybody running plant that needs to work 24 hours will also be very hard hit, the transport industry either needs to obtain permits or re-arrange thier routes. Consider the case of a taxi driver who needs to start ferrying his passengers to work starting a 6:00am, when and how is he expected to get to work? How is he expected to get home after he has disembarked his last passengers at 6:00pm? Do we have the capacity to ferry everybody home and have the streets clear by 6:00pm? Would the objective still not be met if the restrictions we imposed from 5:00am to 8:00pm?
Why do we have roadblocks that are manned exclusively by very young and discourteous soldiers? While are male soldiers feeling up er- excuse me, searching women? What are the roadblocks intended to achieve? Do those who are manning them know what they are looking for? What will they do if they find it? Where do thier loyalities lie?
Is the curfew an effective remedy for the problems that have been identified? If it is, how will we know that it is effective? If its not, will our leadership be brave enough to admit that they were wrong? That they trampled over the rights of the many because of the ineptitude of the few?
Yes, this too shall pass, whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger. We shall overcome.
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