There are two professions I don't like. The army and the Police. I especially hate the police because of the lasting negative impression they left on my mind while living in Nigeria.
My perception of police men everywhere(?) is that they are 'no--do--gooders'...
When I was a young boy--fifteen, I supposed; one of my aunties brought his boyfriend home. She actually wanted my parents to know him.
After the introduction, there were the usual banters and small talks that acompany such meetings.
As soon as the young man left, my dad look at my mum quizzically. The look as I reflect on that scenario now could be interpreted as..."of all the young men available in the world, her choice has to be a policeman...?"
And from the little I gathered from their conversation, the ' military force'--including the police, are professions for the dregs and the not-so-intelligent people in the society. That impression hasn't changed a bit. In fact, it was re-enforced by the likes of Abacha, Mustapha and the numberous policemen at the ubiquitous 'check-points' in Nigeria.
That's exactly why the great Fela Kuti in one of his songs branded the military as 'zombies'.
There is no better term or adjective to describe military men --including the police. They are mindless zombies. Yes! Because in the face of acute suffering and poor working conditions, the policemen remain silent--especially in developing countries.
They are not expected to protest or as much as grumble. If they do, they are regarded as saboteurs.
A friend of mine would like to describe policemen and the army as 'professional prostitutes'. They flirt with any given government of the day.
When a despot rules oppressively, the police is used to suppress any uprising. Most people the world over see policemen as their enemies.
And the police force become the enemy of the people if/when they worship the king or queen or president or prime minister... as case may be.
When the people of a country or region say they do not want their leader--who happens to a be king any more, I believe such a people have a right to voice out this loudly in any form possible.
Policemen are part of these people. They cannot be different.
Some years back, Precisely in 1986, the people of Phillipine got tired of the draconic and squandermaniac rule of the president--Ferdinard E. Marcos. There was an uprising. When the uprising started, the police was used to 'try' the suppression of the voice of reason. They however failed woefully. At the end of the day, Ferdinard Marcos and his 'squanderholic' wife--Imelda fled the country. The people won. The policemen who tried to supress 'the will' of the people remained. They continued their services with the new leader loyally(?).
Since Thursday last week, the people of Nepal region have been protesting to see that their King Gyanendra, steps down. Gyanendra seized power from interim Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who the king said had failed to quell a Maoist insurgency that has killed at least 13,000 people since 1996. Three of the pro-democracy demonstrators have been killed since the uprising. Police have been order to shoot at sight rioters who defy the curfew order. Over 70 pro-democracy protesters have been arrested and detained.
It is only a matter of time before the will of the people prevails. And it certainly will.
Then, the police who have somehow been opposed brutally to the uprising, will flirt with the new government. And whatever benefit accrues from King Gyanendra's remover will trickle down to the same senseless policemen. What a shame on the part of the policemen. If only they would become mindful; instead of being the zombies that they are presently.
