Our small and happy society is no longer at peace with itself. And this is no exaggeration. Kinds and kinds of crimes are growing in the city corners. That’s why the police two years ago came up with an idea to frisk people after 10pm. Going by the records, crime rates may have gone down by numbers appreciable, but intensity has grown by much more.
What all these point to is a society grunting in pain. Why is this happening? Why are our young people becoming killers and looters?
More than ever today, we need to protect innocent citizens from wanton acts of violence, fuelled by disillusionment, drugs and other intoxicants that our young people are increasingly resorting to. Perhaps the real question we must ask is why are our young people drawn to dangerous intoxicants.
What our young people need today is a place where they can comfortably be and prosper. These are the times when jobs are scarce. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the government of the day to create employment opportunities for our young people in the light of the fact that we are a country with a predominantly young population. More than that, parents and elders have roles to play.
Our demographic change gives us a worrying picture. Our window of opportunity is small. We are running short of time. Statistics from National Statistics Bureau tells us so. The burden of economy and welfare will fall on our young people, who are today running riot in the streets. Every year, we get from police pictures of weapons our young people carry to protect themselves and to eliminate the hurdles standing in the way of their personal dreams. These are loud and harsh cries from parts of our society that we have ignored for far too long in the process of development.
Getting at the leg first will not solve the problem until we delve deep into the heart of the problem itself. There must be reasons why our young people roam the street with weapons all day and night long.
We live in a time of change that compels us to look deeper into our own souls.