Observe… Listen… Alert… Three words borrowed from the military vocabulary. Three words that must become part of everyone’s attitudes and habits, as a sign of participation in the popular defence to which we are called. In practice, this means keeping an eye out for unusual occurrences and movements around us, listening out for utterances that could be harmful to others or public tranquility, and immediately alerting the administrative authorities or their auxiliaries, the traditional rulers and quarter heads.
This reflex of permanent and participatory vigilance is our first line of defence against any kind of physical, psychological, moral, economic or environmental aggression. It’s a line of defence that needs to be strengthened more than ever, because our security as a society is being undermined on a daily basis, with the proliferation of armed violence, the spread of obscene language, the normalisation of moral deviance and the acceptance of social intemperance, which jeopardise our cohesion.
In contrast to the long decades of relative peace, barely disturbed by the territorial dispute with Nigeria over Bakassi, we have been forced in recent years to adapt our behaviour to the spread of insecurity. From now on, we must be more aware of our environment, more concerned about security issues and more united in the vicissitudes of life.
The most obvious example of this Patriotic Attitude is the vigilante committees that have spontaneously sprung up in our towns and villages. Thanks to their constant observation, listening and vigilance, many malicious individuals are put out of action, terrorist groups are dismantled, attacks are thwarted and planned attacks are nipped in the bud. As a result, the ability of armed extremists of every stripe to cause harm has been reduced to its simplest form.
The Patriotic Attitude must be the rule at all times, in all circumstances and in all areas, especially at special times of general euphoria such as the end and beginning of the year, national holidays and religious celebrations. Unable to win territory and unable to win our hearts, terrorist treachery could take advantage of these moments of euphoria to commit a few criminal acts, the only benefit of this deliberate and indiscriminate violence being the psychological impact on public opinion and the media backlash that would inevitably follow.
But we can be sure that this will not be the case this festive season, provided that every one of us takes the time to keep an eye out, listen carefully and inform the authorities. After all, responsible watching, listening and alerting is a civic duty that strengthens our lines of defence, which in turn saves lives and the Fatherland!
Let us all remain vigilant. /-
