Cosmetic or Genuine Peace Under Governor Lalong?
By D’yong Mangut
Peace is a relative term. It does not mean just absence of war.
It has different layers. Societal peace, that’s the general peace among people when there is no intergroup or intra group war or crisis.
Individual peace; that’s when individual members of the society are at peace with society or government. The individual peace is largely associated to economic peace.
The intergroup peace on the Plateau is not visible yet. Plateau is seriously enjoying latent conflict been brewed by Lalong’s administration, but he has dwelled more on peace rather than economic freedom and prosperity to the citizens.
Let me focus on peace matter here since that’s the only priority of the present administration.
The kind of peace building embarked upon by the administration is rather brewing war in the State in the near future.
When ensuring peace in a multicultural society like us, Government should not attempt to appease the belligerent party against the peaceful party.
Whatsoever can be the motive of the Government, peace is a political term but achieving it should not be a means to a political end. It serves no purpose of being a Government if your citizens are killed but the Government keeps mute without bringing the perpetrators to justice
What has the State government done on land issues in Jos North that will bring lasting peace?
When will the Plateau people feel protected by its Government from expansionists?
The major issues of ethnography and religionism that have wrecked problems in the State over the years have not been settled but this administration is only concerned with shortcut opportunities to peace so that it will continue to establish a persuasive propaganda that there is peace in the state.
Peace cannot be without mutual trust!
Peace cannot be with expansionist drives.
The tinkling political side of the peace on the Plateau is that it is very suspicious that there is peace. Reasons are that, there seems to be areas where the state Government is only interested in ensuring peace. This is purely political peace.
Partisanship has blinded the idea of peace on the Plateau under this administration. I want to see a situation where the life of a Berom, Mwagavul, Tarok, Ngas, Amo, Irigwe, Afizere, Bogghom, Gomai, Mupun, Ron, Mushere, etc is precious to the State government.
This life should be protected not by so-called peace rallies, concerts, seminars, paper presentation, pitiable empathy, or mere pronouncements.
Mischief and conflict merchants should be made to face the consequences of their acts.
The individual peace perspective. It is no longer news that Governor Lalong has imbibed the culture of jamboree. He is now only interested in being seen in ‘baban riga’ going round the country with non performing Governors just for political reasons.
I have not heard of any bumper harvest on the Plateau in the last two farming seasons since his assumption of office despite our agriculture endowments. He has now become a mere Committee Governor for his party. No news of trade and commerce in the State. No news of domestic or foreign investment in the state. No sign of human development. Industrialization is nowhere to be seen. Physical infrastructure gap is worsening and widening.
The State instead of being a producer, is now a beggar state under Lalong.
We need to rethink and reevaluate ourselves. We cannot pretend that we are retrogressing.
I urge His Excellency to readjust his political lens in looking at issues in the State. It is not all about sycophancy or persuasive propaganda but having the State at heart and do your best.
While you expect just peace in the State, you should know that you have to work for it fairly and with conscious efforts.
You can’t achieve peace by robbing Peter to pay Paul.
D’yong Mangut writes in from Jos, Plateau.
