Sad as it is, it does appear that we have not learnt any lessons from the recent events. More worrisome is that we are unprepared to learn and unwilling to internalise lessons that stare us all in the face. Those whose words rang forth in disregard of restraint, baiting chaos with their flippancy, in the guise of empathy, will not relent.
A Commission of Inquiry, with such sensitive and serious task at hand, pays a visit to the toll-gate, and, as reported, at the spur of the moment, decides on a visit to the mortuary at the Military Hospital where bodies of the victims of the shooting were allegedly kept. So, as a newspaper reports, the panel ‘storms’ the military hospital. That, with the media in tow. For transparency.
There was no thought on the part of members of Commission of Inquiry, for protocols that should apply to any Hospital, not to talk of a military facility, that you do not just ‘storm’ it, with. Stopped by soldiers at the gate, as to be expected, having neither being briefed of their coming, that incident said to have lasted only 30 minutes immediately takes on a life of its own, fuelling all sorts of wild allegations from those who have been waiting for something new to munch on.
Hours after the matter had been resolved, advocates on social media were still masticating on a dodgy headline, not bothering to read the story, yet running off with all sorts of conjectures and cynical remarks. Yet as they were going on and on, reports had come, hours before that the panel had indeed be let in, but had inspected the hospital.
If there was any doubt that some have minds already made up and that only one outcome will satisfy them, the bear hug they gave the dodgy headline and misrepresentation on social media of the incident, even when events had overtaken it is proof.
More disturbing was the report that even though the Commission had ‘stormed’ the hospital on the basis of what one of the members tagged ‘confidential information’, it turned out that the hospital does not even have a mortuary, not to talk of keeping bodies. Yet, this panel was working on the basis of some ‘confidential information’. No guessing where that confidential information that had been flying around social media came from!
So, a Commission of Inquiry, with such sensitive task at hand, treats its assignment with such levity that it leads itself into a situation of going to inspect a facility not in existence. Ask me, what were members going to achieve in that morgue? Were they armed with photographs of victims they were going to confirm their presence in the morgue? A member of that Commission said they had a Pathologist with them. He was going to get in there and start examining bodies? Is that how it is done?
It is important that the Commission of Inquiry unearths whatever might be hidden. But in doing so, a little sense of professionalism and sobriety would help. It has to find strength to restrain some of its members who appear to be more inclined for the headline rather than substance to take things easy and embrace the sobriety that this assignment deserves.
If there was any doubt that some have minds already made up and that only one outcome will satisfy them, the bear hug they gave the dodgy headline and misrepresentation on social media of the incident, even when events had overtaken it is proof. Some only want their positions validated, no matter the cost. Sad. If we still cannot see where the lack of restraint has led us and we will continue to play for ego, it sadly proves that we are unable to internalise lessons from our experiences to avoid making same mistakes all over again. That is sad.
