Colour And Blame

ONE of the ills of our society in the recent past was the polarisation of black and white.

It seems that the lessons of those wrongs have not been learned. I increasingly hear over national television that where a white person stands accused of wrongdoing against a person of other skin colour, that the colour of people is accentuated in the reporting.However, this does not happen when a black person stands accused of wrongdoing against a white person.From this reporting and others, I get the impression that the national television is judgmental and wants to place the entire white community under suspicion.I do agree that ills that exist in society should be exposed, but in this matter it seems that more injustices are being perpetuated.This is already evident from the report in The Namibian 2 July 2004, in which NNFU allegedly issued a warning of engaging in “white-versus-black conflict”.There is a legal justice system in this country where justice should be upheld.Individuals and groups that contravene the law and work against peaceful coexistence should be brought to book in a just manner.It is also important that people of the same colour as a perpetrator should not be accused and due recognition should be given thereto that individuals are not treated as guilty, until found guilty by means of an unbiased and just process.We need a stable, peaceful and just society and we need to draw on all our resources if poverty is to be reduced and all people are to be economically empowered in the shortest space of time.I therefore appeal to all those who shape the hearts and minds of our society to do so with due care and without themselves becoming instruments for polarisation.I also appeal to all members of our society to be “colour blind” when it comes to the way they view and treat their fellow humans.Those who do not are no better than the people who have brought about racial divides and conflict in the past.F Becker Via e-mailI increasingly hear over national television that where a white person stands accused of wrongdoing against a person of other skin colour, that the colour of people is accentuated in the reporting.However, this does not happen when a black person stands accused of wrongdoing against a white person.From this reporting and others, I get the impression that the national television is judgmental and wants to place the entire white community under suspicion.I do agree that ills that exist in society should be exposed, but in this matter it seems that more injustices are being perpetuated.This is already evident from the report in The Namibian 2 July 2004, in which NNFU allegedly issued a warning of engaging in “white-versus-black conflict”.There is a legal justice system in this country where justice should be upheld.Individuals and groups that contravene the law and work against peaceful coexistence should be brought to book in a just manner.It is also important that people of the same colour as a perpetrator should not be accused and due recognition should be given thereto that individuals are not treated as guilty, until found guilty by means of an unbiased and just process.We need a stable, peaceful and just society and we need to draw on all our resources if poverty is to be reduced and all people are to be economically empowered in the shortest space of time.I therefore appeal to all those who shape the hearts and minds of our society to do so with due care and without themselves becoming instruments for polarisation.I also appeal to all members of our society to be “colour blind” when it comes to the way they view and treat their fellow humans.Those who do not are no better than the people who have brought about racial divides and conflict in the past.F Becker Via e-mail