The incident that resulted in the death of some Cameroonians at the Paul Biya Stadium in Olembe not only revealed lapses regarding access to stadia, but also the fact that Cameroonians need to develop more courteous behaviour.
After the horrible Olembe stampede, the finger pointing game which many Cameroonians are accustomed to began. Interestingly, the blame game which seldom has winners was launched and even with the now available results of the investigations, one thing is certain – the incident was a regrettable one and which could have been avoided. So where wasn’t the line drawn? A certain Jim Rohn once wrote “We must all suffer from two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” How true these words now sound, looking back at the casualties recorded following the stampede. Had the impatient population remained calm, had authorities done the needful, maybe the story would be different today. Helas! All we have are regrets that weigh tons. Certainly, heads will roll but before that, blood and tears were shed, teeth gnashed and curses rained. The pain of regret is glaring.
In a series of whys, it is easy to remark that this is one of several similar incidents recorded across the country, and for which citizens are not all together blameless. Where have all the civic lessons taught in schools from the primary level to the secondary gone to? What happened to the fear of the Police or better still the respect of the rule of law or simple guidelines? Why must citizens often throw caution to the wind instead of acting reasonably and responsibly?
It is easy to wag a finger at someone but can we be honest enough to take responsibility for our actions? It is high time the population reviewed its attitudes towards situations that have not only cost lives but tarnished the image of the country. Jeff Fisher holds that discipline is doing what you really don’t want to do so you can do what you really want to do. As simple as it sounds, many have the tendency to act out of line before being called to order, an attitude which Cameroonians must correct.
Claudette CHIN
