I THOUGHT we had seen enough of these gun-toting bandits who believe in usurping political power through assassinations and violent coups.
But events of the past weeks have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the days of primitive politics are far from over.
When I thought as a nation we had successfully exorcised the ghost of military banditry from our midst and joined the rest of the civilised world as worshippers of democracy, it is heartbreaking to realise that some among us have refused to be part of the democratic bandwagon.
This is why this hired gang of anarchists was in the capital last week on a criminal and barbaric mission to assassinate a democratically elected head of state.
It does not need a rocket scientist to conclude that the singular objective of these political barbarians was to create a power vacuum in the state by eliminating the prime minister, thus providing a pretext for those behind the syndicate to usurp power by unconstitutional means.
If that was not the plan then someone, anyone, should stand up and tell Scrutator what exactly is going on.
Without volunteers coming up with a more plausible explanation, Scrutator will hold fast to her conspiracy theory knowing that it has not been challenged or countered.
We have seen this happen before in this country and every time it has happened the collateral consequences have been tragic.
And the continent has had its fair share of these political upstarts who think they can use guns to buy popularity.
From Nigeria to Mauritania to Ivory Coast the list goes on.
Only a few moons ago Madagascar became the latest outpost of unconstitutional military adventurism.
So this motley crew of under-equipped mercenaries thought they could repeat history in the Mountain Kingdom.
A miserable battalion of hungry and unwashed scoundrels who came into the country on foot, hoping to score a major political heist.
But then they failed categorically.
All they managed was to have three of their own shot dead.
Now nine losers are where they belong — in very cold prison cells in Maseru and South Africa.
Thanks to the vigilance of our kingdom’s security forces.
In the fullness of time Scrutator will find a special way of rewarding the uniformed men.
Maybe a strip show in which Scrutator will be the main act will inspire more vigilance.
Today, I also want to talk about death. It is a ghastly subject, I must admit.
It is too frightening as to paralyse one’s thought processes.
For that reason the majority of us shy away from ever thinking about what lies ahead for all of us.
Addressing the same subject, the “big book” says: “Man, born of woman . . . is short-lived and glutted with agitation
Like a blossom he has come forth and is cut off
And he runs away like a shadow and does not keep existing.”
Death equalises all of us.
The rich and the poor suffer the same fate when it strikes.
