Spot fines to go reads the headline in today’s Herald. I’m claiming this as a victory for everyone who’s spoken up, said no, refused to pay a bribe, expressed their frustration, or demanded greater transparency from the police. This includes the commuter omnibus drivers who have protested, motorists who have insisted on receipts for their fines, and our many subscribers who have objected to corruption on the part of road traffic police.

Like the government, the police are meant to act for the public – to serve and protect the people. But like Frederick Douglass said, power concedes nothing without a demand. If spot files are indeed abolished and the road traffic police become less corrupt, it will be in large part because people took a stand and refused to let the police push them around. What’s next?

This entry was posted on March 16th, 2012 at 7:44 am by Amanda Atwood and is filed under Activism, Governance, Inspiration, Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.