Staying silent makes you complicit

ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Desmond Tutu often said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

How many people have you encountered who merely nod their heads without commenting when you address a serious and proven wrongdoing, especially if they have a vested interest in the matter being criticised?

No ANC supporter, for instance, dares criticise any proven corrupted colleague.

No Muslim makes a hoo-ha about a loud azaan (call to prayer) that disturbs others.

No Hindu openly criticises the Bharatiya Janata Party for implementing its own official apartheid policy against minorities.

This trait protects the individual from being ostracised from the herd or losing face in society.

We have all been taught to talk less. Don't get involved. Shut your mouth. Being neutral keeps people from falling off the fence.

Always be neutral and always an oppressor! Tutu said this, not me.

EBRAHIM ESSA

Durban