Youths, don't fight for politicians; they will not pay your bills

Scenes at Jacaranda Grounds a fortnight ago. [File, Standard]

I recently wrote on this column that if we are going to have a peaceful electioneering period, we will need every political candidate to publicly declare their commitment to uphold peace.  They must denounce any acts of violence, the alleged perpetrators notwithstanding. 

When two rival camps clashed at the Jacaranda grounds the other day, the two factions went into defence mode with each blaming the other for the chaos that left people injured. It is really unfortunate that no political leader is willing to call their followers out for instigating violence, perhaps because the chaos is never accidental or unforeseen.