 It was too late for Lumumba to enact Africanisation before independence.Seeking another gesture that might excite the Congolese people, Lumumba proposed to the Belgian government a reduction in sentences for all prisoners and an amnesty for those serving a term of three years or less.Ganshof feared that such an action would jeopardize law and order, and he evaded taking any action until it was too late to fulfill the request.