The words ‘my this’ and ‘my that’ are usually taken lightly, but considering the word ‘my’ means ownership, we commonly hear the comment made in many circles like ‘You hear my children…’ or ‘my woman’ or ‘my man’, ‘my car’, ‘my home’ or ‘my business’.
And in political circles you keep hearing ‘my party’, ‘my government’, ‘my police force’ and ‘my policy’.
But in the case of family, when the children go wayward, not all mothers or fathers consider that the failure rests with them for what happened to the people they call ‘my children’.
The same can be said of the Government in accepting failures related to their administration. When there are positives such as growth in the economy or great visitor arrivals, they are quick to acknowledge the glory or praise. But if there are failures as in the dealing with a heightened state of crime, they choose to distance themselves and shift the blame.
We all live in hope, looking for a better living, seeking to advance our livelihood and earn enough to make life easier. The state (and by extension the Government) sets the policy, they decide the how and the means, who will be given the role to be in charge or to be employed. But due to poor management and control mechanisms, some departments fail miserably and lots of money is either squandered or misappropriated and nobody is prepared to accept the blame — or take the fall.
We have developed a culture of ‘anything goes’ — if you are on my side or one of us, we will sweep the issue under the carpet and despite the criticisms or inquiries, things will be sure to remain the same. Guaranteed!
When people are given the chance to govern or to take charge, they have to begin to show slate. If people are paid wages, they have to abide with policy and if failures accrue, the Control and Command Centers must accept the blame.
We have to change the way things are done; we have to appoint the right person for the job. The party employment system has to change. We have to think about state before self-interests.
We have cons at all levels: The Big Boys steal, the Middle People steal – and those at the bottom do just the same. Honesty has been thrown out of the window. We are constantly deceived. We are frequently given false promises — and we never get justified results.
The future is dependent on a change in structure, a change in attitude and a change in policy. This means it is not only always just about changing the Government, but also changing with it, the way we govern. Leaders must emerge who’ll be real and productive. We must have a clear vision for tomorrow — and plans have to be long-term and not only for every five years.
So, we can say it’s our time now to do like we always did or were expected to: give merit where it is due, expect more chances of employment, want to give creativity a chance, and start believing that we can build our nation. But before we look elsewhere for investors, let’s check if there are any home-grown investors available. We have to begin to start looking inward…