The Government vs The People.

The Government vs The People.

Democracy they say is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is like a tripod, once one leg is out then it's impossible to find a balance.

In any sane society - If the government of the day introduces a new policy, it's required that the people welcome and embrace the implementation of this policy.

Scenario 1 - The government invested in a new railway system to support the people from moving about from one part of the country to the other, this is also to help businesses from all zones of the country in moving their products and deliveries about and on time. Ticket prices are highly subsidized by the government to make life easier for the people. This has helped in reducing the pressure on our roads and in turn reduced the accidents on these roads.

But surprisingly - the people managing these projects after completion have been making life miserable for fellow people by selling tickets in the black markets by hoarding them and selling at higher rates, selling more tickets than available seats, exchanging entrance for cash and all these are unrecorded.

Then alas - the government is getting the blame from all corners for not helping the people in the transport sector?

Scenario 2 - Electricity has been a migraine for our nation since independence. Every government since then has been unable to solve this. But here is another path to analyze. The government took a loan to see to the end of this problem that has remained unsolved for decades.

Expatriates were brought in, consultants were sourced and all sorts of hydropower generators were installed and cables extended all over the nation.

Then the mirage begins. Local power company staffs started taking bribes before you can get connected. The street with the right connection to the managers gets powered for their parties and sorts.

Businessmen with connections to people in government are doing their part too to remain in business. People started generating power for their own use but affordable and portable oil powered generators are required to achieve this. The businessmen importing these generators started sabotaging all the government efforts in this sector so they can continue to smile to the bank at the expense of the people.

Another set of people started stealing power cable across the nation - to be sold at the black markets for peanuts. Then the blame begins - the government is doing nothing about the people as they remain in darkness in the 21st century.

Scenario 3 - The politicians are very aware of how the people's mind operates and they milk it to their satisfaction every four years. Exchange of votes for cash is very rampant in every community across the nation. The politicians don't have policies nor conscience - how much more the people. People freely sell their votes for peanuts. Once a politician comes into town, no one cares about his ideas or manifestos but what does he have to offer in terms of cash and goodies. So the politicians are usually in competition over this. Whoever spends more wins the ballot.

Now here is the downside that the people seem not to know or they simply ignored it. All these money being distributed came from some source, either a loan from the bank (the banks are aware too and playing their part in this, after all, they are in business to make a profit) or a godfather somewhere bankrolling the campaign. Either way the people are at the losers corner, once election is over - the politicians discard the people to face how to reimburse their expenses, loans need to be paid back with interest, Godfather is now dictating how the office or government should be run - of course to his own advantage, at the expense of the same people that sold their votes !

So here comes the joke - Now the people are all over the place complaining about no good schools, salaries, and pensions not being paid or lack of good roads and pipe-borne water. I think they forgot too quickly that they have been paid for all these services up front at a cheap rate!

So at the end of the day - the government is actually not the problem but the people are.

For any government to succeed, the cooperation of the people is essential.