By Ezekiel Nabieu
One of the greatest disruptions to our society arguably caused by Ebola is the physical separation of friends and families. It has caused artificial boundaries between us which is in no way a demonstration of love. In any case all things change except the love of change. Shall we endeavor to keep this love of change alive or shall we demonstrate it as occasioned by Ebola? ADAPTATION is the word. We have been bludgeoned by Ebola into doing things that were erstwhile unimaginable. We are told by Alfred Jennyson in his PASSING OF ARTHUR that “the old order changeth yielding place to new.” So why should we not also join in the swim?
CONVERGENCE.
The banning of entertainment shows has been of great discomfort to fans of those centers but of immense benefit to the state since indulgence would have worsened the scourge. Like Shakespeare wrote Sweet are the uses of adversity. Some level headed students have been making use of those entertainment hours by study or engaging in some other useful activity that could profit them materially and spiritually. This has been the scenario for those who know that the absence of occupation is not rest. They know also that a mind vacant is a mind distressed.
The exception to this rule has been religious meetings for worship which was wise enough in view of the intricacy of the issue. To have proscribed the holding of religious meetings should have been tantamount to political suicide. Therefore religious bodies were given free rein albeit within the national public health rules. This exemption did not prevent priests from taking liberties that proved to be detrimental to themselves. They kept carrying out the time- honored practices of laying of hands, shaking of hands and even hugging thinking themselves to be covered by the blood of Jesus or by the mercies of Allah. They had their consequences with avoidable deaths and lessons have been learnt by the surviving priests.
TRANSPORTATION
It is a fact of life that were it not for inevitable movement of men and things there would have been nothing like the SPREAD of Ebola. It would have remained where it started. Starting on the wrong foot government took panic measures that were ineffective because they were not thorough as usual. They restricted the numbers of passengers in vehicles without considering the modalities of the mob entry into vehicles. This cancels of all the gains that would have been made by the restrictions. The hobnobbing and greasing of passengers has been inevitable leading to the spread of the disease. Add to that the folly of women wearing topless dresses all in the name of fashion regardless.
Lurking in the backwaters are the bats and monkeys, the original hosts that have been thriving and multiplying in their thousands since the moratorium against them. There has been no Avoid Bat Contact [ABC] on wild life. Since nature abhors a vacuum a ban on this score without a quid pro quo would definitely be ineffective. Which is why I suggested popularizing sea food in the interior parts of the country but since I am not writing from State House nobody is listening but history will listen.
TRADE RESTRICTION
It will appear that half of the people in our towns and cities are petty traders so that development is rather lopsided on that side rather than farming. It’s unfortunate that able bodied youths who should have been expending their brawn on the farms in the countryside are found underemployed on the streets displaying wares that are not commensurate with their labour.
I’ve been to Jerusalem, Isreal and Mogadishu, Somalia where their holy days of Saturday and Friday were observed as trade – free and public holidays. Our government was coerced willy – nilly to clamp trade restrictions on our traders. Splendid idea. This move had been long in coming but it came when it should. And with it came overdue restrictions. Big Market closes at 6pm and time was when all other trading outlets chimed in with that time. The problem has been the gradual relaxation of the set time to gain cheap political favours. It’s a fact of life that what cannot be sold in 12 hours from 6a.m to 6p.m can scarcely be sold after those hours. People should adjust themselves to the hours of sales and not the other way round.
The government that is governed by the whims and caprices of street traders is only worth a write off. Which is why government should maintain its ban on street trading on Sundays. The traders would soon get used to it and they could still vote for it on the basis of good governance. Sundays would also afford the opportunity of rest for the traders but would also allow city councils to clean up debris thereby preventing filth – friendly diseases like malaria, cholera and tuberculosis etc. let me congratulate the government in advance for seeing reason to maintain the ban.
HARD QUESTIONS
- ASSETS DECLARATION
(a) Would there be any declaration of assets this year or is it now a bi-annual exercise?
- RADIO PANELS
(a) Are radio panels now like he who pays the panelist calls the tune?
(b) Is that the reason why panelists of some radio stations are no longer objective in their analysis but are so unabashedly biased in favour of their proprietor’s interests?
( c) Are they unconscious of the fact that cute citizens have seen through that ruse and that they should change their stance?
- Should Sierra Leone High Commissioner to the United Kingdom not now be appropriately called the Sierra Leone Low Commissioner in view of his disgraceful dithering?
- 4. © Politico 25/02/15
