Rowdy roads

Everyone must have seen that media interview, where our famed minister Journeyteam (JT) made references to the roads of the Pearl during a particularly childish use of literal translation and examples of the usual alleged faults of the last government. It is on YouTube I believe. One was left wondering if he was alluding to the fact that he needed a better car; the whole thing was so ridiculous, as new cars too seems to be a hot topic!

Minister JT, preceded by the big man himself speaking, aided by many clips of MPs telling us how luxury cars are desperately needed and are available at no cost to the country and officials appointed by them telling us that printing money is good for the economy and that they have better plans than the IMF to pull the country out of the disastrous state it is in, will serve, I hope, to reiterate that the usual practice of voting cretins into office and then awaiting the delivery of ‘rice from the Moon’, doesn’t work!

We cannot pass the buck of running the country to these people while we get on with our selfish, short-term, undisciplined, and totally irresponsible lifestyles. We think we can enjoy our ‘milk seas’, ‘milk rice Paddy fields’, ‘ash dawns’ and other such illusions while our elected representatives and their appointed officials continue to wreak havoc and spread mayhem through the land. Maybe, exposure of these specimens to the public through giving their unrestrained egos free rein via the media and the alleyways of the internet will achieve what has so far proved impossible? But then again to understand the true significance of what JT and his ilk say and do requires the need to pause our selfish and self-centred activities, and to do something about it takes real commitment not to mention ability.

Our desperate search for heroes and saviours is leading to many ‘cardboard Tarzans’ emerging from the woodwork. I see many interviews of obscure men and women politicians who also speak garbage but in more dulcet tones. This is not the answer either. There was only one politician from the far north who has impressed me in recent times. He spoke brilliantly during a brief speech in parliament and has lapsed into obscurity since then. I am not speaking of the dynastic youngster from the tea estates who speaks of ‘my people’ when he has not spent a single night in a line room or worked one minute in the tea gardens of the pearl. We must be careful O denizens of the pearl. Very careful not to pick an ‘unknown devil’ who will prove even more inept and ineffectual than those who have put us into this mess. We must bring our search down to the micro-level and pick our various local representatives very carefully, take responsibility for our choices, and hold them accountable. We must of course pause or even change our own irresponsible conduct and our penchant to blame others for our ills, but that has been spoken of elsewhere.

On the subject of the Olympic games. There is one Kiwi athlete who has won enough medals on her own to come 80th in the total medal tally of all countries. She is ahead of 220 other COUNTRIES, and it goes without saying that the Kiwi sports minister didn’t go to the Olympics and the officials didn’t outnumber the athletes 10:1. Some of you may think that facts such as these are highlighted to display a sense of superiority or smugness. May I hasten to say otherwise? These things are said with a deep sense of shame and a great degree of chagrin, that we have allowed and continue to allow such things to happen in our beloved mother country. An interesting situation with regard to the dispensation of drugs for the current COVID-19 pandemic, in the pearl, has come to light. A drug called ramsidivir is being sold to those who can afford it at Rs 200,000 a pop. However, there is a drug called ivermectin which gives great results and has been used by certain GPs. This has not been publicised and one wonders why. Maybe, a qualified person who reads this could follow up and bring some relief to the many who suffer and even save a few lives! My information comes from the best scientists in the land. Brilliant people who remain ignored and sidelined by those who speak of rowdy roads.