Backwards ever, forward never: The maximum havoc committee
Author, Stella Riunga Rop.
What you need to know:
- Cheers to our infrastructure development—one step forward and three giant leaps backwards.
Ahhhhhh, April. It is a lovely month, with children on holiday while the rain pours with the sun shining in between. Our brothers and sisters in the colder parts of the world are also eagerly looking forward to spring, when the first leaves start peeking shyly out of the snow and ice.
But wait. Every year, for the past forever, the rains have caught us by surprise. It does not matter whether it is the short rains or the long rains or the surprise rains, ah-ah! We are always shocked to realise the rainy season is upon us.
In countries that make sense, activities like clearing drainage systems, digging ditches and storm drains, grading and levelling roads and so on happen during the dry season, in anticipation of the rains. Not so in this corner of the world. It takes about one week of heavy rains, with the usual flooded roads and raging rivers, for gavumenti to start sending people to dig up roads and create storm drains. I imagine there is a group of people dressed in dusty overalls somewhere in a government office (I will call them DOLT–Dusty Overalls Labour Taskforce), drinking tea and reading newspapers, waiting for the first few drops of rain so that they can go cause maximum havoc by digging up roads in the rain and mud. Or should I name them the Maximum Havoc Committee?
This is one of our country’s national pastimes—digging up roads. Just put on your gumboots and go observe the Maximum Havoc Committee at work here, there and everywhere. Digging up roads and leaving them to become impassable ponds, digging up brand new tarmac roads to install fiberoptic cables (please do not even suggest that the cables be laid beforehand—that would imply having a plan. What nonsense!), digging up potholes to fill them but leaving them for so long that residents start fish farming in there … Or maybe I should stop complaining. After all, digging up roads is an important skillset that keeps the youthful DOLT members in employment.
Cheers to our infrastructure development—one step forward and three giant leaps backwards.
Backwards ever, forward never!
