We remember the poor once a year, leave them to their misery

Christmas seems to bring the best out of us while reviving memories of the beauty of friendship, family, fun and faith. The child Jesus allows us to become childlike for a while in wonder, innocence, laughter and dreams. We get a glimpse of what the world might look like if we were to take seriously the angels message of peace to all nations. 

But then we crash into January and the awful, shocking reality of school fees, bills and requirements turn many of our Christmas dreams into nightmares. Of course the struggle to get by and keep food on the table didn’t even permit a huge percentage of the population the luxury of taking the day off and celebrating with their nearest and dearest. Many of them were lucky to have a few quality hours off at the end of another day toiling and keeping the nation moving while the rest of us were living it up. 

The ruling classes did their annual duty of distributing food and clothes to the ‘less fortunate’ and in most cases made sure that the cameras were there to record their generosity. The poor as Jesus said we will have with us always and all of us at some stage join the ranks of the misfortunate through sickness, death, separation or unemployment. Who among us has not benefited from the kindness and charity of others at critical moments in our journey?

However, when I see footage of hundreds of poor people lining up to receive their unga, sugar and mafuta I wonder are they the same people who lined up last year and will they be back again next year as annual beneficiaries of charity. I regret to opine that we remember the poor and destitute one day in the year and then abandon them to their misery and hardship for the other 364 days. We ease our consciences but do nothing to lift the huge burdens of the shoulders of the downtrodden that just catch our eyes for a brief moment as they walk away with our leftovers. 

Amazingly, politicians don’t see any wrong in this nor feel any sense of shame or guilt about the desperate plight of many of their constituents. Poverty has been institutionalised and become acceptable. We can’t imagine a different scenario, a time when slums no longer exist, employment is available and people earn a living wage. We have not only lost our sense of outrage but our belief in a more humane tomorrow. 

We are no longer appalled by the huge percentage of the nation’s citizens who live lives of hardship doing backbreaking work for a pittance. Modern slavery! Vision 2030 matters little to them so no wonder that 53 per cent of those polled recently didn’t know what the Big 4 agenda of Jubilee is. Maybe it is just as well because for sure the 500,000 housing units promised will do nothing for the working poor who occupy the informal settlements in urban centres that mushroom on a daily basis. 

KCSE results released this week show that 344,000 students scored a grade D or worse. Put another way, 55 per cent of the 640,000 who did the exam failed and I am sure that most of those youngsters were in schools designed to absorb the poor and to curb their expectations. Many bright put poor kids could not afford national schools and their places were taken by rich but thick kids who squeeze their way into third level and the rot and inequality continues.

A new year then must be a provocative notion; it cannot be just another year doing the same thing and expecting different results. It will have a new name, 2019 not 2022 as a stranger in town might be inclined to believe. If there is one resolution that you could and should make this year is that you will not entertain any conversation on the 2022 Election, nor allow anyone to convince you that we need to change the Constitution to address corruption, insecurity, ethnicity or greed. These are sideshows and distractions constructed to keep you occupied and entertained while the national debt skyrockets and the war on corruption goes into sleep mode because it was getting too hot at the top.

The anger with corruption and the handshake is real. Voters feel they have been fooled and the opposition has gone to bed with the enemy. The poor realise they are on their own and you better take heed when they take to the streets. 

- [email protected] @GabrielDolan1