Dear Editor,
The devastating impact of the denial of our resources to the masses struck me with a sense of grief and repulsion while visiting a site for the distribution of the cash grant and next year’s pension books.
There is a saying that “one has to be in it to feel it.” The pensioners there were feeling it; the hardship of eking out an existence as portrayed by having to spend hours sitting to uplift a paltry sum which is supposed to be a reward for numerous years of service and contributions to the society. To add fuel to the fire was the anachronistic nature of the gathering, in the country that is ranked number 17 for the largest oil reserves in the world and based on that, the richest country in the world per capita.
The entire distribution of the cash grant and pension books was disastrous, with five or six officials seated at a table involved in the process, merely to issue a book and a cash grant. Some pensioners had been there since 7.00 a.m. even though the procedure was scheduled to begin at 9.00 a.m. Arriving at 8.15 a.m. I met hundreds of people sitting under a large tent, on stairways and under a building, each being given a number. By midday, most of those pensioners who had been there before the procedure began, had not received their book and the cash grant. By 3.00 p.m. I left many scores of people there.
The banter had been rife and in some cases unsettling, with people complaining of having soaking wet pampers, some of which were emanating an odour and many were with fatigued and disgruntled looks on their faces. Others moved with the help of hardware and relatives, neighbours, friends or others. Later in the day, a truck arrived with portable toilets, to add to the one small stationary toilet with separate facilities for males and females. No refreshments, water or food was provided, even at a cost to those present.
Under such conditions tempers flared, with some who apparently arrived to represent “shut-ins,” being told upon their anticipated receipt of the cash and book, that they could not receive anything. The reason given was that the pensioner’s name was not on the officials’ book which carried the list of pensioners’ names because the pensioner had failed to change their address after relocating to a new address. Surely, upon arrival at the site, an official could have been there to inform everyone of the requirements to obtain the handout? Additionally, pensioners could have been directed to seats in the order in which they had arrived. An attempt was made after midday to adopt a system whereby an official called out pensioners’ numbers and sat them in numerical order in front of those distributing the much coveted items. To compound the misery, pensioners were given only the cash grant and were left to line up to uplift this month’s pension from one of the Post Offices.
I could competently speak on behalf of the masses when I say they are experiencing disgust, despondency and embarrassment at the government being disinterested in substantially raising wages and pensions to a “livable” amount, as the prices of goods and services continue to rise. The war in Ukraine might be with us for a long time and inflation continues in many countries. We are undoubtedly the laughing stock of the world but that doesn’t matter to our politicians and parliamentarians who will remain the only ones to benefit from growth in the economy. The exodus of our citizens will continue and domestic violence and suicides will progress at a high rate due to the social inequalities perpetuated. All of this could be attributed to the disinterest and lack of empathy of our leaders. Foreigners will continue to be the ones using our resources and injecting their own to keep the wheels of production turning and for their own benefit. Mahatma Gandhi stated: “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”
Sincerely,
Conrad Barrow