The question of this prompt, which goes, “Should citizens of a country be made to suffer from the negative outcome of the decisions of their leaders?”, is a very serious one because whether the citizens like it or not, they will feel the harsh results of the leaders’ decisions
In a country like mine that is full of people who are below average and don’t have the financial capacity to fly off to another country for a break when things start boiling due to the blind decisions of the leaders, the citizens will feel it heavily. There is nothing they can do about it while the leaders and their families jet out of the country. Yes, it’s what is currently happening in my country. The hardship is too much, and while it seems everyone is feeling it, the families of these leaders are abroad living normal and comfortable lives.
What can citizens do?
Absolutely nothing! They can only complain and lament, but in the end, nothing is done.
There was a time in my hometown when transformers and electric poles were damaged. We expected the leaders of the community—those representing the community in government—to come to our aid, but all of them went deaf. Maybe they tried to come up with a solution, but it took them very long, and it seemed as though they had forgotten the situation. We stayed in blackout for about four years until the problem was finally resolved. The big men, most of them had generators, and money was always available for them to buy fuel to power their generators. Meanwhile, the top politicians left the community for the city to live, and of course, that’s where they base. Everyone lamented—talks upon talks, complaints upon complaints—but nothing was done.
As I write this, my nation, Nigeria, is suffering from insecurity issues. The leaders are completely deaf to the situation, and the people—the citizens of the country—are being killed like chickens. The political leaders are not feeling it because they are heavily guarded, and their families who are in Nigeria are also protected. Some of their families have even been flown abroad to live there. So nothing bothers them. The citizens are suffering because of their deaf ears and blind eyes to what is happening in the nation. The people have talked, called on the president and governors of all the states, but they seem unbothered. All they can do is appear depressed through their posts on social media, and others speak calmly and in favour of the fire burning in the nation.
What is the way out for the citizens in cases like this?
Since the leaders won’t be touched by the problem and won’t be bothered as well, it is left for the citizens or whoever is affected to angrily find a solution to the problem. Yeah, it’s actually easy to say but difficult to implement. I wish it were easy for citizens to fight for themselves as they please. I just wish!
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Week 192, Edition 02 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community