Culled from Allafrica.  How so true.  Please read on.



'Bigmanism and Pajerocracy'


The Daily Observer (Banjul)

EDITORIAL
March 3, 2003
Posted to the web March 3, 2003

Banjul

Why Black man dey suffer? Asks the Nigerian poet. The question asks why
Africa must be the epicentre of famine, war, disease and death?

The problems are plenty, of course, but the one wey plenty pass the odas be
the problem of person wey no get hundred dalasis for pocket but wey wan
behave say him na millionaire. Let's call it Bigmanism and Pajerocracy; the
original Africa man palaver.

And it has already become a disease, from top to toe, you hardly find people
with the genuine desire to use their positions and honour to help develop
the society. All we care about now is the name and the fame. Just be the
boss, and it doesn't matter what you are as the boss. And every boss wants
to drive a Pajero, Pajerocracy, you can call that.

And it is already becoming an entrenched culture, a shameful culture where
people are not respected for who they are or for the things they can do. But
just because of how 'big' they have become. It is here that you see people
who cannot even make a decent children's tricycle calling themselves
prominent businessmen. Or half-baked PhDs getting mad if you refer to them
without the title.

It is reported that Mr Bill Gates, the world's richest person, sometimes go
to work in public transport. That will be difficult here, where every
'semester' with their second hand junk thinks nobody should pass them on the
streets without getting a feel of their ghetto blasters tuned louder than
even manufacturers would have advised. It would be even more difficult in a
place like Nigeria where a few millions of an ailing currency is enough to
earn a chieftancy.

But Africa doesn't talk, especially when the 'big man' is concerned. It is
here that the silly elder is not told to behave because elders must not be
undressed in public. As if undressing little girls is ever acceptable. It is
here that the wife goes out of her way to ensure that her drunken husband
gets the best food even at the expense of her children. The husband must not
know that she has no money for food and she dare not tell him that if he
does not buy food, then he shall not eat.

It is here where the clothes we wear are more important than the food we
eat. Here that naming ceremonies are far more important than the
consideration of proper education for the child.

When we look closer, we realise it is more than just a Government thing, we
have all got the virus in the blood.

Of course, it becomes even worse when it gets to the Government level. Our
leaders are members of the jet set, globe trotting from one conference to
the next without making any significant contribution except to show their
national dresses and display their national flags.

And it is more important for them to make sure that the army band is well
prepared for the presidential welcome at the airport than to ensure that
they are well fed. If anyone would make a count of what we spend on public
displays of wealth and power, the figures could be staggering.

Yet, here is where you find the poorest and weakest countries on earth. Only
heaven knows who we are fooling.

But things won't change until we start thinking more about what than just
who.

A father whose house leaks may think himself big, but he is in reality not
bigger than the rat in the kitchen. And the director who cannot direct his
department to profitability and success is not worth his name. It is not the
Pajero that makes a man big but his positive contributions to society. Those
who have nothing positive to give will find their names erased from the
history of their people.

It is the work that is of importance, not public displays of
self-importance.



_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~