Of Bread and Games
From the way things are being set forth, one must convene that Yayi Boni is trying his best to improve the catastrophic condition of his fellow citizens. But the heroic, somewhat narcissist, and finally populist view that is given of his effort often overrides a discrete and resolute action, and action for and on its own.
So when the hero is confronted to the principle of reality, it becomes necessary to safeguard by all mean the foundations of the magnificent edifice of his dream-like gesture. So Yayi The Magnificent, The Chief that likes to make his people dream, wraps himself in the virtue of the moralist and chooses an ethereal posture. So what! Does one need to be a genius to realize that the fight against corruption should be an all time struggle, a long run battle? Like prostitution, and other social vices that make a society what is is, corruption can never totally disappear from a normal society. At the most we can bring it to a socially sane level. And this is only possible in the long run, with detection and prevention tools, and repression institutions. In a well interiorized ethical context sustained by affirmed values, a culture and an accurate education started in the tender ages. So why is there so much noise about corruption now whereas this thing got to be planned, resolutely organized, starting from the right point? Why is it only considered throught the media view, whereas it should be altogether educational, juridical, structural, institutional et political?
With the risk to fall on its turn in the corruption of spirits, the way the question is considered and treated does not match with any will to eradicate the evil. At best it is just a way of cutting a hydra’s head. While waiting for corruption to disappear what about the high coast of living? The explosion in prices? The continuous erosion of the Beninese’s level of living? Misery encysted in everyday life's flesh!
Unless this entire hullabaloo on corruption is a subtlety, one can really fear that all this noise is aimed at deeming the explosion in prices. The remains of an unproductive agitation, the refusal of the government to look right in face the gap between its promises and the reality, its words and its deeds. At a moment when the question of responsibility is a topical item, why does government do not assume its own and prefer to caress a scapegoat?
For how long would they postpone questions of daily life to Greek calends?
We hold it from the Romans that offering “Games and Bread” to people is an old populism receipt. In Benin however, the price of bread is more and more out of hand of the ordinary people. So government falls back on games. But people do not feed indefinitely on games and fresh water, even if it flows from an Edenic source. Beninese people is a patient people but how long will it content on the media game of fire and count-fire?
So far there is only saliva ; anyway, let us hope that there will be enough to extinguish the current explosion of prices.
Eloi Goutchili
Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2007, © Bienvenu sur Babilown
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