CAN THE GOVERNMENT CHANGE THE FORTUNES OF INDIVIDUAL PURSES IN THE SISSALA EAST DISTRICT?

It is still vague what the future portends with many within the locus of the Sissala east district attributing their economic hardships to leadership. The district has become a foot-stool for political segregation. It is even not uncommon to hear people of various age groups express their unhappiness about the state of affairs in the district. While just a few people are patriotically committed to their ways of livelihood, many are also either directly or indirectly blaming leadership for their individual purses’ emptiness. This write up seeks to disambiguate the mystery of government greasing individual purses.  But for how long will we continue blaming fellow brothers and sisters for our individual woes?
Contrition twines me like failure, any time I come upon the wake of my clan, traducing leadership over personal misfortunes such as poverty.  The Sissala east district has become a place where politics has taken its manifestation in almost every aspect of life. Politics has become a job for even non-politicians. Two friends meet at the market square, funeral grounds or even on the way to farm and the topic they discuss is politics. The topic is even interesting and engaging that, people squander their working periods chatting politics. Come to think of it, politics has no defined time in the district. This adversely affects productivity. Meanwhile, the topic does not bring home any benefits.
The unceasing wagging of political vendetta against fellow brothers and sisters has become more virulent in recent times. People who least understands politics are seen fomenting and triggering chaos. Father is seen against son, brother against brother and sister against sister when politics is called into play. As a result of this dirty game, people are prepared with their doubtful eyes shaded with pessimism to witness their fellows farm produce burnt into ashes. People pray and long for ill-fates for their brothers and sisters. How can we cross the poverty line with this malady in our society? I cannot even imagine that such ferocity could tear oneself from another, as this politics. We had better tuned over a new leaf.
Another setback in the Sissala east district is chieftaincy disputes. Many communities in this area after losing their chiefs, the enskinment of a new chief have always been the author of pandemonium. Notable amongst these communities are: Walembelle, Bugubelle and fellow brothers, Funsi. In most instances, two or more people aspire to be en-skinned chiefs. The followers of these two people are turned against one another and `violence begets more violence`. It is either sectionalism or a recall of traditionalism. The traditional origin of some community subjects could be traced and underlined with some bold and severe punishments according to outmoded traditional laws, ancient bye-laws and other unfathomable ancestral dictations. Trust me; a subject could be fined two to three cattle for the normal `freedom of expression` which traditional leaders interpret as breach of tradition. This further places a compounded burden on an already burdened poor folk.
The subject of the day now switches from politics to chieftaincy issues. Productivity again is adversely affected and fellow lives even sacrificed. Thus, development comes to a standstill as people shirk responsibilities. The obvious repercussion of this is not less than self-imposed hardship on community members. And the dangling question again is; who is to blame for this hardship? The answer indeed is apparent.
Moreover, the climate of the Sissala east district suggests just one season of serious farming throughout a year.  The other half of the year elapses with able-bodied men and women wandering and idling around, waiting for another rainy season. During this time, the produce from the previous year are consumed by the same producers who care least about management (i.e. subsistent farming). Most young men seek menial self-employment at `GALAMSEYS` across the country or if at home, also help to finish the meagre produce available. The apparent result again is activated abject poverty on the people.

Of course the leadership of the area is not blind to these phenomena. But how many interventions do we see to that effect? Virtually none at all! This is a climatic effect that has existed and continues to even fluctuate into the normal rainy season. The cause of this is yet another big topic worth discussing. Hmmmmmnnnn!!!!!!!!!   Despite government’s (leadership) muteness on this plague, duly affected individuals must attempt to solve their own problems. If we don’t seek other ways of enhancing productivity, at all times, this menace will continue to be a lifelong problem. Let’s remember that, ‘he who runs away from a battle, lives to fight it another time’ so the earlier the better for the affected.
I am vehemently convinced that, regardless of whichever side of the coin we choose to focus our lenses from, the onus lies on us the individuals to seek change, do right and make sound decisions for the betterment of our individual lives. We must respond appropriately to government’s exercises to offer the correct data representation of our district, we must devise other possible ways of generating income other than just crop farming, we ought to use to the only RADFORD FM as its name suggests, instead of politicking every now and then to no effect, and lastly, we have to always elect good and competent leaders, instead of politicians who can only speak Sissali to village folks to be voted leaders, and later become deaf and dumb at workplaces.
So, when by sunset, we face a fair share of our personal challenges, let’s share in the blame and not just attribute it to government or leadership. In fact, the Sissala east district seems not to have leadership, so who could we be blaming at all?

To sum up, the fortunes of our individual purses remains a total dependence on us. We either tackle our already known problems squarely or continue to languish with same old problems bordering our lives.  In fact, I think leadership (government) only plays a partner in our relentless quest for better lives.