In a state of plenty people have a tendency to overeat. Alas! overeating leads to disorders of the digestive system and, worse, to obesity – when the fat, takes its abode in the belly or on the backside so that people gradually adopt a gait akin to that of ducks. This also reminds us of man’s propensity not for healthy growth but for expansion! Such people feel so embarrassed that they have to be careful when they choose a seat at a friend’s place or at the restaurant.

One airline company recently refused a fatso on board of one of its carriers. Just to say that wealth is not always a good thing and the irony is that most of us are never satisfied, however much we own. Would you believe it? It is alleged that a Lotto millionaire has had the impudence of participating in a burglary. Disgusting!

Wealth in this case brings health and other problems. However, there are many people who, in the midst of plenty avoid indulging in bacchanalian feasts. They, rather, become more health conscious. They must count themselves fortunate in that they do not fall a prey to non communicable diseases and to such other diseases known as the preserves of the rich. We are not suggesting that poverty is a boon because it allows the poor to avoid most of the diseases that are the lot of the wealthy.

LULL THE POOR TO SLEEP

Poverty has various definitions depending on one’s viewpoint. Politicians, for one, use the terms ‘‘relative poverty’’ and “absolute poverty” in order to placate a wide cross section of the population. What this means is that, while the haves can afford ten pounds of fish at Rs 150 a pound , the poor cannot afford even the smell of fish in their kitchens. But, of course, capital has its thousands of lackeys who have coined concepts such as Consumer Price Index, Baskets of Goods and Cost of Living Allowance to lull the poor to sleep.

We need to deconstruct these terms. Language, after all, is a tricky business. By using certain terms repeatedly,we end up accepting our lot. How can we reasonably expect people to make do with a monthly salary of Rs 10,000 when they have to pay, clear CEB, CWA, Telecom and gas bills, buy food and clothes for their families, pay tuition fees for their wards?

But the poor man is told that his poverty is only relative… that he can still afford some rationed rice, a morsel of Snoek and some ‘‘bouillon Mouroungue’’. While this may be true to a certain extent and may, besides, keep the relatively poor in good health, we are at a loss to understand why the mother who has worked a lifetime for his country should go without some delicacies on her plate every now and then.

Why should the thousands of our compatriots fare any worse than the few who have never handle a sickle or a plough? Why should the many suffer so many indignities at the hand of a few? Why can’t employers pay decent wages to those who have produced their wealth? Why should they, in their indecent attempt to maximize profits, for example import cheap labour from other countries at the expense of our boys and girls?

And when will government decide to put a stop to the exploitation of foreign labour earning us a bad name with our neighbours. We have often said that if mismanagement of human resources were a criminal offence, there would be many more people behind bars than there are now.

NUMBER OF ROBBERIES

Sound human resource management requires workers to be paid fair wages. The advantage of fair treatment by the employer is that the worker develops a sense of ownership; this improves his morale and performance; and productivity goes up. I know of some employers who, at the end of the year, invite their workers to share in the profits. But have we ever heard of one single employer in the public or private sector voluntarily announcing a wage raise? No. Employers will only yield when there is no choice left to them. That, unfortunately has been the history of industrial relations in this country. But I say “beware”. Judging by the number of robberies and aggravated burglaries which go on increasing and the open challenges to the authorities which we are now witnessing, I apprehend that a social explosion is not far.

When the stomach is empty, no doors can protect us. One of my neighbours, who has retired in my village after having purchased a chalet for some Rs 20 million has just been robbed. I guess his family must have been through a terrible trauma. And yet the house was well secured with a three-meter protective wall and a watch round the clock. This leads me to the inevitable conclusion that we can never rest in peace so long that people who are deprived of the bare necessaries of life are prowling about outside and espying on our every move, ready to pounce on us in a moment of inattention.

We should not, by conspicuous living, insult the poor man who, close by, is starving in his hovel. It is indecent to cover our yard and even the outside of our walls with expensive tiles. The safest thing we can do is organize ourselves in our community to do the small things that will relieve poverty.

The free lunch is not the only thing we can do. We can also battle for the relatively or absolutely poor to be paid a decent salary so that they can provide themselves with a shelter, food and clothing. Otherwise, we are all in danger! Foreigners on the continent have started expressing their surprise at the high salaries paid to some functionaries.

They are aware of the poverty that affect a great number of our countrymen.