Monday 3 December 2012

deny a man fish and he will work for a day

“sir please help me with 500 i haven’t had lunch” one beggar repeated this phrase with such clarity and frequency i could think of a million ways he could earn a living just from the statement....if only it wasn't so irritating

beggars come in different sizes and shapes, the only thing all have in common is the fact that they have vowed not to work for another day in their lives. it’s like they are retired people whose pensions are supposed to be paid by passers by 

but why would one wake up early and head for the street to beg for a living,
is it because one is crippled?
well so is butcherman, sam gombya and the street vendor who sells ladies fashion accessories at the lower gate of pioneer mall who happens to be crippled in both legs but resisted the lazy urge to beg for a living
is it because one is mentally challenged?
one would argue that by the time a human being is coordinated enough to figure out that if he positioning himself strategically on the street and holding his hand out while looking miserable can get enough money to buy lunch, he is not mentally challenged, he is just lazy
maybe he is just a kid brought to the street every morning and monitored by his poor parents while he begs ?
yes parents send their kids to streets every morning to make money but some send them with goods like maize, compoud brooms etc to sell ( these are business activities which don't need much capital to engage in) not to beg
     
the fact that we have fallen for their con just makes the problem worse. i see "good Samaritans" giving these beggars money and walking away with this "proud of my self" look, like they have just cured cancer, not knowing they have just made a problem worse
see these beggars are on the streets today just because someone gave them enough money to make it through yesterday and those street kids do not go to school because these "good samaritans" make the streets lucrative for them. these kids will grow up without knowing much about the value of hard work. by giving money you are creating future thieves, so if you have a range rover in your future plans, don't cry when it is stolen. you created a monster

the solution
of course the best solutions to this problem are systematic but you and i can also play a significant role in making this problem go away
as an individual all you have to do is walk by, mind your business and pray it rains.  if we all do this i guarantee you, in 3 months, there will be no beggars on the streets
but incase that fails, government should intervene. It should fine or arrest all the good Samaritans giving money to beggars. if it finds this hard to implement, it should give the public powers to make a citizens arrest of any good Samaritan

alternative occupations
it would be mean of me to suggest chasing these people off the streets with out giving them options, here are a some of the productive activities they can engage in without much adjustment to there daily schedule
one can cover a pothole with their body and help a vitz to smoothly pass over
since beggars stand in the sun the whole day they could hold solar panels on their heads and help supply electricity to the national grid 

acceptance
no plan is complete without a contingency plan. so in case the above plan fails we should take steps to formalise the act of begging and treat it like any other formal business activity
for starters, they have to pay taxes, by the time those who work hard to get their money pay taxes, what of those who get money with out working
next, the street children should make a monthly contribution to nssf, so they have savings to fall back on when they are no longer cute enough to attract donations from sympathisers or savings to fall back on when i become president ( which ever comes first )