"I hate the National electricity! I wish it would never come!"

I was appalled at my mother's words. Electricity – in summer, is a "rare" blessing not to be scorned in this way!

The details of the matter, I found out, are that the government had applied a new system by which all the houses in the neighbourhood are given 10 amperes each for three hours on – and three hours off.

So, the workers came to my parents' house and told them that they would now connect their house to the new system – and they did.

When my mum told me about this I wasn't very happy. To work the boiler we needed 12 amps, to work the iron we needed 7, and as summer was coming I thought about the air conditioners – each required 12 amps – I didn't know what to feel. I was hoping for something better than this.

My mum thought that I was being unreasonable – and made it very clear.

But they didn't reach our house – they mysteriously stopped.

The days passed.

Yesterday, we dropped in as usual, and my parents were sitting in the garden, in the flaring heat of late afternoon.

"Hi Mum, hi Dad, why on earth are you sitting out here at this time of day? It's really very hot, let's go inside where there's a fan at least." They looked up at me, but did not budge.

"Mum, what's wrong? There should be electricity inside."

"We were cheated."

"What! How?"

"I was very happy to have traded in a system by which we got unlimited power for two hours a day for a system by which we should get ten amperes twelve hours a day, three on and three off. But the reality is that we have ten amps for even less than two hours a day! It comes in fits and jerks for a duration of less than one hour and disappears again. And maybe it will visit us again in the other half of the day. I don't know what to do – you were right, they are not to be trusted."

Reconstruction – Building a country – Where to start?

Is the Electric Power Supply a good place to start?   

Are schools a good place?

How about some sanitary water in our homes?

People need services – and people need jobs and incomes. Some of our provincial budgets were returned to the treasury with only a small portion used up, why?

Put the people to work! Give them something worthwhile to do, let them re-build their country.

"The devil makes work for idle hands" a proverb that did not come out of a void, but out of experience and wisdom.

Young men, out of jobs and incomes are easy pray for any group willing to "support" their "ideals",

And they will fall pray – and they have!

What's the matter with our government? Why are they neglecting this fact – they have seen how true it is. We have all seen simple examples of this in our lives on a different level. Where are their "advisors"?

Give them work to absorb their energy, satisfy their pride – Give them work to keep heir minds focused – Give them work to support their families proudly without having to look for "other" means to do so.

I am so afraid for all the young – and not so young men and women who are desperate for jobs in a country that needs so much work done – and has the money to do it.

Just give them work and see!