Third World Comparisons

Third World Comparisons

A friend of mine, Anne, that lives in South Africa somewhere close to a big harbor call Durban says they been havin’ crazy rains ‘n many people have lost their homes, huge sinkholes have fallen into the ground, ‘n ‘cause of that, people are not able to even get to the shops for food. The power’s been out for hours, ‘n mobile telecommunications are also down. Even if they were, it’s kinda useless without power to charge the phone’s bettery. I even saw video clips of shippin’ containers floatin’ down a wide road. Anne says the South African government has declared the area as a State of Disaster. This got me thinkin’ about a few things…

How do governments help their citizens, ‘specially after Mother Nature has released her wrath? It took almost a decade for the areas in Alabama, Louisiana ‘n Mississippi to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Japan took three years to recover from the 2011 tsunami that hit their coast. And these two countries be first-world ones. Countries like Indonesia ‘n South Africa ain’t close to first world, so how do they cope?

I don’t profess to know anythin’ about these countries’ governments, other than what I’ve read or heard from people I know that live there. “Mismanagement of funds (read: rife corruption) seems to be somethin’ ‘normal’ in many third world governments. Funds that need to be accessible for the improvement of infrastructure, basic food supply, ‘n education often end up in the pockets of corrupt politicians.

I asked Anne when last there was any work done in the area where she lives. She mumbled somethin’ that sounded like maybe 15 years ago. She said the storm water drainage just ain’t able to cope with all the water goin’ through it now – firstly ‘cause it ain’t been tended to, ‘n secondly because it ain’t been upgraded to cope with a growin’ population.

Askin’ about stuff like nutrition plans ‘n educational development, the answers ain’t all that positive either. She did, in tryin’ to be fair say that some people have been given houses that the State subsidized, even though dark clouds of speculation ‘bout corruption surrounded the tenderin’ processes. A lotta the residents of these houses waited many years for ‘em, and ironically, many of ‘em couldn’t stand the onslaught of the water. So, these people are homeless again ‘n there be many different tribes in South Africa, and they don’t always wanna work with each other either, so it does make community outreach tough sometimes. I be wonderin’ if programs like food estates ain’t a way to deal with the problem.

I Googled some comparisons about GDP ‘n such between South Africa ‘n Indonesia ‘n it seems that while Indonesia was worse off than South Africa, it is now a country they can be learnin’ somethin’ from. Even in the remotest of provinces, like West Papua, the government is makin’ inroads to improve the lives of all the citizens. Small changes like improvin’ technological development, makin’ education available to everyone, ‘n connectin’ communities with better roads can lead to big things down the line.

Well folks, that be all from me. If y’all be the prayin’ type, let’s put in a word for the leaders of all countries ‘n offer a word of thanks for everythin’ we have. As citizens of the world, we can do our bit to make the world a better place.

JS
Author: JS

Travel Vlogger, Journalist,

Related Post
PAPUA: province of indonesia

Papau is an area of cultural and biological diversity, the population of (west) papua province embraces different religions. there are hundreds of different ethnicities with

Read More »
Daily Newsletter
Get all the top post and stories form karibunitravel.co.ke

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

All Category
Share
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
5/5

Popular Viewed

The Beautiful Island of Papua Part II
The Beautiful Island of Papua Part II
1. Raja Ampat Raja Ampat, popular for its breathtakingly beautiful sea, can be one of finest...
The Beautiful Island of Papua
The Beautiful Island of Papua
1. Sentani Lake Sentani Lake, reachable through the curved paths amidst the hills that surround...
Facts About the Papua Culture
Facts About the Papua Culture
1. Becoming the Second Largest Island in the World Papua is often considered a small territory...
PAPUA (IRIAN JAYA)
PAPUA (IRIAN JAYA)
Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is the second largest island in the world. The territory...
Government Seriously Monitors Educational Aspirations in Papua
Government Seriously Monitors Educational Aspirations in Papua
https://www.wapresri.go.id/pemerintah-serius-kawal-aspirasi-pendidikan-di-tanah-papua/ Papua is...
President Affirms that Papua Land is a Development Priority
President Affirms that Papua Land is a Development Priority
https://www.menpan.go.id/site/berita-terkini/dari-istana/presiden-tegaskan-tanah-papua-jadi-prioritas-pembangunan Indonesian...
A brief history of Papua
A brief history of Papua
Name and Historical Background When the Dutch government was in power in the Papua region until...
A glimpse of Papua
A glimpse of Papua
Papua is a province in Indonesia which is located on the western island of New Guinea.   Papua...
Facts about Papua as the Coldest Island in Indonesia
Facts about Papua as the Coldest Island in Indonesia
https://www.indonesia.go.id/ragam/pariwisata/pariwisata/fakta-tentang-papua-sebagai-pulau-terdingin-di-indonesia Mulia...
PAPUA: province of indonesia
PAPUA: province of indonesia
Papau is an area of cultural and biological diversity, the population of (west) papua province...

Recent Post

https://www.karibunitravel.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/3332863379-scaled.jpg
The Beautiful Island of Papua Part II

1. Raja Ampat Raja Ampat, popular for its breathtakingly beautiful sea, can be one of finest...

https://www.karibunitravel.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/67856974.jpg
The Beautiful Island of Papua

1. Sentani Lake Sentani Lake, reachable through the curved paths amidst the hills that surround...

https://www.karibunitravel.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Yospan-Dance-Traditional-Dance-From-Papua.jpg
Facts About the Papua Culture

1. Becoming the Second Largest Island in the World Papua is often considered a small territory...

https://www.karibunitravel.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image-14.png
PAPUA (IRIAN JAYA)

Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is the second largest island in the world. The territory...

https://www.karibunitravel.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pemerintah-Serius-Kawal-Aspirasi-Pendidikan-di-Tanah-Papua-1024x480-1.webp
Government Seriously Monitors Educational Aspirations in Papua

https://www.wapresri.go.id/pemerintah-serius-kawal-aspirasi-pendidikan-di-tanah-papua/ Papua is...