I well remember a friend whose house had a welcome sign that read: ‘All our guests make us happy. Some when they arrive and others when they leave’.
For the purposes of this column, that goes together with the famous quote attributed to US president, Abraham Lincoln: ‘You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time’.
And if that quote had been made with reference to our own president, Cyril Ramaphosa, it would boil down to: ‘No matter what I say or do, I cannot satisfy everyone. I cannot make all the people happy all the time.’
Indeed, Prez Cyril is on a hiding to nothing no matter what he announces.
Take for example the ban on alcohol.
There is no doubt that booze abuse is a major cause of crime, road accidents, gender abuse and other evils that fill hospital
beds which could be used for Covid-19 patients.
We have local proof of that. After patting ourselves on the back for an Easter weekend that saw zero road fatalities and next to no crime, things went back to blood-shedding normal as soon as we opened to Level 3.
So, many will be praising the decision. However, what about those in the liquor industry who will certainly lose salaries and even jobs? Do their livelihoods not matter?
As an aside, the argument is also made that alcohol and tobacco ‘sin taxes’ and excise duties contribute billions of rands into the country’s fiscus, and these are now being lost. This is a stone cold fact.
However, others argue that the cost to the country owing to the effects of alcohol and cigarettes is equally enormous, including the medical burden on the State to treat cancer and emphysema patients, as well as alcoholics and victims of drunkenness.
A convincing argument can be made from both sides on virtually every issue over which our president must decide.
I hear people say: ‘I can sit in a restaurant among strangers, but I can’t visit my family – it’s stupid.’
Others reply: ‘But the people there keep at a distance – don’t hug and kiss you.’
As the great poet Bob Dylan wrote in one of his songs: ‘You were right from your side and I was right from mine; we’re both just one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.’
Good luck, boss man!
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