So I Keep My Quiet

I want to speak for my rights, but I was threatened to be jailed, if what I say is not liked by the government. “Just keep quiet and mind your business,” as if what I am saying is not my business. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak to the Member of Parliament and ask him not to be a scarecrow in the millions-of-dollar Assembly building and speak the truth about his people, their conditions and needs. But he said I do not understand that he is constitutionally compelled to agree.  So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the lady that stopped me around the “traffic light” asking me for some change, so she can feed her children. But I cannot speak for her because she does not want to be noticed. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the old man that has been disrespected by the uniformed man, that believes he can do anything in that uniform and get away with it. But the old man asked me to keep quiet because God will take care of everything. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the youth about unemployment and lack of opportunities. But he is afraid that I will implicate him, even though I told him my words belong to me. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the young girl that works at the reception counter where she got harassed by her neck-tied boss and made to believe she is just a woman and should do what the man demands. But she also feared that if I speak for her, she may lose her job as a secretary. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the farmer about the seed that they sell to him and the lack of market for his products. But that will make his products unsalable. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the teacher about his salary and teaching aids, but he wants to keep a low profile, because the government might delay his next salary and that will affect his family. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the woman, so she can be honored by her husband and treated by other men with dignity and respect and that she also respect herself. But she says that is our culture that a man should always lead and that her lifestyle represents the new era. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the preacher, so he can preach properly for his god and not follow misguided rulers. But he believes god can defend himself and rulers should be obeyed. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the nurse about her lack of tools and resources, that are needed to carry out her proper job for the citizens in the health centers. But she fears questioning the state. So I keep my quiet.
I want to speak for the market seller about the unsafe conditions of the market place, but she worries that may raise her toll. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak about the electricity drought, but the administrators won’t give a damn, since they are private. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the businessman, about too much tax and no incentives to help his business grow, but he is concern about profit loss into the hands of the Alhaji. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the taxi driver, about complains of high fare and harassment by the uniform officer that stands at a checkpoint on every meter of the highway, but he thinks that will make him liable for all the ills on the road. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak about the high telephone tariffs, but I am told no one will listen, because that is what funds the state. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak about the national passport that is being outsourced to foreign contractors. But that will challenge their profit line and make the contractors unhappy. So I keep my quiet, for I am too young to travel and too old to worry about the future.

I want to speak for the journalist, but he would rather broadcast what is dictated to him even if he doesn’t like it. Because that will keep him in the job even if it makes the work harder. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak about the ferry that crosses from North to South bank, with slowly-ness and unsafe conditions. But the ferry traveler says there is no other choice and hence this is better than nothing. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the student so he can have a job when he graduates and freedom to be creative about what he learns, but he thinks politicians don’t care, and they won’t give him such a freedom to be creative about his life. So he wants to travel to the west where he can practice what he learns. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the handicap so she can be taken care of by the social welfare. But she thinks they won’t help her enough, so she wants to keep on begging, because that’s where she makes her living. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the inmate, but I am asked to stay away from politics. Beside the inmate is not my family member. And yet this is not politics, for the law belongs to all and we are all the same countrymen. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak to my fellow countryman that lives in the other country, so he can come home and help to build the country, but he thinks that is not a good idea, as those that went back before him were not allowed to play fair about the development of the country. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for the opposition parties, but they are so not united and where there is no unity, there are potentials for failure. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak to the government, to start listening to the countryman, instead of making him do everything the government’s way. But government thinks that is a threat to the power house and hence would rather dictate, so that things can run her way. So I keep my quiet.

I want to speak for all, but that is a huge undertaken. Because many want to stay quiet and leave everything to god. So I keep my quiet.