Harsh decisions make people suffer

Editor,The way authorities come down hard against perceived wrong things is baffling. It is punishment, stoppage, imprisonment, confiscation and the like.Imagine the effects of closing down a sand quarry; construction is halted, jobs are halted/lost, bank interest goes up while nothing is happening, price of sand shoots up, development is halted, families depending on those casual jobs go immediately broke, hungry and angry.There is no single advantage one sees in such a clampdown. Not every wrong thing is a crisis! Why not carry out the inspection or environmental impact assessment and provide a way forward without causing an outcry. What loss is there in involving those stakeholders whose livelihoods depend on sand quarrying and trading and those with ongoing construction projects in the search for a solution that will satisfy or at least be understood by all?Why we are not involved (in such decisions) the way we are involved in the Agaciro Development Fund? If these fellows were to vote for Mayor tomorrow whom would they vote for? And someone is going to say the Prime Minister ordered this clampdown, watch this space. Top-down decision making is enjoyable and tempting if you are in a decision making position, but it can generate frustration and anger.(Reaction to the story titled, “Prices for construction sand in Gasabo skyrocket”, The New Times, September 13)Geoffrey, Nyarutarama

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Harsh decisions make people suffer