They say prevention is better than cure, but in this country, prevention feels like it left the group chat and never came back. We only summon it after disaster has already RSVP’d, shown up, eaten, and started causing scenes.
In real life, we don’t prevent. We observe. We monitor. We watch things develop. Then, when everything finally collapses, we suddenly discover urgency like it was hiding under the table the whole time.
I have seen trucks on the road with tyres so worn out they look like they finished their purpose in another lifetime and are now just freelancing on the highway. Not “slightly tired.” Not “needs attention.” I mean, tyres surviving on pure faith, vibrations, and community prayers.
And yet, these trucks travel from upcountry, pass multiple checkpoints, and continue their journey as if they are on a government-approved sightseeing tour. VIP behaviour only.
So naturally, the question is: what exactly is being checked at these checkpoints? Because it cannot be the tyres. At this point, it feels like we are inspecting everything except the one thing holding the truck’s entire existence together.
Is it vibes? Driver confidence? Braking optimism? Because whatever it is, it is clearly not a mechanical reality.
I have personally seen trucks with one tyre flapping like it is trying to escape the entire country, another shaking like it is in a personal argument with the road, and the whole vehicle moving like it is negotiating peace terms with gravity.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are expected to behave normally on the same road.
And the wild part? Everyone sees it. Officers see it. Drivers see it. Passengers see it. Even pedestrians are mentally updating their wills. But somehow the truck continues its journey, as if nothing is happening, until reality finally intervenes violently.
Then suddenly, everyone wakes up.
Now there are sirens everywhere. Now the faces are serious. Now statements are being released with “deep concern.”
Now there is an “investigation underway.” Of course there is. Investigations are like our national autopilot setting, always activated after impact.
Why must tragedy always be the alarm clock? Why do we only unlock competence when things are already on fire? Why does responsibility only show up when cameras arrive and headlines start forming?
And it is not just trucks. It is roads that only get repaired after they become unofficial swimming pools. Drainage systems that only work in theory and national speeches.
Buildings that get maintenance once they start auditioning for collapse videos. Everything here waits for embarrassment before it gets attention.
We are basically living in a system that prefers reaction over prevention. Warning signs are treated like suggestions. Expert advice is filed under “later.” Common sense is seen as optional content.
Real leadership is not standing in front of microphones explaining damage control. Real leadership is fixing the thing before it becomes a trending topic.
Because honestly, nobody wants their national infrastructure to go viral for the wrong reasons.
The truth is, most of these disasters are completely preventable. If people just did the jobs they are already paid to do…proper inspections, actual enforcement, consistent maintenance, and less selective blindness, half of this chaos would never graduate to crisis level.
We already have enough problems as a country. We do not need bonus problems sponsored by negligence and supported by silence.
Until prevention becomes a habit instead of a proverb, we will keep repeating the same cycle: warning signs, collective ignoring, disaster, outrage, press statements, temporary panic… then back to normal programming.
