Opinion

Debt Dressed As Decadence: The Middle Class Mirage And The Political Ostrich Syndrome

BY Steve Biko Wafula · February 19, 2024 11:02 am

In the grand theatre of life, the middle class plays the most intriguing of roles, donning masks of affluence while their pockets echo the sorrowful tune of emptiness. “The dog barks, but the caravan goes on,” as the Arabian proverb goes, encapsulating the middle class’s disdain for the ballot box. They perceive voting as a mundane chore, beneath their elevated tastes, yet fail to see the caravan of politics shaping the very road they travel.

With a lifestyle financed on the fragile foundation of loans – from mobile, SACCOS, to banks – they juggle their debts with the skill of a seasoned acrobat. Entertainment, no longer a simple pleasure, is a spectacle paid for with borrowed digital coins. Here lies the irony, as the Chinese say, “He who takes a loan builds a castle in the air.” Yet, these castles crumble under the weight of reality when overdraft facilities like Fuliza become the lifelines for businesses whose profits have vanished into thin air, sacrificed at the altar of leisure and local escapades.

Weekends transform into markets, with groceries sold from the trunks of high-end cars in a desperate bid to maintain the facade of luxury. These cars, symbols of status, are ironically sustained by the same business meant to empower. “A book holds a house of gold,” whispers the Chinese wisdom, but our middle-class friends choose the fleeting glitter of social validation over the enduring treasure of financial prudence.

Living in high-end estates, they are the epitomes of opulence on borrowed time and money. The SACCOS loans, designed as lifelines, become the very chains that bind them to a cycle of pretense and indebtedness. The weekly chamas and gatherings are but a mirage, offering a semblance of community while drowning in a sea of loans.

Medical emergencies and funerals are no longer personal tragedies but communal fundraisers, a testament to the fragility of their financial health. They navigate the bazaars of life, seeking bargains to sustain the basic need for a meal, all while the fuel for their cars and the groceries for their tables are but another line of credit away.

The pursuit of status symbols, like high-end phones and branded clothes, becomes a desperate attempt to stitch together an identity of wealth and importance. Yet, as they capture moments of faux happiness, they ridicule the very institutions designed to serve them – public hospitals scorned, public education dismissed, all while their heritage is auctioned for a taste of private luxury.

Their financial statements are tales of sorrow, a labyrinth of deductions and loans so convoluted that the memory of a full paycheck is but a distant dream. Entrepreneurship becomes a guise for deceit, a side hustle turned into a venture of embezzlement, all under the guise of ambition.

Amidst this charade, politics – the very essence of their plight – is mocked and dismissed as trivial. They stand aloof, cloaked in a veneer of woke indifference, blind to the reality that their every struggle is intricately tied to the political fabric they choose to ignore. “He who knows not and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him,” the Arabian saying warns, yet they continue to dance on the strings of ignorance.

The wisdom of the ancients, from Confucius to Aristotle, echoes through the ages, reminding us that governance and politics are not mere distractions but the bedrock of societal well-being. “The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home,” Confucius proclaimed, yet our middle-class heroes have built their homes on the shifting sands of loans and pretenses, far removed from the stability of political engagement.

As they navigate their self-imposed exile from the realm of politics, they fail to see the irony of their existence. They are the architects of their misery, building castles of sand while the tide of political apathy threatens to wash them away. It is high time they awaken from their slumber, for as the Chinese proverb reminds us, “A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.” Politics is not beneath them; it is the very air that sustains their castles in the sky.

This is my advice to the middle class, the architects of their delicate dance between appearance and reality, it’s time for a heartfelt conversation. Politics, often viewed through a lens of disdain or disinterest, is not a distant realm reserved for the corrupt or the power-hungry. It is the very fabric that weaves together the intricate details of our daily lives, from the food on our tables to the electricity that powers our dreams. Each decision made in the hallowed halls of governance impacts the minutiae of our existence, influencing the cost of medicines, the quality of education our children receive, the price of fuel that moves us, and even the expenses we incur in times of sorrow and loss.

Why, then, does the middle class, poised with the power to enact change, choose to stand on the sidelines? The answer lies in a misapprehension of politics as a murky water best left undisturbed. Yet, the truth is starkly different. “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men,” Plato once warned. By abstaining from political engagement, by treating it as an unworthy endeavor, we inadvertently allow the reins of our future to slip into the hands of those least concerned with our welfare.

It is imperative, now more than ever, to recognize that the levers of political power control much more than the laws of the land; they dictate the economic currents that run through our lives. The policies enacted by those in power determine the affordability and accessibility of essential services and commodities. Whether it’s the interest rates on loans that fund our lifestyles, the taxes on the properties we aspire to own, or the tariffs on the imports that stock our pantries, politics is the unseen hand guiding these elements. By engaging in the political process, by casting our votes with knowledge and intent, we can begin to shape the policies that affect every facet of our lives. We have the power to elect leaders who prioritize the public good, who understand the needs of the middle class, and who are committed to creating a society where the economy serves not just the few but all its members.

Let this be a call to action for the middle class: to shed the cloak of indifference, to embrace the significance of politics in shaping our everyday realities. Engage, question, and participate. Politics is not a spectator sport reserved for the few; it is the arena where the fate of our collective future is decided. Remember, “Every decision made by those in power once started in the heart of an ordinary person.” It’s time for the middle class to claim its place at the heart of political transformation, for in the grand tapestry of life, every thread counts.

Therefore, the modern middle class, with its intricate dance of loans and lifestyle, stands at a crossroads. Caught between the illusion of affluence and the reality of their political disenfranchisement, they must choose. Will they continue to scorn the ballot box, or will they realize that in the grand scheme of life, politics is not just an option but a necessity? As they ponder this question, let them remember, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” It’s time to pick up the stones.

About Steve Biko Wafula

Steve Biko is the CEO OF Soko Directory and the founder of Hidalgo Group of Companies. Steve is currently developing his career in law, finance, entrepreneurship and digital consultancy; and has been implementing consultancy assignments for client organizations comprising of trainings besides capacity building in entrepreneurial matters. He can be reached on: +254 20 510 1124 or Email: info@sokodirectory.com