With Rights comes Responsibilities!

I am pissed! Angry! But also sad! What has evoked such strong reactions? The strike. Now don't get me wrong, in principle I whole heartedly support the strike. Of course the health care and teaching proffessions are underpaid and undervalued. I come from a whole family of teachers. Both Yaasier's parents are teachers, almost all his aunts, I have cousins, uncles and aunts who are teachers, I have many nurse friends, so I totally see where they are coming from with their demands. But the problem with many South Africans is that we are very quick to point out what our rights are, but almost always seem to just as easily forget that with those rights come responsibilities. Just as everyone participating in the strike are entitled to execute this right, so those who have chosen not to participate are entitled to exercise their right. In addition those who exercise the right to assemble and demonstrate have the responsibility to do so 'unarmed and peacefully'.

So I get really angry when I hear stories on the news about premature babies being abandoned in hospitals, 2 babies consequently dying! Or the ambulance driver whose been driving around for 3 hours with a pregnant woman in critical condition  because he's been turned away from every hospital he's gone to. And what about the ambulance that was turned away transporting a man who needed urgent surgery because his hand was chopped off!!! Yes that's right his hand was chopped off and if he didn't get surgery within the 'golden hour' the tissue would die, but the striking 'health care' workers wouldn't allow them through! Now you tell me how is that any different from taking people hostage and demanding ransom in exchange for life??! Last time I checked being a hostage taker was a crime, so in my mind when you hold the lives of patients ransom you are no different. I have colleagues working at Baragwanath hospital who were yesterday barracading into the building because they had the nerve to turn up to work!

And then there are those poor matriculants who are writing their finals in 2 months time! The sad thing is it is the most disadvanteged schools where the scholars are particularly vulnerable to the poverty cycle that are affected most. I remember when I was at school there were also times when teachers were striking against all the retrenchments that were taking place at the time and we all supported them in their strike, but then they had the decency to put contingency plans in place so our work would't suffer too much. All you need is 1 parent out of a classroom on 30-40 children to 'babysit' the class and the teacher to set enough work to keep them busy for the time of the strike and you're sorted.

I just feel that just as their are many many hardworking, dedicated teachers and nurses who genuinely care about the society and purpose that they serve, equally, maybe even more so there are those who are in the profession purely for the pay cheque, who really don't give a damn! Believe me I have worked with enough lazy-ass miserable nurses who hate their jobs and treat their patients like shit. I have also come across many teachers who are just as bad. And the sad thing is they taint the reputations and beauty of all those teachers and nurses who always give their all. But I also balme the unions for allowing the strike to get out of control, for not approaching the situation with more maturity.

So I'd like to say to each and every person responsible for denying others their  rights by blocking their access to essential health services or denying a child the right to an education that could be his/her key to escaping the cycle of poverty... Shame on You!!! Every single person that dies due to lack of services... their blood is on your hands! Yes that's right I'm calling you murderers! How does is feel to know that you are responsible for the death of 2 babies? If you get your wage demands met, I really hope that extra 1% increase will be worth it!

And that's just my 2 cents!