The Do-Nothingers Are the Problem

The other day, I found myself listening to a powerful online conversation. It was one of those exchanges that keeps you hooked, not because it entertains, but because it stirs something deep inside you. It left me reflecting on a problem that is both local and global: the rise of the “do-nothingers”—those who choose silence, passivity, or complacency in the face of threats that affect all of us.

Closer home, the thought took me back to a recent conversation on our own blog. We had written about the poor implementation of climate change projects. What followed was both predictable and shocking. My phone lit up with calls and messages urging us to pull the piece down, to avoid “dirty politics.” Some voices were threatening, others dismissive. Yet, in the same storm came a wave of encouragement from youth who insisted: mistakes were made, someone must be accountable. Their determination didn’t stop at words—they immediately set up a petition to recall the area MCA for Izava/Lyaduywa. I gladly lent my support.

Of course, the MCA himself wasn’t pleased. One Friday night, perhaps after a little too much indulgence, he slid into my inbox ranting and raving. His anger didn’t surprise me. What shocked me was the audacity—how could he, an elected leader, treat accountability as an insult? Where does he even get the guts?

But this problem isn’t only about our small corner of the world. I’ve been equally disturbed watching global events unfold. Conflicts that could have been prevented by dialogue and cooperation escalate into wars. Leaders who should be championing solutions instead dig trenches of division. I was particularly distressed during a recent UN General Assembly session. One global leader, instead of addressing pressing global problems, chose to dismiss renewable energy as unreliable. He stood at the world’s biggest stage and boasted about his insular, singular vision to make his country “the greatest ever.” If only he read history—he would see how such arrogance has time and again left humanity scarred.

It’s tempting in moments like these to despair, to shrug and say, “Well, there’s nothing we can do.” That is the easy way—the way of the do-nothingers. But make no mistake: this passivity is the very oxygen that fuels poor leadership, corruption, and exploitation. When we choose silence, when we leave fate to decide, we empower those who thrive on inaction.

So today, I want to condemn this do-nothing mentality. Whether it is an MCA managing a ward of ten thousand people or a Deputy President suggesting that dissenters should be denied development projects—their power exists only to the extent that we allow it. If we all chose to act, if we spoke up, if we organized, their power would crumble under the weight of accountability.

The future cannot be left to luck or fate. It must be built through action—small actions, collective actions, honest conversations, and relentless demands for justice. The do-nothingers may sit back, but those of us who refuse to despair must stand up. Because ultimately, it is our voices and our actions that create the solutions we seek.

About Author: Kevin Makova