How Government Distracts you from Important Issues
December 12, 2025
Whenever we talk about bad governance, we tend to blame the usual suspects: corruption, poor planning, indifference, red tape. And sure, all that’s real. But there’s something else, something quieter, that allows bad governance to thrive without anyone being held accountable. It’s right in front of us, and yet we often miss it. That something is “distraction.”
Think about it. Each time there’s a real, urgent issue, say unemployment rising, a healthcare system crumbling, or something as basic as garbage not being cleared, our focus suddenly moves away. Out of nowhere, there’s a loud headline. A politician says something wild. A random religious controversy pops up. Or someone digs up an old wound around identity and nationalism. And suddenly, everyone’s talking about that.
These distractions don’t drop from the sky. Most of the time, they’re carefully placed, or at least cleverly used, to take over our attention. It’s like someone loudly waving to distract you while quietly hiding the real problem behind you.
Here’s how it usually plays out. A politician makes an outrageous remark. That clip gets picked up by a TV anchor looking for a spicy debate. The newspapers put it on their front page. Social media explodes. WhatsApp forwards start flying. Before you know it, every dinner table conversation has moved on.
Meanwhile, the stories that actually affect us, stories about the delayed hospital, the broken ration system, the cancelled bus routes, they just quickly fade away. No one follows up. No one asks why the budget for school lunches was slashed or why kids are still studying under leaking roofs.
This isn’t some new-age media phenomenon. We see it every election season. But even between elections, it’s always there in the background. The moment public anger starts bubbling over real issues, those in power pull a switch. They bring up a fight over culture, identity or someone to blame.
Over time, something changes. Voters stop expecting real performance and begin to accept bad governance as something they simply have to live with. Political speeches become full of emotion and drama, but empty of data. Instead of “we built 40 new clinics,” it becomes “we protected our culture” or “we stood firm against betrayal by internal enemies and outside forces.” It’s like going to a doctor for treatment and getting a speech about patriotism instead of medicine.
In fact, most election campaigns barely touch on governance anymore. You might see glossy manifestos and flashy promises, but few leaders want to talk about whether they actually delivered on the last round. And if they do, they highlight the one or two things that went right, skipping over the rest.
As a result, governance hardly ever decides an election. Politicians have figured out that they won’t lose votes if the school in your locality stays shut or the local clinic runs without doctors. They’ve learned that service delivery rarely swings an election. And that’s a problem.
Because once politicians stop fearing the consequences of bad governance, they stop bothering to govern well. It’s like a student who realises no one’s checking their homework. Why put in the effort?
So slowly, quietly, governance gets pushed out of the picture. What’s left is noise. A lot of it. And in that noise, real accountability vanishes.
People still feel angry. Of course they do. But instead of channelling that anger towards the government, they turn on each other, fighting over party lines, defending or attacking leaders, arguing over who’s more patriotic.
This loop will keep spinning until someone stops it. And that someone has to be us.
It’s citizens, journalists, and civil society who can steer the focus back to what matters. And this, by asking, persistently, what’s been done and what hasn’t. Not just once, but consistently. And yeah, it’s not flashy or dramatic. It doesn’t always make headlines in mainstream media. But it’s where real change begins.
Public life should revolve around governance. Full stop. The government’s primary job is to govern, not run PR campaigns or cook up culture wars just to win votes.
We need to talk about healthcare, not hashtags. About the local bus that doesn’t show up, the housing scheme that’s stuck, the electricity that keeps cutting out. These are the things that actually define whether a country works for its people.
Distraction may be good at making noise. But governance is what determines whether you and your family and friends, and fellow citizens, eat, learn, earn and stay healthy. And once we start recognising that difference, those in power have fewer places to hide.