Signs of a Declining State & Uncompetitive Society: The Politics of Shiny Decay, And Airports Without Light Bulbs 1. A Celebrity Wedding Dominates News For Days In a context where many struggle, a society’s and media’s fixation on things like a celebrity wedding for days reflects a culture prioritising escapism. It normalises inequality by glorifying ostentatious displays in the face of widespread poverty. 2. Politicians Compete In Funerals, Not Ideas When the greatest currency in politics is the size of your condolence envelope, governance has already been outsourced to coffin carpenters. 3. Sportspeople And Influencers Earn Over 10 Times More Than Teachers And Doctors Not because entertainment is evil, but because the system has decided applause is worth more than survival. 4. Status Women Outshine Stateswomen Society hails the minister’s Instagram wardrobe more than her budget speech; power is worn, not exercised. 5. Education Becomes A Certificate Factory A declining society prioritises credentials over competence. Degrees are exported to Dubai; remittances are imported back home. 6. Economy Measures Itself By Consumption, Not Production If the supermarket looks full while the factory floor stays empty, decline is already dressed in imported suits. 7. Food Becomes Fashion A farmer is pitied, but avocado toast in a café is worshipped. Hunger grows in the village as nutritionists preach in the capital. 8. Garbage, Plastic Piles, And Clogged Pipes Rubbish choking streets, rivers, and markets reflects a broader disregard for public spaces. The failure to organise basic sanitation mirrors a deeper inability to coordinate for collective progress. 9. Culture Is Staged For Foreigners Drums beat only when the donor agency lands. The rest of the year, local musicians survive on beer-fuelled karaoke of American hip-hop. 10. Technology Is Measured By Phones, Not Patents A nation of the latest iPhones but no indigenous operating system or software scrolls the future instead of building it. Leaders tout “digital progress” through internet access while neglecting to train coders and engineers. 11. Parliaments Debate Allowances More Than Laws The national budget is a sideshow; what matters is the car grant, the per diem, and who travelled to Geneva. 12. The Middle Class Invests More In Security Than In Industry A house with five guards but no running water is not wealth; it is paranoia institutionalised. 13. Religion Becomes Therapy Churches and mosques compete to sell miracle oils and prosperity visas, while poverty queues outside like an eternal congregation. 14. Heroes Are Mourned More Than They Are Made National pride is reserved for dead poets, long-gone guerrillas, and footballers. The present is too barren to celebrate. 15. Infrastructure Crumbles While Megaprojects Shine An uncompetitive society prioritises flashy megaprojects—like shiny airports or presidential palaces—over basic infrastructure. Rural roads remain impassable, and urban power grids flicker. Sometimes it’s a deliberate choice to create visible symbols of progress for political gain, while neglecting the less glamorous but critical systems that enable broad-based growth. The result: bridges to nowhere, airports with no planes, and stadiums without leagues—all ribbon, no road. 16. History Is Rewritten Every Election A president erases the last regime’s sins and writes new myths about himself; the nation survives only in political speeches, not in memory.