The Traffic Police should expect to have their hands full as people pull out all the stops and inhibitions. They will overindulge and thus become a danger unto themselves and passersby. There is an even bigger reason why the police should be ever vigilant because it could be the last time that some of the revellers legally step into a bar. Currently, the government is examining a draft proposal to increase the legal drinking age from the current 18 years to between 20 and 25 years. That is more or less the age bracket of the majority of bar patrons and are the ones prone to recklessness. So one should expect some sort of “going out with a bang” scenario as the young men and women say painful goodbyes to their former freedoms until they again come of age. Raising the drinking age will hardly guarantee a reversal of the results of a UN report that claims Rwanda has the biggest drinking problem in East Africa. Alcohol is not cheaper in Rwanda than in neighbouring countries, in fact, the reverse is true. So authorities need to look elsewhere for causes. Is it a new trend? Is it because of the many psychological challenges the country has gone through or because society no longer cares when a neighbour’s child misbehaves? It is an open secret that most of the young people who “paint the town red” with abandon come from privileged families. They are spoilt by the mindset of; “What I missed in my childhood should not befall my child”. A sombre message to parents: Splashing your child with money and unchecked independence is not climbing up the social ladder; it is digging an early grave for your offspring. Keep everyone safe this festive season and have a Merry Christmas.
