For the greater good. Even the Bible recognises the value of a sacrifice. Once the head of state declares a state of emergency, sacrifices for the nation's greater good will be necessary.

We have done it in the past. The pandemic lockdown is still fresh in our memories and the sacrifices that were made by the people, some more than others. For the State of Emergency caused by the national power crisis, the sacrifices would be a bit different.

The 30-day period will see more power rationing and more areas would be without electricity supply because of the deemed necessity. It would also mean that the government would make rules and regulations that it sees fit for the prosperity of the nation.

For families, it would imply that they would need to prioritise how they spend electricity. It may mean that certain areas would be completely without power supply for certain hours of the day. There would be hindrances to the television shows and even an impact on how food is stored but because it is a state of emergency, people will be required to adhere to the conditions of necessity.

For many parents, this would mean good news as they will get to see their children get off their electronic devices and do some actual work around the household. That would be a dream come true for many modern-day parents.

For businesses, many would have to dig deep into their pockets because it would require them to power their operations with the use of a secondary source of electricity. In the modern-day economy, electricity is a vital infrastructure. Businesses would have to bite the bullet and realise that they would need to continue operations without making profits. This would also help in lessening the number of job losses because it would be easier for some operations to just quit.

To those who are alien to the concept, a "state of emergency" is a government declaration, triggered by a crisis, that suspends normal operations and empowers authorities to take extraordinary measures to protect citizens and address the situation.

A state of emergency can be declared in response to various crises, including natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, civil unrest, armed conflict, pandemics, or other emergencies.

During a state of emergency, governments may suspend certain normal functions of government, and authorise government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. This means that civil liberties and human rights could be suspended and this is subject to legal constraints and principles of necessity and proportionality.

We could see government agencies such as the police and other enforcement agencies have increased powers. States of emergency are typically governed by a legal framework, including constitutional and legislative bases, and the declaration may have a defined duration and process for extension. In our case, we are staring at 30 days starting on Monday 31 March.

This is the time to start preparing. Stock up on candles, batteries and solar lights. We know that those who can afford generators have been making purchases. Businesses with generators would be expected to power their operations through their means and take the load off the national power grid.

People would also expect the government to ensure that businesses do not take advantage of the situation. We have already seen how some small businesses are exploiting people’s need to have candles and batteries by raising prices. Candles are being sold at $25. There is also a concern that many frozen items in some shops have gone bad but are still being sold.

While people are expected to make sacrifices, the government is expected to ensure that people’s rights are protected as well. The generators from New Zealand are expected to arrive at the end of next week and we hope that it would be a short time time before they can be put to use. The cabinet has also approved $10 million for spare parts that will see spare parts for the troubled generators being brought in.

The reality is that nobody knows how long the power crisis will last. Both governments can be blamed for the situation and everyone pointing fingers is right. We know how we have come to this point. It is time to accept that, fix the problem on hand and ensure this does not repeat.