Back Bencher

Who said no more crutches @ 50?

Honourable Folks,

the kwacha which held its own during the tobacco season, is now headed to the ocean floor.

This spells doom to an economy which imports much more than it exports. The local industry will spend more on imported raw material and spares for machinery and all this will have to be passed on to the consumer whose wage is losing its buying power by the day.

If the trend continues—which is most likely—the shrunk domestic market will lead to the scaling-down of production or outright closure of companies and that means increased unemployment, poverty and threat to peace and stability.

The heights of hell we’re scaling this year under the APM administration aren’t totally new. In 2011, we hiked a similar rugged terrain under the leadership of the late Bingu wa Mutharika, APM’s elder brother. On both occasions, the trigger factor is the freezing of aid, particularly budgetary support.

Which begs the old question: Can Malawi do without donor support? Some folks, including enlightened economists (or do they just play politics?) say, yes, we can. They claim that at 50, we are too old as an independent sovereign State to depend on aid.

Some go as far as saying as long as aid keeps on flowing, we shall remain a patient on crutches. They see aid freeze as the necessary push to make us realise we can stand, walk and even run on our own! Bingu argued that aid was being used as a tool for neo-colonialism, saying it came with so many undesirable strings attached.

Echoing the sentiments of his brother on aid, APM says he is determined to ensure we reduce our dependence on it. My take is that such a politically correct statement sends wrong signals, especially in times like these when an aid freeze, even for just a year, exposes the soft underbelly of our fragile economy.

The debate is not on the need for economic emancipation. That is given. Rather, our leaders should focus on boosting our capacity to generate wealth. If there is an opportunity out there to earn forex by growing pigeon peas, nuts, paprika, cotton or cassava for export then why not go for it quietly without being suicidal on aid?

All our leaders in the multiparty era have failed on the fight against corruption which drains up to 30 percent of government revenue. So entrenched has corruption been in the politics of patronage that has characterised the multiparty dispensation that it has now degenerated to Cashgate scandal levels which have led to aid freeze and made us a laughing stock in the eyes of the global community

We were contented to lose up to 30 percent of the revenue as long as donors were willing to give us as much. Now we are learning the hard way as donors have walked out on us while corruption has become so entrenched we don’t seem to know how to contain it.

Funny that despite our problems, opulence of wasteful proportions still defines life in government The President of poor Malawi, rated the 8th poorest country in Africa, still wants us to maintain six presidential residences!

As for Cabinet ministers, they still draw 1 000 litres of fuel a month each for a five-minute drive from Area 10 or 12 to the Capital Hill where their offices are situated. The VIPs still fly first or business class at twice the price of economy! Habits that encourage politicians to live like royalty at the expense of extremely poor citizens.

So, who shoulders the burden of greed and mediocrity in government? The taxpayer. Wait and see what reforms the politicians and IMF will agree to put the Malawi economy back on course eventually? They will behave as if we were the beneficiaries and not victims of Cashgate.

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