The 7 Truths We Need To Face If We Should Reform And Achieve Citizen Economic Empowerment

MBAAKANYI LENYATSO
UDC ACTIVIST

  1.  The Poor
    They are poor because of the systems and programmes in place, which do not support their efforts. It is their decision to keep the current regime in power that keeps them locked in poverty. Only these masses can stand up and hold the same regime they voted for to change some laws and programmes to enable wealth creation. If the same regime they voted for is not willing to help them, they need to realise that they have the power to change it. As a country, we need to have a clear Citizen Protection Act. That will include how citizens, from small scale producers to large scale producers, are empowered, their market protected and their easy access to funding .
  2. Landlessness
    The first thing this group should know and understand is that there is no land shortage in the Republic. There is only a poor land management system and the system is kept this way to protect the few elites who have land banks to prosper in selling land and property management. We need to have access to land so we stop paying rentals, as well as have places to farm and produce food. All the land belongs to the state in a Republic and citizens should have the right to use the land. Investors should locate citizens who are holding land rights to rent or lease for their investments. They can even partner with citizens as shareholders because citizens would contribute their land rights as capital investment.
  3. The Workers
    They are not simple desperate wage earners who are simply used to help investors to accumulate wealth in our country and export it to their country of origin, leaving us poor. They should understand that they are a very important unit of production and that their value is either calculated as a percentage ratio to wealth accumulated; to the total turnover and be counted as part of production costs. They should not be seen as just another expense which the company can decide to reduce or to throw out when owners want to expand their profits to go and spend in foreign countries, leaving them like distitute. That only this can happen if they value their participation in democratic process of a Republic. That means putting their mind and energy in serious issues concening the elections of those who are mandated to make laws and programmes. It is only the workers themselves through voting rights who can change their own situation or keep it if it is what they want.
  4. The Unemployed
    There should be no person said to be unemployed if we really took our time to turn our natural resources into wealth. We have everything in natural resources, from fertile land to minerals. Our downfall has been the failure to industrialise our farming products and minerals. We need to process the raw materials to semi-finished and finished products. We should not import simple things like maize and its products. We need not see foreigners come here as investors only to do what we can do and hire us as labourers instead of us being the primary investors. But that will only happen when those in power are bold enough to change laws and programmes to support, empower and protect citizens from being expropriated by foreigners. If those in power cannot do that, it is up to the said unemployed to change them.
  5. The political parties Sloganeers
    There is no problem in loving your party and its leadership. That love should be influenced by better things they have done or promised to do for your country. It should not be how many T-shirts or cattle heads they bought for you or how much beer they buy for you. It should be everything to do with your economic position, your health, your children education, public services and other things that allow you to enjoy your liberties. It is more important that you take 90% of your time promoting what good your political party is doing or is going to do than trying hard to belittle and mock your opponents. Your support for a political party should be seen in you and reflected through your socio-economic position. If you support the current regime and its way of doing things, it should show in your own life that as a person you are really happy with the status quo. Don’t just support for the sake of it. If your life needs change, it is either holding the current regime accountable and probing them to change your life or you change the regime itself.
  6. The social media hooligans
    Around the world countries are using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote democracy and to share ideas and interact with their leaders for better governance. Your contributions to Facebook politics can influence your position in life to improve or stay the same as leaders can decide issues based on your comments. If they know you are there to insult everyone who points out the weaknesses in their leadership system, they relax and bank on you to protect them. It is your post that can encourage our leaders to take us seriously or for granted. The power is in your tweet.
  7. The career politicians
    These are opportunists and tenderpreneurs who have relegated the standard of our politics and killed our economy. This has resulted in capable intellectuals and potential leaders shunning politics as they are afraid of being subjected to uncouth insults and victimised through political smear campaigns. They are seen as desperate employment seekers who are not honest and have to do everything to win the elections so as to put food on their families’ tables. It remains in the power of the masses and their remarks and actions that can transform our politics from just a game of monied tenderprenuers to socio-economic upliftment and holding power to account. .