FIRST WORLD ADVANCED POLITICS OF ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT
What is the value of politics in Zambia?
THE purpose of politics, is to formulate policies and implement them, for the good of the people. Political ‘toxicity’, is the concept of politics that does not materialize in economic value and development for the people, ultimately. Politics, must be about economics and development, not “mere politicking”. Insults, propaganda, internetpolitics, and populism, have become short-cuts, to public image- building, deceptively. Real leaders, seek none of such displays of mediocrity, as a cover-up of incompetence. They just deliver for all.
Therefore, politics is about economic management of the scarce resources of a Country, for the good of all. The competitive nature of politics, brings out the best and worst of people, sadly.
Power, ultimately tests the character of men. Government is for the efficient, and the Presidency is for the noble in integrity and character. Power, without character, leads to abuse absolutely, and corrupts fundamentally.
Xi Jinping, says that, “Rats only thrive in dirty places”, so is
corruption.
Corruption, is the down fall of any presidency or government, once tolerated. We need clean governments.
By definition, it can be said that “politics is developing activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between Parties having power. It is activities aimed at improving people’s status or increasing power within an organization”. It is about decision making. It is about creating agreements with various groups of people, to get their consensus.
Toxic politics, entail losing consensus with the majority, in a democracy. Undue competition, is toxic politics.
The ancient Greek concept of Politics ‘Politika’, means “management of City affairs”. This implies having a set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources. It is the art and science of government. It is a science of guiding or influencing governmental policy, or winning and holding control over a government. Zambia by now, should have built modern Cities everywhere. All we see are backward shanty compounds in the capital City and rural underdevelopment, for decades.
By simple definition, ‘economics’, “is the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, distribution of goods and services, as transfer of wealth, or exchange rate”. It must materialize into prosperity for all. It is the development of the wealth of a nation, for the good of Citizens. It is the study of scarcity and its implications, for the use of resources. It is the production of goods and services, growth of production, and welfare over time, and a great variety of other complex issues of vital concern to society.
Zambia cannot afford to play a backward political game of third world Politics. We need to have an advanced economy of First World quality and quantity. Our Manufacturing base must be fundamentally increased by industrialization. Our consumption must be curbed by mass production. Our distribution must be enhanced, by advanced systems of; Airlines, railway lines, and road networks, for a modernized economy. We must increase our profile of economic outlook to first world status and standards.
The African Outlook of GDP growth rate of the top ten Countries, in 2024, include in order of greater growth rate; Ivory Coast at 6.6%, Ethiopia at 6.2%,Tanzania at 6.1%, Uganda at 5.7%, Kenya at 5.3%, DRC at 4.7%, Angola 3.3%, Nigeria at 3.1%, Ghana at 2.7%, and South Africa at number ten at 1.8%. Therefore, Zambia is below the top ten Countries in terms of growth in spite of all these Countries also having gone through the Covid-19 challenges. We must develop our economy, to advanced levels.
The current growth rate for Zambia’s economy was projected at 4% in 2023, and 4.2% in 2024, underpinned by the continued recovery in mining, services, and manufacturing; higher global copper prices; and the market confidence associated with ongoing fiscal consolidation measure in real growth GDP per capital which was projected, to 1.2% in 2023, and 4% in 2024. Inflation was projected to decline to 8.5% in 2023 and 7.1% in 2024, within the 6-8% target range. From the aforementioned, some of the things to consider in politics of economics are:
1. Monetary policy, fiscal policy,
and macro-economic, must be applied in National Development Planning (NDP), to solve problems of the economy that works for the People.
Routine, is the enemy of economic progress. Business as usual, is detrimental to economic advancement towards a first world nation, from backward third world status. Change and radical reforms economically, is the only criterion for first world development.
Our national planning is very weak, in the last over five decades. It is fundamentally a copy and paste routine of National Development Plans (NDPs), for “short –termism” of four or five years.
China with a socialist system of government, has a long term planning system and is developing at a very fast rate, in both quantity of exports, imports, and financial capital markets,
respectively.
This is the largest developing Country in the world, exponentially.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are a foreigndriven system of minimums of development? Why not maximums for every Zambian? Why minimum benchmarks for national planning? Why plan a nation on minimums by 2030 or 2063? We need an advanced first world Zambia, urgently. We are already late! Why not for every Zambian? We need a fast quality and quantity of development.
2. Applied Economics Needed. “Applied economics, is the use of the insights gained from economic theory and research to make better decisions and solve real-world economic problems. Applied economics, is a popular tool in business planning and public policy analysis and evaluation”.
Why are economists failing to make the economy of Zambia a global power house? The copy and paste system is not working.
We need contextual solution of inward- looking policies, to advance to a supper power status of first world Zambia.
3. Challenges of (FDI).
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), is a very good complementary support system of economic aid, but it must be complimented by a primary domestic system with proper fundamentals of; growth, stability, technology, infrastructure, and the manufacturing base. We need both (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investments (DDI). The lopsided view of the “mystery magic” of (FDI), has never worked for any Country. Malaysia, China, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates, all developed to first world, not by (FDI) alone. They built first a primary economy, before; global capital markets, trade, investments of (FDI), and the like. Zambia must take serious steps towards these important factors, urgently.
4. Sovereign Reserves
Any Country without a serious policy on building sovereign
reserves, and only dependent on three months import cover, will be weak economically, and will fail to curb; inflation, instability on the performance of the currency, and exchange rate always. Zambia must build sovereign reverse, from every mineral that is dug from our soil, or we shall remain a backward third world country, with potential, but with nothing to show for it. Self-preservation, by commercial politicians over time since independence, have continued being beneficiaries of our sovereign wealth, at the expenses of the people, through corruption and illicit deals. That is weak transactional leadership.
5. Industrialization
There is no alternative, but to industrialize, comprehensively, urgently, and aggressively. Since 1964, we have struggled to industrialize our economy. We keep repeating the same mistakes and expecting to get the different outcomes. The UPNDAlliance government, must take the bull by the horns and undertake serious economic reforms. A change government, must fundamentally alter the form of economic structures and strategies for the development of the economy, for the masses. Massaging the; fiscal, and monetary policies, and exchange rates manipulation, is an old economic game. We cannot only feed into social consumptive sectors, and grow the economy.
6. Technology
Our technological infrastructure, is very weak. The internet of things, is still backward. It lacks sovereign organic development. You cannot sustain what you did not birth yourself. If we keep depending on others to come and help us, who are investing in research and development we shall continue to pay the heavy price of costly services and technology. Sovereign capacity, must be built urgently. What can Zambian do for themselves as a people or their Country without foreigners? There is no short-cut, we must in our life time pay the heavy price of technological development and digital infrastructural development,. Why can’t we go to space and space military and satellite capabilities?
7. Mining
The mining sector is still the main contributor to Zambia’s GDP, at 12%, and generating most of the foreign exchange earnings, by foreign direct investments. But exploitation by Multinational Corporations over the years, both under nationalization policies and liberalized economy has continued. South African based multinational Corporations constitute 70 % in Zambia. Windfall tax, is still a challenge. Mining incentives have been given to Foreign Investors for a Song, without actual value for the people.
But the benefits accrue, over the years only to commercial Politicians. Private Public Partnerships (PPP) with a focus on Sovereign bias, is a necessary policy. How can a Country with; Copper, Gold, Lithium, Cobalt, Sugilite, best emeralds, and other Precious minerals, be in debt under the Patriotic Front (PF) government? We need to reform the entire mining policy, to suit the actual value of the country for posterity and sovereign building of sovereign reserves. This is a legal and reform position. It must be done, and now is the time.
8. Agriculture
The Agricultural sector alone can catapult Zambia, to economic boom in the next three years, if we; Industrialize, Mechanize, and approach it as a business. India is a model, as a fifth largest economy, in the world of an effective agricultural policy. We must curb delays in not only Farmer Input Support Programs (FISPs), but in implementing a comprehensive Program, for all sectors of high value foods for domestic and export needs, respectively.
“Rats only thrive in dirty places, so is corruption.” - President Xi Jinping.