• BHP launches Tshireletso StudyNovember 28, 2023
    . Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV prevention in newly delivered mothers in Botswana The Botswana Harvard Health Partnership (BHP) has today launched the ‘Tshireletso’ Study which is offering long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) to post-partum women immediately after delivery to… Read more: BHP launches Tshireletso Study
  • Orange Botswana CEO, Nene Maïga, Wins Female Innovator of the Year Award November 24, 2023
    Orange Botswana celebrates the business’ CEO, Nene Maïga, on her prestigious Female Innovator of the Year Award 2023, received at the Africa Tech Festival Awards in Cape Town, South Africa. This distinguished accolade recognises the exceptional contributions of women in the fields of technology, media, and telecommunications… Read more: Orange Botswana CEO, Nene Maïga, Wins Female Innovator of the Year Award 
  • Govt’s P1.4billion Tati land headacheNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw The 45 000 hectares of land recently acquired by Botswana government from Tati Company to the tune of P1.4 billion, will address acute land shortage in Northeast district, the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs (ML&WA),… Read more: Govt’s P1.4billion Tati land headache
  • BDP raises fundsNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) parliamentary candidates will raise close to P1 million through contributions of P15 000 each towards a campaign fund for the 2024 elections, The Patriot on Sunday has learnt. Information turned… Read more: BDP raises funds
  • Butale dumps BFTUNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw In a move that shocked many, Thusang Butale -the Secretary General (SG) of the oldest labour federation in the country, Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) resigned his position abruptly this week, The Patriot on Sunday… Read more: Butale dumps BFTU
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
  • Login
  • Register
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
17 °c
Gaborone
21 ° Tue
22 ° Wed
24 ° Thu
26 ° Fri
The Patriot On Sunday
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
No Result
View All Result
Cart / $0.00

No products in the cart.

  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
No Result
View All Result
The Patriot On Sunday
No Result
View All Result
Home Analysis & Opinions

Masisi`s Post Retreat Speech is a Demagoguery Bluff!

patriot by patriot
May 10, 2021
in Analysis & Opinions
250
0
Masisi

Masisi

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
ShareShareShare

Gaontebale Mokgosi

Real Alternative Party

Brother Chairman

As President Masisi has alluded in his recent post-retreat speech, it is true the BDP government has failed to increase the wealth of Batswana and their standard of living. It is also true that BDP has failed to make sure that Batswana get a return for the raw wealth of their community. As a matter of fact Batswana eat less than before. Unemployment is rampant; wages of the working class are pathetically low; the country`s imports exceed the value of exports; the only sector that is expanding is the production of alcohol.   

Yet the irony in President Masisi`s is that while he laments the current state of affairs, he only speaks of hypothetical solutions. There are no concrete explanations provided in how the current situation could be remedied.  There is no discussion of how we arrived at this pathetic state of affairs and how it could be addressed succinctly. What is notable is that it has become fashionable of BDP State under Masisi`s presidency to be hyper – active in streaming promises and yet super-excellent in failing to honor and deliver on their collective commitment.

The problem is BDP economics maximizes free trade than human welfare and prioritizes an economic order that favors foreign investment than workers income.  Aside from financial injections to keep the banking and corporate balance sheets on relatively stable footing during the Covid – 19 crisis, the BDP State has failed to partially alleviate the negative socio – economic impact particularly on the unemployed, underemployed and the disabled. The other paradox of BDP government is its continuous pronouncements to minimize the state and let the ‘Market take control’. Yet market trade correlates to loss of industrial employment, falling wages and the collapse of trade union power. This is evidenced by the lay – offs of workers by the private sector enterprises in the midst of Covid-19 crisis.     

The fact is the vision of BDP and that of its political-economy has never been super – optimistic. The BDP State confuses the reasons for economic growth for free trade – this is where Batswana`s poverty and suffering stems from as alluded to by Masisi. There has been no manufacturing experience and no technological progress during entire period of BDP rule of 56 years. BDP as a state has failed to build up the classified economic sectors, namely agricultural, industrial and service sectors.  And this is because BDP specializes in the old – static colonial economics model of concentrating in pure supply of raw materials. The primitive economics of innovationless activities have become a permanent feature under BDP rule.

The real problem facing Botswana today is that BDP lacks the principal strategy of developing the industrial life of a Nation. Economic growth proper has to manifest itself through products and productivity that meets our needs and address the frightening economic gap which many Batswana are now imminently facing. It is for a fact that Botswana has the fiscal space to buttress their social protection systems, protect incomes and create more jobs, If Batswana are to be uplifted from their poverty levels, the BDP government has to allow for and support its native citizens through economic subsidies to form market monopolies in sectors including; agriculture, concrete products, hardware supplies, auto-parts dealerships, ITC services as an immediate short gap measure. The present citizen economic empowerment programs are too far from remedying the poverty status which Batswana have been ditched into. The empowerment programs have been crafted to cure the symptoms and not the cause of misery afflicting Batswana.        

As a long term measure, the solution to high unemployment in Botswana lies in increased manufacturing industry which would in turn achieve very high growth in labour and productivity. Given that Covid-19 has massively impacted Botswana`s economic environment and rapidly diminished its greater commodity dependence on external suppliers, common sense dictates an increase in domestically produced intermediate products was supposed to be an instantaneous alternative by the BDP State. History of world political economy clearly demonstrates that no country has been able to improve the standard of living of its citizens without an industrial sector and advanced service sector. Manufacturing is useful in that more people derive jobs, skills, experience, real – wages and forever pushes forward a never ending frontier of new knowledge and technology. Only manufacturing has authenticity in increasing economic returns.  Batswana standard of living would be much higher today if BDP State would have allowed a much bigger manufacturing sector from early stages of independence. An industrial sector would help mechanize the production of Bio-fuel (from chicken and cattle fat), Canvass (from mokolwane trees), Leather products (from domestic, wildlife beasts), Plastic (from coal, soda), Glass (from soda), Steel (from manganese) from an immense capacity of raw minerals in Botswana.

In essence, we first need as a country, to establish our own competitive industrial sectors before we can jump into free trade with the rest of the world as SADC Heads of States have opined. Converting into untrammelled free-trade will literally make Botswana the first casualty because we don’t have the capacity to compete and we are still a backward nation with respect to scale effects of industrial activities. Opening up to Africa and the rest of the world before establishing and protecting our well rounded industries will be a suicidal catastrophe.  In a nutshell, unless and until the BDP economic model which focuses on free trade than production is tamed, the statement made by President Masisi remains an empty, irrelevant demagoguery bluff! 

Gaontebale Mokgosi

Real Alternative Party

Brother Chairman

Related

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Unsubscribe
  • BHP launches Tshireletso StudyNovember 28, 2023
    . Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV prevention in newly delivered mothers in Botswana The Botswana Harvard Health Partnership (BHP) has today launched the ‘Tshireletso’ Study which is offering long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) to post-partum women immediately after delivery to… Read more: BHP launches Tshireletso Study
  • Orange Botswana CEO, Nene Maïga, Wins Female Innovator of the Year Award November 24, 2023
    Orange Botswana celebrates the business’ CEO, Nene Maïga, on her prestigious Female Innovator of the Year Award 2023, received at the Africa Tech Festival Awards in Cape Town, South Africa. This distinguished accolade recognises the exceptional contributions of women in the fields of technology, media, and telecommunications… Read more: Orange Botswana CEO, Nene Maïga, Wins Female Innovator of the Year Award 
  • Govt’s P1.4billion Tati land headacheNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw The 45 000 hectares of land recently acquired by Botswana government from Tati Company to the tune of P1.4 billion, will address acute land shortage in Northeast district, the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs (ML&WA),… Read more: Govt’s P1.4billion Tati land headache
  • BDP raises fundsNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) parliamentary candidates will raise close to P1 million through contributions of P15 000 each towards a campaign fund for the 2024 elections, The Patriot on Sunday has learnt. Information turned… Read more: BDP raises funds
  • Butale dumps BFTUNovember 23, 2023
    BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw In a move that shocked many, Thusang Butale -the Secretary General (SG) of the oldest labour federation in the country, Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) resigned his position abruptly this week, The Patriot on Sunday… Read more: Butale dumps BFTU
The Patriot On Sunday

© 2022 Copyright The Patriot On Sunday - Inspired by Search Mart.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders

© 2022 Copyright The Patriot On Sunday - Inspired by Search Mart.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?