GOVT THE PROBLEM, NOT ECONOMY 2

LIKE I said before, the economy is not the problem but the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Eswatini’s government is the biggest problem standing between this country and its developmental goals, especially Vision 2022.

Repeatedly, our government keeps making one bad decision after the other and somehow always conjures up some hope to fool all of us that it is committed to change so that things can get better. The latest E90 million BMW debacle is proof that this country has a government without a backbone and Members of Parliament (MPs) who are just a pile of drivel that the country would be far better without.

What is really sad is that in the mindless government spending fiascos that we wake up to each day are becoming a clear tell-tale sign that even this newly-appointed government with impeccable experience from the private sector would not be the silver bullet that we were all hopeful for to save this economy.

Problems

Eswatini’s problems are intentional and deeply rooted in the out-of-control government spending that prioritises nonsensical luxury items that benefit a minority rather than spending on taxpayers to move the country closer to its developmental aspirations.

Talk about bad timing. Fuel prices just went up and as a response bus fares will also be going up shortly because consumers in Eswatini only have one purpose, to be cash-cows so that government can have enough money to waste. Unfortunately, fuel is like electricity given that many sectors of the economy depend on it. For this reason, the country should also expect a spiral of other price hikes such as food prices among other key commodities that households consume on a monthly basis.

Bills

Since this new government took office, household monthly bills have been spiralling out of control due to all the increase in taxes that have been forced down our throats without any protection from the ornaments we voted into Parliament. Most of these MPs are just here to be part of the ballooning wage bill and a rubberstamp to swindle emaSwati of their hard-earned money so that government can in return pay for toilets, BMWs, bikes and daily subsistence allowances (DSAs) for large delegations globetrotting at our expense.

The way government is relentless in increasing the money we pay in taxes in this country is as if it is carelessly building the case for everyone to march for their cost of living adjustment (CoLA) because really everyone can feel that the cost of living in Eswatini has shot up substantially.

The private sector that is supposed to be generating the economic activity to sustain us through these trying times is suffocating in a slow death that has seen many businesses dying, owing large amounts of money to the notorious taxman, the Eswatini Revenue Authority (SRA).

The scary thing is that most of the money being generated in this economy now goes straight to the G-wallet or government’s hand, which in turn is the biggest spender in the economy. With billions being spent, the question then becomes why isn’t the economy growing? A simple answer to that is government spending in Eswatini is as good as money down the toilet, we get nothing in return in the name ofeconomic and social development.

Spending

All of these crazy spending cases are a clear indication that our government is incapable of rolling out a winning strategy that can point our economy on the right path. But what can one really expect from a government that blows millions of Emalangeni on flashy cars and gadgets when every month the very same government launches into a frenzy just so it can raise enough money to pay civil servants’ salaries?

Moreover, every day is a struggle for our government to get medical supplies to our public hospitals and every day is a struggle to distribute government revenue to the long list of suppliers being owed, the elderly grants that need to be paid, free primary education grants, tertiary students allowances, subventions to parastatals, and the list goes on.

Government spending has to be controlled; otherwise there is no other hope for the Eswatini economy. The fact of the matter is that government really doesn’t care about ordinary emaSwati. Both Cabinet and MPs have consistently failed the nation and are part of the problem because they do not have the backbone to put a stop to all of this mindless government spending.

It’s like many of us ordinary citizens are being subjected to watch a never-ending soap opera that is The Bold and The Beautiful, while every day a majority of us are being pushed to poverty and hopelessness down here on Skid Row.

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