Home | Feature | A GLIMMER OF OPTIMISM

A GLIMMER OF OPTIMISM

Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font

It has been a while since we discussed some positive issues on this opinion piece; this is largely due to the fact that there were really no positive news to discuss.

Hence today I will try and focus on the good that government has delivered on. We are seeing signs of change and the desire to give into some of the calls of the people, even though this is not done in stark terms as one would expect. However, change is being recorded regardless of the magnitude but it is positive change nonetheless.

Reconstruction Fund

On Monday, the King launched the Reconstruction Fund and effectively some millions have been raised to capitalise the project. A resource mobilisation committee has been put in place to ensure that the funds are not misused, keep boloslina at bay. This is a good move, it is exactly what the country needs, we need to rebuild the infrastructure that we are losing on a daily basis, it is critical for our development trajectory. I would like to advocate for privatising of the fund, give it to one of the insurance companies in the country to manage, they have the experience and the technical expertise needed in managing claims. This will ensure to reduce leakages due to corruption and will ensure that those who have already claimed from their private insurers do not benefit from this fund. Also, we still need to deal with the underlying factors that got us to this situation as a country. If we neglect discerning voices we are likely to end up needing more reconstruction funds. This will boost economic activity and probably get the country growing again, however, if the unrest is not curtailed businesses might not take up this fund even.

PM’s COVID-19 relief

A couple of moons back, the prime minister pledged E140 million to over 300 000 households or people in the country. This is approximately 30 per cent of the population and this support is much welcome even though it is quite minimal, but it is something. I can only advocate for a fair process in the identification and distribution of the funds; we need a report on how they were spent. Table a report in Parliament, have the auditor general look at it and let us stem the corruption out of our system. One might think that government is now playing politics and trying to diffuse the tensions and gunner support of the masses. This, to me, is a sign that government is changing, it’s beginning to listen to people and addressing their needs. In my books this is all we really need, a government that is responsive to the needs of the people, a government that understands their plight and a government that stands ready to listen and adapt to the needs of the people.  We hope that government will continue expediting efforts to set up the national unemployment benefit fund. We need to ensure that our social safety nets are effective and able to deal with national emergencies.

The NDMA

Let me also commend the work of the NDMA in assisting households that were affected by the storms earlier this year and assisting the country manage COVID-19. We can only advocate for improved efficiencies within the fund, improved accountability and improved responses to the country’s needs. Let us curb the corruption and over pricing of commodities being purchased by the agency. This is one agency that always works with very minimal resources, but this time around we have seen the impact; all the aid was flocking for the COVID-19 pandemic and we did not get much to support disaster victims but we have seen impact. This shows that if we are not relying much on aid we are still able to solve our problems.

Royal tax proposal

On Sunday, we learnt that the Finance Ministry is tabling a proposal that seeks to limit the number of people within the royal household that benefit from VAT exemption. The clarity in defining what one means by family is quite critical. This Bill will contribute to broadening the tax base and reduce revenue leakages from the economy, which is something that the country can do with. If the proposal passes, extended family members and married children of the King will now pay VAT. Effectively the proposal will tighten screws and really define what family means. This is yet another progressive move from government, it shows that regardless of the fact that no one is communicating that something is changing, but something is changing for the better. This will undoubtedly increase our tax base as a country, we can only hope that the King’s Office will ensure due diligence in dealing with VAT claims.

Keep it moving

As we keep it moving, we need not forget that there is need for dialogue, we can only hope that His Majesty will open space for it; yes we agree that the best way to solve issues is dialogue. What we need is for leadership to allow space for that dialogue and keep it moving.

Comments (0 posted):

Post your comment comment

Please enter the code you see in the image: