Home | Feature | FIRST WORLD STATUS BREAKDOWN

FIRST WORLD STATUS BREAKDOWN

10/05/2022 07:50:00 Sabelo Gabs Nxumalo

Font size:

The term ‘First world’ was introduced in the 1950s, originally referred to a country that was aligned with the United States and other western nations in opposition to what was then the Soviet Union and its allies. This was during the Cold War era.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the term’s meaning evolved to a large extent. The current definition of First World status is a developed and industrialised country characterised by political and economic stability, democracy, the rule of law, a capitalist economy and a high standard of living. His Majesty King Mswati III has, on many occasions, promised emaSwati that he would lead the country to First World status initially by the year 2022 and then COVID-19 happened, derailing the schedule. This was indeed a bold claim to make given that Eswatini is presently considered a Third World country; or to be politically correct, it’s a developing country with a middle-income status. I respectfully question the wisdom of setting such an ambitious goal and question the counsel of King’s advisors and government for running with this impossible target to achieve in such a short time.

Understanding First World

To truly understand the First World status we need to start by listing a few countries that have achieved this status. These include countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Several European nations qualify as well, especially Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries. The ways that First World countries are defined can vary. For example, a First World nation might be described as aligned or amicable with Western countries or those in the Northern Hemisphere; highly industrialised; possessing a low poverty rate and/or high accessibility to modern resources and infrastructure.

Various metrics have been used to define First World nations and they include gross domestic product (GDP), gross national product (GNP), mortality rates and literacy rates. The Human Development Index is also an indicator which countries might be categorised as having First World status. Economically speaking, First World countries tend to have stable currencies and robust financial markets, and are home to multinational corporations which trade globally around the world. These would include the ‘Seven Sisters’, which are the seven giant oil international corporations.

Second World status

The out-dated term ‘Second World’ included countries that were once controlled by the Soviet Union. Second World countries were centrally planned economies and one party States. Notably, the use of the term ‘Second World’ to refer to Soviet countries largely fell out of use in the early 1990s, shortly after the end of the Cold War. However, the term has also been used to describe countries in the middle that are more stable and more developed than the offensive term ‘Third World’ countries, but less stable and less developed than First World countries. Examples of second-world countries, by this definition, include almost all Latin and South America, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and China, among many others.

First World a tall order

The Kingdom of Eswatini would need approximately US$5 billion or E75 billion to develop and industrialise to the level of Second World countries at best. The country would have to have political and economic stability, democracy, the rule of law, a capitalist economy, with a high standard of living to be considered a Second World country. The aforementioned First World countries have had hundreds of years to achieve all that is required and Eswatini cannot possibly do so in a few years but can at least aspire for second world status. I honestly feel, with due respect, that it was rather reckless and irresponsible to pronounce such an ambitious totally unattainable milestone.

Conclusion

We have seen above the countries that hold First World status. With great respect and humility, I again ask how can advisors and government seriously promote this First World status given our present economic predicament? What real benefit can be derived from this continued First World fiasco except to humiliate the King in the eyes of many of the more educated emaSwati and the international community. Putting aside the COVID-19 pandemic, our political situation is far from stable. We are still trying to find and affirm our brand of democracy through the Tinkhundla Political System. Multiparty democracy, the hallmark of the First World, is still at its infancy.

Our rule of law is in shambles, if the recent report by the law society is anything to go by. The standard of living is way below most of the second world countries. The healthcare system is nowhere near second world status, let alone First World standards. Our road infrastructure has been affected and needs E6 billion just to repair the present road network. We have done well in terms of African standards but we still need to do more.

We need to aspire to achieve Second World status at least. However, every citizen must be part of this journey and must know what it means and that there will be sacrifices with a lot of hard work. Every citizen must know his or her role in achieving this status. No one must stand by the side-line waiting to get benefits handed down from above. A patriotic spirit must be cultivated and change must be allowed if we are to transform this nation.

There is a need to identify our strengths and weaknesses, our opportunities and threats to know what we need to do to achieve greatness as a nation not just individuals. However, may I publicly commend His Majesty the King for this noble dream for his people. But I decry his advisors, Cabinet ministers, senior members of the royal family and prominent emaSwati close to the King who have allowed this First World story to go on for so long. We need emaSwati who can stand for the truth even when it is not popular. The umlomo longacali manga principle yemakhosi has been affected greatly. septembereswatini@gmail.com