RICH COUNTRY, POOR COUNTRY

Sir,

When I was 12, I happened to watch a match where two professional wrestlers, namely Randy Orton and Edge were fighting against a single wrestler (Big Show).

It was very certain that the two companions would have a field day against the lone fellow. Indeed, my imaginary assertions were ‘fulfilled’ as the two men emerged victorious.

I have grown up and observed handicapped events, plans, visions, missions, policies, etc. in this same world where one German philosopher, Karl Marx, defined it as coexistence.

Maybe before any delusions are provoked, let me state the meaning of handicaps as defined in the Oxford English dictionary.

It is stated as a race or contest in which an artificial advantage is given or disadvantage imposed on a contestant to equalise chances of winning.

In the context of a country or State, development may not be named as a race or contest simply because for a race, there must be competition between participants to see which one is the fastest in covering a set course.

I conclude that within the government, development has manifested itself as a race or contest.

For convenience sake, kindly allow me to ‘define’ the factors of development as contestants in a contest or ‘runners in a race’.

Development of a country is constituted by many factors which play a significant role on the umbrella mission (development).

Just to highlight a few, development includes the development of the economic system, political freedom, social organisation, conditions for foreign trade, natural resources and capital formations (as Swaziland is a capitalist state). Therefore, development cannot be biased to a certain compartment of development.

necessity

Professor Lewis argued that even though natural resources are a necessity when it comes to economic growth, in less developed countries they are unutilised, underutilised or misutilised.

A classic example can be Japan, which is deficient in natural resources but is one of the most advanced countries in the world because she has been able to discover new and efficient uses for its limited resources.

The issue here is that a country which is considered to be poor in natural resources may be considered very rich in them some later time, through technological advancements.

Bonwayinkhosi Mdluli

MANZINI

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