1ST WORLD STATUS REQUIRES JOBS

Sir,

With just seven years to go before 2022, it seems that the government of this country is completely clueless about how to achieve the status it covets.

One of the main characteristics of a first world country is a low poverty rate and this can only be achieved with a low unemployment rate.
In Swaziland, however, the already high unemployment rate is actually increasing.

Therefore, so will the rate of poverty. The government is in fact contributing to the high level of unemployment in the country. Not only did it ignore the implications of Swaziland losing AGOA along with thousands of jobs that relied on it but it also makes it very difficult for Swazis to do business in the country because of the exorbitant taxes.

Another problem with the government is its failure to pay some suppliers and contractors on time. This not only causes cash flow problems for those companies that do business with government but it has also led to a number of company closures. You cannot run a company successfully when you are made to wait for months before getting paid for goods supplied and for work done. This is in the same way you cannot drive a car with no fuel.

However, many jobs could be created if the government invested heavily in agriculture because there are always food shortages somewhere in the world, including right here in Swaziland.

Unfortunately it seems like job creation and by extension poverty reduction, is not part of government’s priorities if the budget allocated to agriculture is anything to go by. So just how we are expected to reach First World status in seven years remains a mystery to me.

Swazi citizen, Mbabane

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