EPITOME OF FREEDOM

Sir,

Economic liberty includes freedom from want and the freedom to engage in collective bargaining; it embodies the rule of law, property rights and freedom of contract and freedom of economic initiative. This has to be viewed against the backdrop of  the prevailing problems of the day. In a country where the youth unemployment is skyrocketing above 40 per cent and the poverty situation in dire straits, almost at 60 per cent, it is clear that the population’s economic incentives are very narrow.

Concept

In essence, economic freedom is a concept that only applies to a select few in the kingdom; it is a concept that is alive only for the well to do. This exclusion forms fertile ground for protest actions and deeper calls for general liberties. Freedom is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world’s entire population. The country was once well poised to reap the demographic dividend, but we missed that boat because we did not have the right zeal in the echelons of power, to invest strategically and empower the youth to drive growth. Sadly, the youth constitutes a greater proportion of the population and, in my view, the calls for change are far from over; there is need for change to accommodate the demographic transition.

Power

It is a well-documented fact that whenever there are social upheavals, the masses tend to want to have a person or an institution to blame for their problems. Sadly, in most situations the government and those in the echelons of power tend to be the bearers of the wrath of the people. Political freedom is a necessary and sufficient condition for the attainment of economic liberties. Therefore, political discourse plays a critical role in determining economic outcomes. It is my honest opinion that the unrest in the country was not about unemployment, crime or police brutality. These were calls for change and the attainment of full freedoms of Eswatini people.

Changed

Political liberties are the epitome of freedom and political freedom mediates economic freedom and economic outcomes. In the past, we thrived as an economy because Mozambique and South Africa were in very precarious positions, we had a comparative freedom advantage. The geopolitics in the region have changed, therefore, it is imperative that we strategically place ourselves to compete with those countries and they seem to have an absolute advantage over us on freedom and rule of law.

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