Zim: Economy and ‘authoring a nation’

Forbes Madziya Correspondent
Economic development has its causes and effects; even when the broader economics is a science, there are causes and effects to it. Causes are economic policies and effects are the impact of such policies on key macroeconomic indicators.

Let us not get lost in the jargon of economics and be very clear that the purpose for economic development is to improve the quality of life. Every nation that developed and continues to develop is anchored on the first principle of development science, “authoring a nation”.

While we revere the quantum leaps in economics made by China and Singapore, we must not fail to notice the scientific principles of development that made those nations economic giants.

Every nation must distinguish itself from just being in existence by way of geography to becoming a significant economic entity. Authoring a nation is a purposeful and scientific act that anchors a country on a timeless development trajectory. A development agenda is a national thought pattern of citizens, who are capable of dreaming and customising development goals. It must be deliberately, effectively and continuously communicated to the general populace by an executive completely yielded to the cause.

To this end a national development agenda must be sold with a passion greater than our usual national health campaign programmes until it is imprinted on the citizenry’s mindset.

The quest for development must, of necessity become our national culture. When we analyse the culture of any country, we unmistakably notice the avid commitment of the people and the price tag of national pride accorded to it.

Through out history, nationalities have evolved in their ways of doing things in life. Out of this came lifestyles, beliefs, customs and laws. What always lacks in toxic cultures is a scientific approach to testing the validity of beliefs.

There is a lot of unprofitable baggage loaded to our culture, which must be replaced by development as a philosophy of life. From the school child to the pensioner, our development agenda must be understood and “sung” like the national anthem.

A development agenda that is working must deliver to its people better housing, better food, including clean water and better hygiene. It is not acceptable that today Zimbabweans should sleep on floors with a cow dung finish, nor is it right for humans to share water wells with cows, when technology for simple flooring and water sanitation is now more than two to three generations old. To bolster the development agenda, safety legislation could be extended to tackle unsafe and unhygienic living practices.

The mindsets of all our people must be put on a path where life is worth living, where health and life expectancy is improved and where happiness in life is a real and achievable goal.

Just like the declaration of independence in America, a new Zimbabwe must author a national development identity statement. Most of us are familiar with the great lines from the American declaration of independence, which became what is presently known as the American dream.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

That very line among many has for over 200 years placed America on an enviable development path. The words are almost timeless and their thirst for invention and innovation is unquenchable. What they produce today was birthed out of their identity statement. If corporations have authored vision and mission statements at a microeconomic level, then the macroeconomic environment within which such corporations thrive requires even better authoring.

President Mnangagwa, beyond his Cabinet, will need to put in place a non-partisan team of “founding fathers” to author where our country will go long after we are all gone, just as the pursuit of happiness is for George Washington’s America. Uniting the country behind this is not difficult. Our national anthem is an example of a piece of literary work uniting people across the racial, political and cultural divide.

A “new” Zimbabwe needs a national development identity statement, which will birth us a national character, national attitude and Zimbabwe’s own philosophy of life.

The basis for national character, attitude and philosophy of life is the quality of a national development identity statement, whether written or implied. There is something above party politics called national interest and national pride. These, for the good of Zimbabwe, should not be compromised, regardless of who is ruling.

Singapore followed the same steps that America took. Their story begins with a man called Lee Kuan Yew, who recently died at the age of 91. A towering figure in post-colonial Asia, who transformed a malaria-infested city state to a modern economy by the sheer strength of will.

His initial focus was to build a government that dealt decisively with corruption, crime, creating a first-class education system and deliberately becoming a powerful magnet for foreign direct investment This man was an influence over Singapore as Prime Minister for 30 years since 1959. He stepped down in 1990, but remained in cabinet until 2011. He was an MP at the time of his death.

Under him, GDP per capita rose 15 times between 1960 and 1980. It has become a country whose citizens are proud to identify with. Singaporeans are the third richest citizens in the world, according to the IMF. President Mnangagwa may take a leaf from Singapore.

Overall, in authoring a new “nation”, Zimbabwe needs to also radically focus on the following: a first class education and adult literacy programme, zero corruption, reduction of crime, protection of private property, access to capital for research and development and radical invitation of foreign investment.