Changing govt is not an act of ingratitude

 

From Moaz Nair

The people have a right to a government of their choice. This happens in all democratic countries, rich or poor. Change of government has nothing to do with natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes or tsunamis. It has got more to do with the underperformance of any sitting government.

Africans and Asians have gone through many forms of natural adversities, no doubt. But if these adversities are due to poor policies and planning, the people have the right to change government.

There can be several reasons why many governments in developing or Third World countries have failed in the past.

Inept economic policies

In the main, it is when a government fails to manage the country’s wealth and resources due to inept economic policies. Wise voters will not delve into trivial issues or personalities but serious matters that are affecting the people’s livelihood.

It is all about whether to choose a shady regime or a government that performs and is committed to reducing widespread abuse of power, maladministration, corruption, cronyism and institutional incompetence.

The economic turmoil and uncertainties in many Third World countries are due to ineffectual governance. To lighten the fiscal burden, a cash-strapped government may resort to excessive borrowings.

This can be due to irresponsible and imprudent fiscal spending, lavish spending on the executive branch to consolidate power – a tawdry and ham-fisted attempt to score short-term party-political advantage, and money flowing freely without much economic productivity.

Hefty seepage of funds will result in a government getting deeper into debt and this is not a healthy sign, as a country’s debt is an impending danger to its economy.

Also, excessive spending but with no productivity, high pay and doles without any economic activity can be ruinous to a government. When the economy is not thriving as projected, financial leakages are rife, and the cost of living escalates, voters would decide for a change of government.

A government is a let-down when a big chunk of the population still lives in poverty and when there is absence of supportable economic measures to alleviate their hardship despite the country having enough natural resources to sustain the economy.

It is often that resources are plucked and plundered by a few capitalists and those politically connected to enrich themselves, depriving the ordinary people of the opportunities to have a decent livelihood.

Cost of living

The cost of living can be another determinant. Rising costs of living will cause poverty rates to increase. The poor expect a low cost of living but when inflation escalates, it will make the poor become poorer.

Essential items will see their prices spiralling out of control. People will end up paying more for basic utilities when electricity, highway toll and water rates are indiscriminately increased – again a burden to the low-income group.

Monopolies and oligopolies will result in price hikes and this will only enrich the companies and cronies who are well-connected to the sitting government. The people at large still have to bear the high costs of using these utilities.

Added to this bane can be the high prices of vehicles due to heavy government taxes, repayment of loans and toll charges. A sustainable livelihood is remunerative. Failing to lighten the burden of the masses can affect the tenure of the government.

When the poor remain poor despite a country having vast natural resources, it clearly points to a sloppy management of the country. When government policies are skewed towards only enriching the rich and the privileged but fail to address the despair of people at the bottom cohort of the economy, this will not bode well for the government.

Race relations

Depriving the people of equal opportunities to seek education can harm the image of a government. Parents look forward to a decent and affordable education for their children.

When education costs shoot up, this will affect the poor more. School leavers from poor families will lack opportunities to further their studies. When seats in public universities are limited and with racial quotas imposed, many students, especially the minorities, will not be able to pursue their chosen fields of study, thus depriving them of their life-long ambitions. Opting for private education involves a fortune that the poor minorities can hardly afford.

A government fails when it cannot bridge race relations, narrow the economic disparity among races, and if it adopts discriminatory policies towards the minorities. What more when religion is used as a political tool to gain popularity.

Unemployment is another blight that can bring down a government. When thousands of graduates and school leavers are jobless, it is another sign that a government has failed. A government fails if it cannot provide better pathways to jobs and a more secure future for the people.

Basic needs and security

Shelter, access to affordable healthcare, proper sanitation infrastructure and efficient state of public transportation are other indicators of good governance. Unattainability or lack of these comforts and amenities will not make the people happy.

Food on the table is the concern of all people. Food security is another factor that will see whether a government can last. When food is scarce and nothing much is done to beef up the agriculture sector and the government is too dependent on imports of food items, prices of essential food items will increase. What more when the country’s currency is weak.

A weak currency will not only affect the import of food items, it will also affect the prices of raw materials relating to the building and manufacturing industries.

Crime rates can be another indicator of good or bad governance. If both white- and blue-collar crimes keep increasing and the people live in fear thinking of “who will be the next victim”, then this is a sign that the government has failed.

The corrupt coming back to power

Widespread corruption at all levels and hierarchies will cause a severe trust deficit in a country’s governance. What more when there are double standards, the favouring of the privileged and those with political connections. Even when these perpetrators are brought to court, the chances for them to be convicted are very slim.

In some Third World countries, even the corrupt have come back to power. If the rule of law can be bent to accommodate the wrongdoers, the public will lose faith in the judiciary and indirectly the government.

Wise voters will always look at the bigger picture. If they find that there are serious weaknesses in an incumbent government, it deserves to be voted out. Inept politicians holding on to power under a decadent government will be cast out at all costs by voters. Obviously, if they perform well, they deserve the people’s votes.

Thus, it’s not an act of ingratitude if the people wish to change a government that does not perform to their expectations. - FMT

Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.