Times Of Swaziland: VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY

VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY
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The Editor on 14/07/2021 08:17:00


Sir,
If government were in the service of emaSwati it would have ensured that
legalising dagga would have happened long ago to help alleviate the numbers of
unemployed people in the country. Those in government tasked to monitor the
economic development of the country are blissfully wealthy to think about the
majority of the citizens wallowing in a vicious cycle of poverty. Legalising
dagga, not for recreational purposes, could unleash such economic boom that, in
terms of returns, would make the decades-old sugar cane farming an activity of
the insane.
Prosperity
The resultant economic prosperity could translate into a radical fundamental
transformation of the lifestyles of the majority of the people shackled by
poverty and disease on the foot of the economic ladder. But the obtaining
political system appears well disposed in denying the people economic
independence for political expediency just to keep them leashed and dependent on
their generosity. Cigarettes, which are the mainstay of some economies such as
Malawi and Zimbabwe in SADC, are readily available everywhere notwithstanding
their concomitant high mortality on smokers.
Massively
Even our beloved sugar is causal to some of the worst diseases and medical
conditions that afflict mankind yet sugar cane is still massively farmed here.
The trajectory to first world status requires radical transformation of
individual and collective thought processes and attitudes. Problems and
challenges should stop being obstacles but become opportunities. This is not the
time to reinvent the wheel with so-called studies on the subject matter. The
herb is today widely exploited by multinational pharmaceutical industries across
the globe for its scientifically proven medicinal qualities. This target market
is now readily available while further uses of the herb domestically, such as in
the textile and apparel industries, may be pursued.
Procrastinating
One wonders why our lawmakers, instead of procrastinating, have not tasked
Cabinet to map a way forward with time-lines towards undoing the colonial
legislation that is holding us captive both physically and intellectually not to
speak of economically. Perhaps this has to do with the inherent weakness of the
system in that real power does not reside with the people, and by progression
Parliament, hence lawmakers are not catalytic in brokering a better tomorrow for
all.