For the elite, by the elite
Mmegi Editor | Wednesday February 4, 2015 10:36
Outside, in the public tents, scores of ordinary Batswana watch the proceedings, eyes glazed over from the stupor that often results from the bombardment of techno-jargon and hot temperatures. Further away, many more listen on radio or watch on television an annual ritual from which they feel increasingly excluded and view as either purely scholastic or irrelevant. If the alienation of Batswana from the budget was merely an issue of communication or techno-speak, a crisis would easily be averted by training legislators to communicate the budget to their constituents, pointing out areas of relevance. Again, if the sole reason was that popular interest in the budget died when the announcement of a civil service wage review was moved to the Public Service Bargaining Council, solutions could be found.
Even the chronic challenge of low financial literacy could be sorted out. However, the challenge is graver: The budget announcement, in its current form, fails to reach the minimum yardstick for relevance in the lives of ordinary Batswana. When Kenneth Matambo says the economy is expected to grow by 4.9 percent this year, the statement has no resonance with the ordinary public.
Many find it difficult, or even impossible, to see how a 4.9 percent increase in the economy helps their lot. For these people, who include the unemployed, school dropouts, the disabled, the elderly, misplaced graduates, farmers and the youth, announcing a 4.9 percent GDP forecast is an exercise in futility.
We appreciate that with the 2015-2o16 budget, Matambo has correctly broken away from the traditional sectoral reviews and opted to address thematic concerns such as ‘growing the economy’ and ‘inclusive growth’. However, he needs to clearly pronounce how the projected growth impacts on unemployment especially among the youth, opportunities for SMMEs, citizen empowerment and the enhancement of living standards for Batswana.
The school-leavers sitting with their equally unemployed parents around a government-issue radio in Chanoga need to understand what that growth means for them and what opportunities they may look out for. Without this information, talk of “4.9 percent economic growth” will forever be associated with the enrichment of foreigners and widening of inequality, instead of enhanced economic activity, greater government revenues and broader employment.
What the minister is doing at present is painting dots with words and numbers and asking Batswana to make the connections. In most cases, everyone is coming up with a different picture.
Today’s thought
“It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it.”
- George W. Bush