Chasing the dots ... The Shoes of the Fisherman
By: Chris Smith
I LOOK at the surprise departure of Benedict, the arrival of, at last, a non-European as Pope Francis along with a new boss of Vatican finances from Germany.
I look at the premature demise of Hugo Chavez who, despite pouring all the nation’s wealth into the poor, failing to reinvest and leaving a nation with rampant inflation, did what he intended and drastically shifted the centre of gravity of Venezuelan politics so that the majority, the poor, gained hope and self-respect.
I look at China’s new leadership and note how they accept that corruption, pollution and nepotism are leading that nation with such a long history down a path to economic ruin through exactly the same problems that screwed up EU and USA economics: unpayable debt related to property. I try not to look at the global banks paying out billions in fines for being criminals but no individuals being held accountable!
I think it was about 30 years ago the papal banker (‘God’s banker’) was found hanging from Blackfriars bridge in London and the Falklands war occurred. Financial remains buried behind thick walls of secrecy, especially their dealings with organised crime and abusive leaders and the Falklands issue keeps popping up. And 30 years ago China was still in the starting blocks! Some things change, others don’t. Why?
I again look back just 10 years, to the day, when I was in Alexandria having ridden up through Africa. I was having an Italian lunch with an Egyptian and friends having put my bike on a ship to Genoa (Italy) and before taking the bus to Cairo airport. Then the talk of the day, of course, was the US / Allies invasion of Iraq. The table talk was that Saddam was a major danger to Arab existence and that such an attack, if it removed him, was supported, an opinion that seemed to persist after my leaving Egypt! But the table talk was more concerned about post-Saddam days and how any new regime would bring together such a diverse nation. A lesson still unanswered now, plus Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are festering in political turmoil. Change has put nations into worse situations, not better.
I then look at ourselves, good, well-intentioned Namibians. I look at our stated intentions and manifestos and then at reality. I listen to our politicians with their large black multi-million-dollar cars and houses expounding how “socialist” they are. I look at our constant expansion of jobs once done quite well by government themselves being hived off SOEs, thus diluting ministerial accountability and creating jobs for the “boys” (and girls!). I hear our ongoing rhetoric about job creation and poverty elimination but also hear, at last from the political bowels, some concern over TIPEEGs billions. So why do we not do the right things?
It was a colleague sending me a link to a Forbes article on linkages of major players in our world. Despite admitted weaknesses through not taking full account of privately owned business and those of sovereign funds, it appears that 147 companies are linked and control most of the world’s activities. It does not analyse the overlapping directorships, only the interlinked control of assets, but by that held, not by actual ownership. Is it this overall power over assets that constrains change towards helping the less advantaged. It is certainly evident that the economic governance factor is in favour of the unelected. It can be suggested that these few would rather maintain a world of deliberate uncertainty, thus ensuring their power remains.
All this is rather wild and insufficiently evidenced thinking but I look at the arrogance of the institutions of supposed power, governments, multilaterals and civil society, and see more and more subservience to supporting chaos rather than eliminating it?
Maybe I am losing it but Chavez, Morales and Fidel have shown over the years an understanding of an increasing separatism in the world. They may not have changed much beyond an awareness. Maybe this is why Benedict left and why Pope Francis, with his backup, may make a difference. The Shoes of the Fisherman did pass through Damascus as well! Perhaps infallibility and impunity both have to go? Who wears the Namibian shoes for change?
csmith@mweb.com.na