Unscrambling Africa

WE WERE interested in the article by Ben Uugwanga (‘The neo-liberal scramble for Africa’ The Namibian, 1 June).

It is without a doubt a progressive step by the Namibian government to take ownership of the mineral wealth of the country. However, the main question is: Will the Namibian people really benefit from this? The history of this Swapo-led government is not encouraging if we consider its skewed priorities and the general enrichment of only the one per cent elite. Indeed, to address the ever-worsening massive poverty in the country would probably require the socialisation of the mineral wealth. This is unlikely to happen with this bourgeois government. A central theme in the article is that Uugwanga contradicts himself when he correctly points out the predatory nature of neo-liberal capitalism, but yet stated that he is not calling for the wholesale removal of this economic system since he sees positive aspects to it. He said that: ‘In comparison, other systems such as socialism have, in practice, proven to be inadequate in these positive aspects of the neo-liberal agenda.’ These positive aspects include ‘work ethics, the right to obtain value for money, the promotion of innovation which the public-led institutions can borrow to beef up their efficacy’. Firstly, on the issue of work ethic, wealth is by and large inherited, which means that rich people do not have to work for their lives of luxury, while the majority is forced to work for low wages or to starve in a capitalist society.With regards to value for money, the fact is that the value of our money is determined by what is best for the elite (e.g. inflation). In fact, the Greek people have gone back to bartering and have been functioning better without money. The satisfaction of human needs is certainly more important than money. As far as innovation is concerned, it can only be assumed that Uugwanga refers to those financial innovations such as derivatives, securitisation and credit default swaps that were used by the Wall Street bankers to swindle the rest of the world. The so-called private sector does not invest in crucial sectors where they cannot make huge profits e.g. solar panels. And both the computer and the cellular phone were developed with public money. We should also ask: Does the greed for profit result in efficacy or should efficacy be measured against the social needs of the people?Uugwanga also writes that ‘Neo-liberalism should be hailed for the promotion of transparency, meritocracy, empowerment, accountability and good governance’. What would the Greek people say about such propaganda? Or what would the millions of Americans, Irish and Spanish who lost their houses say? Or what will the hundreds of thousands of hungry and unemployed Namibians answer?Neo-liberalism has always been implemented in a highly secretive and undemocratic manner. There also exists a tremendous link between neo-liberalism and corruption. And there is no merit in the ‘private’ sector. It is all about political connections. On the other hand, in the public sector, irrespective of merit, everyone gets underpaid! And good governance really means dancing to the tune of the IMF/World Bank. It is just plain hogwash to state that neo-liberalism respects human rights. The whole world is in turmoil due to neo-liberal capitalism. Why did the so-called Arab Spring happen? What caused the 2008 financial crisis? The world’s elite will probably eventually give us neo-Keynesian capitalism, like in East Asia after that 1997 crisis, but the exploitation of the working people would continue. The neo-liberal scramble for Africa shows again that the people of this continent have the most to gain from the overthrow of the entire capitalist system. Neo-Keynesian capitalism will not save the continent. We say forward to a socialist Africa.S McCarthyWalvis Bay

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