Last week President Masisi expressed worry regarding the full implications of the failure of his administration to deliver the transformation of Botswana.
Of great worry to the President is the lack of enthusiasm by his ministers in the implementation of his Reset Agenda initiative.
According to Masisi if the Reset Agenda should be met with the success it deserves, “we have to lead from the front as political leaders. With this in our minds, let us journey towards 2024.” Masisi further noted that as cabinet they have expressed the desire to rethink “our approaches”, starting with the mindset that needed to change in order to inject momentum into our development trajectory.
Economic recovery requires a multi-pronged strategy, which not only focuses on the country’s perceived poor work ethic but also seeks the underlying reasons for such a condition.
Competitiveness, work ethic, and economic performance cannot be considered in isolation, for they are derived from the labour and sweat of human capital.
The real problem with our economy is the fixation on centralisation and the obsession to concentrate wealth in a few hands at the expense of equitable distribution.
Until this structural malady is corrected, we shall remain captive to international paradigms that have no affinity whatsoever with our local conditions.
When last has this economy undertaken a comprehensive salary review and adjustment? The workers, especially those who work for private companies groan daily, their morale has been shattered, and there is absolutely no motivation- they go about their daily routines like automated robots!
Most go to work to carry out an obligation, and they derive no joy from their daily engagements, yet the government and company shareholders and directors expect the masses of the people to contribute to economic growth and cultivate a work ethic that equals that of the developed economies!
Certainly, this is an illusion!
COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation for most employees in Botswana, as many have lost their jobs while some have had their salaries cut. Many in the private sector have gone for years on end without a single salary adjustment.
It is a self-defeatist attitude for workers to apply themselves diligently at their workstations when the reward is not commensurate with the effort put in.
This is the simple and most basic truism that our policymakers, ought to first accept in order to inform their policies, which to this day show a disparate salary structure and unequal access to the means of production for the majority of the population.
Of great worry to the President is the lack of enthusiasm by his ministers in the implementation of his Reset Agenda initiative.
According to Masisi if the Reset Agenda should be met with the success it deserves, “we have to lead from the front as political leaders. With this in our minds, let us journey towards 2024.” Masisi further noted that as cabinet they have expressed the desire to rethink “our approaches”, starting with the mindset that needed to change in order to inject momentum into our development trajectory.
Economic recovery requires a multi-pronged strategy, which not only focuses on the country’s perceived poor work ethic but also seeks the underlying reasons for such a condition.
Competitiveness, work ethic, and economic performance cannot be considered in isolation, for they are derived from the labour and sweat of human capital.
The real problem with our economy is the fixation on centralisation and the obsession to concentrate wealth in a few hands at the expense of equitable distribution.
Until this structural malady is corrected, we shall remain captive to international paradigms that have no affinity whatsoever with our local conditions.
When last has this economy undertaken a comprehensive salary review and adjustment? The workers, especially those who work for private companies groan daily, their morale has been shattered, and there is absolutely no motivation- they go about their daily routines like automated robots!
Most go to work to carry out an obligation, and they derive no joy from their daily engagements, yet the government and company shareholders and directors expect the masses of the people to contribute to economic growth and cultivate a work ethic that equals that of the developed economies!
Certainly, this is an illusion!
COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation for most employees in Botswana, as many have lost their jobs while some have had their salaries cut. Many in the private sector have gone for years on end without a single salary adjustment.
It is a self-defeatist attitude for workers to apply themselves diligently at their workstations when the reward is not commensurate with the effort put in.
This is the simple and most basic truism that our policymakers, ought to first accept in order to inform their policies, which to this day show a disparate salary structure and unequal access to the means of production for the majority of the population.
