And Now for Something Completely Unoriginal...
This week’s Ramble is ill. Very, very ill. You see, I have World Cup Fever (boom, boom).
It’s spreading, too. On Friday, the day it all kicked off, pretty much my entire Ministry* forgot about budgets, aid, poverty and other insignificant matters and turned its attention to the only thing worthy of worry this month. With the budget almost wrapped up, and the final touches being put on our strategy paper before circulation to donors, time should be available to watch most games, and by beautiful circumstance, Wednesday is Freedom Day, the day Malawians voted for a multi-party system. This will allow me to watch Shevchenko rack up his first couple of goals as Ukraine piss on Spain’s parade.
My colleagues have varied predictions as to the eventual outcome. Confidence in the Ivory Coast team is high, and naturally for a country where the vast majority of football fans regard Ronaldinho as a friend rather than an idol, Brazil are hotly tipped. Maybe its bias, but my own view is that England will come good this time.
* * *
Of course, as Anon said in response to last week’s Ramble, goals in Malawi are rather more important than those in the World Cup. So, to stretch a thin analogy thinner, where are we in relation to our aims? More than seven games and one month away, that’s for sure, but it’s still a question worth asking.
First, the aim: Surprisingly difficult to define, especially after some of the conversations I’ve had recently. Two weeks ago, I’d have been asserting my materialist world view here, saying that what matters is income and food security, and these should be pursued above all else. But talking with a friend who has a rather different outlook (and an extensive repertoire of withering put-downs), I’ve been thinking about broader definitions of development. Where do safety, the right to a good education and freedom from persecution for political or religious beliefs fit in? Frankly, it demands more thought than I’ve put in to it, but these are all obviously important components of a high quality of life. The question is one of sequencing – can we pursue these after the material concerns of the population have been assuaged, or need they be pursued at the same time? Most aid organisations these days seem to feel that they are a precondition for improving material living standards, but looking at the way other countries have developed, that doesn’t seem evident to me. I think they can be pursued concurrently, but the first thing is to address those material issues that are putting the lives and livelihoods of the very poorest at risk.
If we accept that the primary aim is improving material livelihoods, Malawi has a long way to go. Food security is precarious; bad rains guarantee starvation unless there is a rapid and large-scale intervention, a situation that just isn’t acceptable in a country whose geography is so dominated by a lake. The Government have made irrigation and reducing the dependence on rain-fed agriculture a priority, but we’ve a long way to go. I’m no agricultural expert, but we can all see the need for a concerted effort here.
Alongside that, there doesn’t really seem to be the kind of vibrant and flourishing private sector found elsewhere in the region. Part of this is down to macroeconomic conditions – high interest rates and the like. But a more fundamental reason is the lack of real substantial entrepreneurial class who can effectively lobby the Government for a system of incentives of the kind found in Korea and Taiwan when they were growing at their fastest. These systems usually foster corruption. I think that’s inevitable, and the focus of Western Governments on reducing corruption is out of all proportion to the problems it causes. What’s more, a cursory glance at the economic histories of Europe and the US will reveal widespread corruption that was only gradually reduced.
And finally, there’s health. The healthcare system in Malawi seems okay, but is massively understaffed, partly due to the Diaspora of the trained. What’s more, basic supplies and medicine are difficult to come by, and expensive for the very low levels of income most people have. Again, outside my area of expertise, but to my untrained eye, we need extensive spending to ensure that hospitals are run, not just built, and if we can encourage the production of generic drugs (campaign, people!), so much the better.
* * *
This is not meant to be a bleak assessment. I see a lot of potential in Malawi’s natural resources, and I’ve met enough people who are capable and passionate about changing things to be hopeful about our prospects. What’s left is for Government to take a leading role, as I believe it must, in ensuring that what is to be done is achieved.
* * *
But back to the football. Angola just went down to Portugal, 1-0. Ivory Coast lost to Argentina, 2-1, but both teams have pretty definitively put to rest those irritating cliches about tactically naive African sides. I hope they manage a couple of wins, maybe even a run to the quarter-finals. And I really hope Togo don't let their shambolic preparations ruin things for them.
* Excepting the three people who are paying more attention to the battle between Dirk Nowitzski and Shaquille O’Neal, and the lone warrior concerned with the relative merits of Nadal and Federer. Truly, our sporting cup runneth over. For what it’s worth, I predict Nowitzski will be triumphant.
It’s spreading, too. On Friday, the day it all kicked off, pretty much my entire Ministry* forgot about budgets, aid, poverty and other insignificant matters and turned its attention to the only thing worthy of worry this month. With the budget almost wrapped up, and the final touches being put on our strategy paper before circulation to donors, time should be available to watch most games, and by beautiful circumstance, Wednesday is Freedom Day, the day Malawians voted for a multi-party system. This will allow me to watch Shevchenko rack up his first couple of goals as Ukraine piss on Spain’s parade.
My colleagues have varied predictions as to the eventual outcome. Confidence in the Ivory Coast team is high, and naturally for a country where the vast majority of football fans regard Ronaldinho as a friend rather than an idol, Brazil are hotly tipped. Maybe its bias, but my own view is that England will come good this time.
* * *
Of course, as Anon said in response to last week’s Ramble, goals in Malawi are rather more important than those in the World Cup. So, to stretch a thin analogy thinner, where are we in relation to our aims? More than seven games and one month away, that’s for sure, but it’s still a question worth asking.
First, the aim: Surprisingly difficult to define, especially after some of the conversations I’ve had recently. Two weeks ago, I’d have been asserting my materialist world view here, saying that what matters is income and food security, and these should be pursued above all else. But talking with a friend who has a rather different outlook (and an extensive repertoire of withering put-downs), I’ve been thinking about broader definitions of development. Where do safety, the right to a good education and freedom from persecution for political or religious beliefs fit in? Frankly, it demands more thought than I’ve put in to it, but these are all obviously important components of a high quality of life. The question is one of sequencing – can we pursue these after the material concerns of the population have been assuaged, or need they be pursued at the same time? Most aid organisations these days seem to feel that they are a precondition for improving material living standards, but looking at the way other countries have developed, that doesn’t seem evident to me. I think they can be pursued concurrently, but the first thing is to address those material issues that are putting the lives and livelihoods of the very poorest at risk.
If we accept that the primary aim is improving material livelihoods, Malawi has a long way to go. Food security is precarious; bad rains guarantee starvation unless there is a rapid and large-scale intervention, a situation that just isn’t acceptable in a country whose geography is so dominated by a lake. The Government have made irrigation and reducing the dependence on rain-fed agriculture a priority, but we’ve a long way to go. I’m no agricultural expert, but we can all see the need for a concerted effort here.
Alongside that, there doesn’t really seem to be the kind of vibrant and flourishing private sector found elsewhere in the region. Part of this is down to macroeconomic conditions – high interest rates and the like. But a more fundamental reason is the lack of real substantial entrepreneurial class who can effectively lobby the Government for a system of incentives of the kind found in Korea and Taiwan when they were growing at their fastest. These systems usually foster corruption. I think that’s inevitable, and the focus of Western Governments on reducing corruption is out of all proportion to the problems it causes. What’s more, a cursory glance at the economic histories of Europe and the US will reveal widespread corruption that was only gradually reduced.
And finally, there’s health. The healthcare system in Malawi seems okay, but is massively understaffed, partly due to the Diaspora of the trained. What’s more, basic supplies and medicine are difficult to come by, and expensive for the very low levels of income most people have. Again, outside my area of expertise, but to my untrained eye, we need extensive spending to ensure that hospitals are run, not just built, and if we can encourage the production of generic drugs (campaign, people!), so much the better.
* * *
This is not meant to be a bleak assessment. I see a lot of potential in Malawi’s natural resources, and I’ve met enough people who are capable and passionate about changing things to be hopeful about our prospects. What’s left is for Government to take a leading role, as I believe it must, in ensuring that what is to be done is achieved.
* * *
But back to the football. Angola just went down to Portugal, 1-0. Ivory Coast lost to Argentina, 2-1, but both teams have pretty definitively put to rest those irritating cliches about tactically naive African sides. I hope they manage a couple of wins, maybe even a run to the quarter-finals. And I really hope Togo don't let their shambolic preparations ruin things for them.
* Excepting the three people who are paying more attention to the battle between Dirk Nowitzski and Shaquille O’Neal, and the lone warrior concerned with the relative merits of Nadal and Federer. Truly, our sporting cup runneth over. For what it’s worth, I predict Nowitzski will be triumphant.
posted by the Maradona of Malawi at 11:20 PM
