Governments have only one job to do.

Governments have only one job to do.

Apparently, many national governments do not know what their actual job or role in society is. If they knew, they probably would have done it and completed it a long, long time ago, and this world would then already be the best place to live in right now. However, we are still living in little hells on earth almost everywhere in this world, but especially in the developing world, and more especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This means that many national governments do not know what their one and only actual job is, or that they absolutely do not care at all about doing that job. Otherwise, there is no other reason why national governments have always come in and out of power on a regular basis but still leave their one and only job undone.

Talking about governments not knowing what their one and only job is, what would an aspiring MP (Member of Parliament) say is the main purpose of government when asked about it? The probability of that MP having absolutely no idea about the real, actual and only purpose, function, duty, responsibility, obligation or job of government is very high. However, the MP would only admit to such ignorance if they were of the honest variety. As we know, honest politicians do not exist on this planet. If they ever existed before, they are now certifiably extinct! Hence, an MP’s answer to the question of what the purpose of government is would most probably be a whole lot of politically innovative, enterprising and flirtatious gobbledegook, verbosity, circumlocution, chicanery and juicy hogwash, full of sound and fury, but saying and signifying nothing. It is a fact that most aspiring, current and previous MPs have absolutely no idea about the one and only real duty, function, obligation, responsibility or job of government. Yes, government just has this one and only just one job alone and nothing else, just in case you also did not know that as well. As to what exactly that one and only job of government is, we shall come to that eventually. In the meantime, lets us look at what aspiring MPs would say about what they would do or want to do for voters once elected into government. This is where all politicians would go to town and lie through their teeth in broad daylight. This is what politics is all about! ??

As far as propounding on their dreams, wishes, aspirations and promises in election manifestos is concerned, politicians are well known for not holding anything back. They would go to town and back about both the truth and lies simultaneous, but mostly about lies. Aspiring politicians campaigning for votes do not shirk away from promising things they know very well cannot possibly be delivered. History has it that one aspiring presidential candidate from a very undeveloped Sub-Saharan African country once promised voters that once elected into office his government would ensure that the country would be immediately transformed into the biblical land of milk and honey full of everlasting peace, love and happiness, forever and ever, amen! He promised to transform the poor country into a paradise on earth overnight. This aspiring presidential candidate actually went on to win the elections. However, by the next general elections, his country was actually a worse-off hell on earth than when he took over power. However, amazingly, he totally refused to accept responsibility for the obtaining worse state of affairs! Instead, he vigorously and angrily blamed it on all sorts of external forces except himself and his government. He said that but for the devil, he had pure intentions for the country and its people. Hence, he vehemently insisted that he and his government were not to blame for anything. ?

The above is a very true story that unfortunately repeats itself again and again in many if not most of our beloved African countries today. The main reason why aspiring politicians promise things which they do not intend to do, or which they know very well that they cannot do, is that they just want to be elected into government so that they can enrich themselves as individuals. Politicians who go into politics because they really want to genuinely serve the nation are extremely rare these days. Today, the issue of service to the nation is just theoretical. The practical reality is always about self-service. Nevertheless, let us go back to the question of the one and only actual job, duty, responsibility, obligation or function of any national government in this world. The day that all politicians shall know this one and only job of government and then go out there to do it to its true letter and spirit is the day that this world shall become paradise on earth. Will that ever happen, one wonders? Anyway, if one looks at the national development policies or agendas (NDPs or NDAs) and national development plans (NDPs) of many national governments, one would find many lofty dreams articulated therein. These dreams range from food self-sufficiency as countries to such things like health, housing, education, transport, safety, security, joy, love, peace and happiness for all. However, all these dreams and promises rarely come true. In spite of these glowing and sometimes very realistic and credible dreams and hopeful promises as articulated by governments in their NDAs and NDPs, the sad truth is that eventually nothing ever happens on the ground. Nothing, nothing, nothing! The question is that why is it usually the case that national governments continuously fail to deliver on these otherwise noble promises? Are governments bewitched in this regard like what they usually want us to believe when they apportion blame for their own failures on external and invisible forces? The answer is bewitchment alright, but the bewitchment is not caused by any external or invisible forces. It is due to plain and simple ignorance. Governments are ignorant of their main, only and actual purpose, job, duty, responsibility or obligation. Such being the case, national governments fail to do this one and only job which they must do and which they were created to do in the first place while they keep on chasing self-created mirages as articulated in their NDAs and NDPs. If national governments just focused on this one and only given job, there is absolutely no need for NDAs and NDPs. This is because the formula for doing this one and only job is the same and has always been a given. ??

So what exactly is this mysterious one and only job which governments were created for and which they must therefore just concentrate on and nothing else? The answer to this question is very simple. The one and only job, duty, responsibility and obligation of any national government in this world is just poverty alleviation. That is all. If national governments just focus or concentrate on alleviating poverty, and only on that job, and that job alone, everything else would just automatically fall into place! Of course, many national governments invariably talk spiritedly and gloriously about poverty alleviation in their NDAs and NDPs. The problem is that when governments talk about poverty, they do not exactly know what they are talking about! To them poverty is all about gross domestic product (GDP), consumer price index (CPI) or inflation, currency exchange rates, per capita income (PCI), per capita expenditure (PCE) and some such other national economic indicators. Yet there is actually no relationship at all between national economies and personal riches or personal poverty. This is because the economy is measured at national level while poverty is measured at individual and personal level. There are countries in Africa today with GDPs approaching 10%, CPIs below 5%, reasonable and stable currency exchange rates, very high PCIs (middle income) and very high PCE rates as well. And yet these countries have 75% of their populations living on less than US (United States) two dollars per day! At national level, such countries are not regarded as poor, but middle-income countries. Yet an overwhelming majority of their populations are classified as being extremely poor or poverty-stricken at individual levels. By definition for an individual person not to be classified as poor or poverty-stricken, that person must be able to afford to independently access and pay for at least 80% of their basic needs and at an affordance rate of at least 80%. These basic needs are the usual food, shelter (accommodation), clothing, health, education, transport and communication. That person must also have personal income that would enable him or her to pay income tax, save and invest. An income which is below the lowest taxable amount and which does not allow any savings or investments is, by definition, a poverty wage. The only job, duty or responsibility of government is to eliminate or alleviate poverty at individual level and not at national level. Government can easily do this by first putting into place national legislation that would completely forbid all employers from paying employees wages and salaries that are below the lowest taxable income. After that, government must then reduce both pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) and sales tax (so called VAT or value added tax) down to the biblical 10% and nothing more. Just these two measures alone can drastically reduce poverty at individual and personal levels. These simple and easy to enact measures will also increase individual purchasing power, thereby increasing both demand and production, leading to higher GDP (economic growth) at national level. When national governments try to eliminate poverty at national level, they end up enriching the already rich people by cutting corporate tax and import and export duties. Such measures never benefit common people. The other thing which government must do in order to alleviate poverty at individual level is to ensure the availability, affordability and accessibility of all basic needs (i.e. food, shelter, health, education, transport and communication) by simply enacting universal coverage social security schemes, programmes and funds. Job done. Governments must just focus and work on the job of alleviating poverty at individual and personal level. ??

By Dr Cleopas Sibanda: Occupational Health and Social Protection Physician. ??????????????