Prof.
Jeffrey Sachs, one of the most prominent economists of the world, in
his widely known book, the End of Poverty, published last year,
gives us a lengthy assessment how he could deal with Third World's
poverty, especially that of Africa.
Though I had read the book long ago, I did not have the
opportunity to take my pen and give some critical remarks. Some of
my countrymen have given their comments about the merits and the
demerits of the book. I thought, however, that it is still worth to
give certain critical remarks on my side, which were not raised and
discussed by them. Since I have been dealing with development
economics for a long time which is a very erroneous and very
misguiding field, I dear to say that I could have some illuminating
idea that could open new avenue of development for our country which
is the victim of poor understanding of human civilization, which has
been practiced by Western educated technocrats, neo-colonial
economic policy which has been practiced since the last five
decades, and global economic order which is setup by Capitalist
countries.
Due
to his prominent position as a Professor in one of the best
universities in the world, and a close adviser of the General
Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. Koffi Annan, Prof. Sachs will
have great influence on many governments of the Third World
countries when he writes such a book. The End of Poverty is a very
lengthy analysis from a classical and neo-classical point of view
which encompasses the most known facts, that poor people are poor
because they are poor, and lack of saving vis-�-vis capital one of
the causes of poverty, which are seen by most neo-liberal economists
of our day who have great impacts in shaping our mode of thoughts
and handlings.
In
his approach of finding the real causes of poverty, Prof. Sachs uses
as a methodology the differential diagnosis, which he has borrowed
from medical science. In his belief this is the only methodological
approach to detect and study the real causes of the problem of
poverty and give remedy once-for-all to eradicate underdevelopment.
In order to come to a once-for-all panacea of alleviating poverty,
he takes as an example the economic situations of Europe during the
middle ages, and how Europe had overcome successfully poverty and
dieses and developed science and technology which enables her to
dominate the world.
For
Europe to dominate the world technologically, Prof. Sachs sees that
Europe has the ability or the opportunity which enable her to
increase production and income and not because Europe or America
have exploited the rest of the world. For the great success of
technological revolution in Europe, especially in Great Britain,
Prof. Sachs is of the opinion that the openness of the English
society and its favorable institutions are the main factors which
enabled her to break itself from old norms which have arrested
economic development for a long time. With no doubt the more open a
society and its institutions are, people could emancipate themselves
from old values and become the master of technology which is the
basis of further development. The openness of a given society
depends on a variety of factors. Some individuals who see better
than others that their society could not live any more by extolling
old values and social orders which hamper technological innovation
bring new ideas to illuminate the minds of the ruling classes or
certain strata of the population. When certain groups who are
enlightened enough are challenging old values and determined to
introduce new norms and work methods which could serve as engine of
social and economic development, the road to progress and social
emancipation will be enhanced.
In this case the English society had the privilege to have
very good institutions, not only in the late Middle Ages but also
during the early feudal ages which helped it to introduce new social
norms that could slowly eradicate old values and pave the way for
creative activities based on individual freedom. More than that: to take technological lead the favorable
atmosphere of the English society during the 16th century and later
on had invited many leading handy craft specialists from Antwerp and
Italy and other European countries which enabled Great Britain to
diffuse all these ideas which came from other countries. In addition
to this the education system which was solely based on rhetoric,
language and philosophy, which was normal during that time in some
European countries, opened the minds of the English society which is
the basis of intellectual development of various sorts. This
combined with the above factors have enabled the English society to
break up itself from darkness and march towards technological
mastery. The renaissance of the 14th and the 15th century had also
great impacts in raising the cognitive powers of not only the
English society but also most European countries which was more
expressed in city buildings. Far
trade through which many innovative ideas came and the unequal
exchange trade which were later on understood as the main causes of
further accumulation had strengthened the economic basis of not only
the English society but also many European counties. As Great
Britain understood that extended capital accumulation was only
possible when other nations became the sources of raw materials and
agricultural products, it developed different devises to undermine
development efforts in other countries. Hence the development of the
theory of International trade accentuated by liberal ideas is seen
as the main engine of economic development in all countries. Adam
Smith, and later on David Ricardo had developed the theory of
absolute and comparative advantages successively to cement the
English supremacy in technological fields and block innovations in
other countries. Especially, Adam Smith fought the idea of
mercantilism which until the 17th century enabled many absolutist
states in Europe to develop home market by supporting active balance
payment policies and through encouraging manufacture activities
without which the idea of Europe as we see it today could not be
formed and control the world.
The
education system could not only open the minds of the English
society; the society became also the real breeding ground of
empiricist idea which poisoned many intellectuals in Europe and was
systematically fought by Leibniz and others who were emerged in the
footsteps of Plato and Cusanus, who saw in it the danger of egoism
and continuous war. More
than other European countries some English intellectuals, like
Hobbes, Locke, and other empiricists had understood to develop their
own version of understanding the human mind and how they could
manipulate it so that it could become the victim of oligarchic
rules. Accordingly, human beings act and direct their behaviors by
bringing forth their built-in egoistic motives which is the deriving
force of maximizing their wishes or needs. Hence human needs are
unlimited. As Hobbes said individuals who are not guided by the
motives of utility maximization behave like animals. On the other
hand Leibniz believed that human beings are rational beings and
could develop new ideas to shape their own fate. In order that they
could behave and handle rationally, and see themselves as part of a
given society they must be taught not by empiricist idea but by real
idea which can be investigated by means of dialectics. Starting the
17th century on wards we witness that there is an intense struggle
between these schools of thoughts, namely those who uphold the idea
of empiricism, first developed by the Greek Sophists, and by
philosophers who believed that every human being is endowed by birth
with idea, which is the source of true knowledge. The clear
understanding of the differences of these two schools of thought is
the basis of any social and economic development. Without
understanding these two divergent ideas, one cannot grasp the
essence of economic underdevelopment in so many African countries,
and the global economic order which is absorbing human and material
resources to enrich few nations, and dislocating millions of people
from their natural habitats by destroying their long history and
culture.
The
question why Europe could achieve industrial development and
successfully dominate the world technologically cannot be understood
in a manner as Adam Smith tries to teach us which Prof. Sachs
quotes. The so-called invisible hand and the division of labour of
Adam Smith are outcomes of long historical and social processes
which are unique in the European social formations. One cannot
depict the achievement of Europe in the field of science and
technology without tracing Europe's history to that of the Greek and
the Egyptian civilization. In this case Europe is the child of the
Egyptian and the Greek civilization without which the concept of
Europe as we see it today could not have been successful. As
historical investigations prove that the transmission of the Greek
knowledge which is borrowed from Egypt and philosophically improved
to alleviate the cognitive power of the European mind in order to
let it the Master of Science and technology was brought by the Arabs
and the Jews to the then backward and impoverished Europe. Thanks to
the great efforts of Arab philosophers that had interpreted the
Greek literatures into Latin which became the foundations of
European civilization. Various philosophers and Churchmen who came
to the political scene after the 5th century A.D had intensively
studied the secret of the Greek philosophy and fought in their
capacity to change man's attitude towards nature and God. The
appearance of critical minded Churchmen who were opposing the
omnipotence of the catholic religion, which until the end of the
middle ages had arrested the minds of the European people and made
it the victim of disease and darkness, is very crucial indeed in
changing the European society. The revolt from within the church on one side, and the power
struggle between the Monarchs and the Popes on the other hand at
various times had given air to the development of different
attitudes and began eroding the power structure of the clergy. City
buildings starting the 13th century on wards and the concentration
of people in certain areas and the rapid growth of hand craft
activities and trade which culminated into the division of labour
had by itself helped the emergence of new scientific ideas. Hence
the Copernican revolution which was followed by those scientists
like Galileo Galilee and others had totally changed the minds of the
European society. The 14th and the 15th century of renaissance which
came to the scene by opposing darkness and poverty had illuminated
the European mind and taught it that man is capable of changing his
environment when he is scientifically guided. The reappearance of
the Greek civilization was a new challenge to the then socially
rigid European society which gave him new power to be ruled not any
more by old norms and values which made him the victim of natural
calamities but by reason and rational ideas. The introduction of
mathematical idea and the quantification of productive activities
and registering them orderly give the European people the power of
controlling nature. Nature is seen the source of everything which
could be utilized in the proper way when the human mind nurtured
with true knowledge. Hence man cannot be any more the victim of
natural disorder but its master when he is equipped with true
knowledge. Though we could witness that there were diverse ideas
which were opposing diametrically in interpreting the development of
idea, the reappearance of the Greek civilization is the clue of the
success of European civilization.
Beginning
the 16th century, the competition among the different European
nations and the birth of the concept of the idea of nation-state
gave the European people a unique dynamism which brought them
together to live under one rule and law. Absolute states were
determined to destroy everything which was barrier to nation-state
building. They broke the old feudal and local administration
structures which were obstacles to social movements from one region
to the other; paved the way for the free movement of capital and
labour. They had destroyed all forms of internal regulations and
taxes which were seen as the main hindrances for the emerging of
home market. Only by effectively introducing new administration
mechanisms which were supportive of market economic principles the
development of the division of labour and it�s strengthening
became fastened. Absolute Monarchies of the 16th and 17th centuries
were aware of the need of constantly modifying their administration
structures which they believed could improve technological
development. As the
division of labour became the main engine of technological
development, and the necessary of trade became as the main mechanism
of fastening the valorization of capital, a new and dynamic class
which was highly motivated and culturally advanced became to the
political scene which began challenging the old orders. The
intermarriage of different classes and the diffusion of ideas gave
new dynamism which by itself paved the way to a coherent idea.
On
the other side to read the economic development of Europe as a
smooth process without social exploitation and peasant upheaval like
Adam Smith had tried to teach us could not be compatible to the real
social processes which had molded the European society, especially
that of the English. More than other continents of the world, the
economic exploitation of the masses in most European economies is
well documented; and without the primitive accumulation of the
masses which was extended to child labour, capital accumulation
which helped economic development could not be understood. The
uniqueness of the European feudal social structure, which is well analyzed
by the well known European historians, and which was not found in
other social formations was a factor by itself for the
disintegration of the system and pave the way for the capitalistic
production system. The European serfdom which was known for its very
exploitative nature was challenged by the peasant movements in most
European countries, and the peasants gained bargaining power which
improved their social status. The introduction of far trade
activities and the accumulation of money capital in the hands of the
merchants and the debt mechanism which had arrested the feudal and
the aristocratic class had loosened the social fabrics of the feudal
system in Europe. The putting-out system which enabled the merchant
class to dictate the hand craft activities of the rural population,
and the improvement of technologies and hence production activities
which enabled better productivity of consumption goods is a unique
phenomena which could not be found in Africa or Asia. Adding to
this, allocation of slave labour for road building and city
construction, and the flow of ideas among the different European
countries had by itself helped raise the cultural activities of the
masses. Without well-designed cities and without market halls and
places the exchange of goods and services were practically
impossible. Without allocating mass labour which is unique in the
European history we could not have seen such gigantic cities and
cathedrals. These and the above factors have great impacts in
shaping the economic development of Europe and the development of
the social division of labour which was highlighted by Adam Smith
but not taken as prerequisite for the development of technological
and social division of labour. The fact that technological
innovations and economic development were seen beyond the scope of
time and space are one of the characteristic features in Smith's
illustrations of the division of labour.
We
could witness from this brief analysis that the unique social
formation in the European history, and the intellectual and the
social movements which Europe had the privilege to raise itself
above other nations, and the development of idea which is emanated
from the human mind, and which was well understood by the European
intellectuals of the 14th to the 17th century were the main driving
factors for the introduction of a science driven technological
development in the European society. The intellectual movement which
is unique to the European society and the diffusion of diverse ideas
and the scientific arguments forwarded by the different scholars to
enhance their views gave a unique impetus to technological
development. This is being the case, in areas where feudal social
orders were the rule of the system, and social movements were
restricted, the introduction of new technology and the break up of
feudal administration structures were necessary factors which paved
the way for industrialization.
Through
the mirror of technological developments in Europe during the last
200 years, Prof. Sachs tries to investigate the causes of poverty in
many African countries by applying differential diagnosis as means
of detecting economic underdevelopment. According to Prof. Sachs
there are eight major factors which are the causes of poverty and
underdevelopment in Africa. If one takes one by one and examines
them most of the points are simply neo-liberal repetitions, and are
effects and not the causes of poverty and real underdevelopment.
The mysterious thing is how poverty becomes the cause of
economic stagnation is not clear; though economic stagnation or
technological backwardness by itself could be one of the main causes
of poverty. Again, if
one applies the methodology of dialectical investigation, there are
other factors which could be the causes of economic underdevelopment
and poverty. Demographic problems, physical geography and the
special climatic conditions which are exceptions of many tropical
countries could in some way or the other hamper social developments
if they are not tackled systematically and scientifically, and as
such could not be the main causes of underdevelopment. If we look at
the history of Europe, especially during the middle and late Middle
Ages, most European countries were breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
Only drying the breeding grounds of mosquitoes, and plastered the
earth with special stones and building well designed cities and
market places, mosquitoes could disappear from most European
countries. In the 1950s the Chinese did the same thing while they
turned down the advices of European governments to spread DDT, which
they saw clearly that DDT could not eradicate Malaria. In this case, special climatic conditions which favored
such kinds of Insects, when treated scientifically will be
controlled and their total disappearance is a matter of further
scientific investigation. From this perspective if we examine the
situations in many African counties in the last 50 years, simply
spreading DDT could not eradicate mosquitoes. We witness that
mosquitoes have the ability to adapt themselves to DDT and could not
be simply victimized by such measures. Since most African
governments are indifferent to scientifically based social and
economic development, and since they do not have any social
responsibility they resort every time to old methods to tackle such
kinds of Insects which hamper social progress. As Prof. Sachs and
others are forwarding that mosquitoes could not be eradicated from
the African soil by simply distributing bed nets.
In
his analysis, Prof. Sachs tells us that through his new method of
differential diagnosis he found the real causes of poverty and at
the same time the instruments by which one could systematically
eradicate poverty. Though he tells us here and there that he has
gone through development theories, he has completely ignored all the
theoretical debates of the 1950s to the 1980s which had great
impacts in shaping development models in many Third World countries,
and had failed for various reasons. First of all the transformation
of the European feudal society to capitalism, which were well
studied and analysed by European and American economic historians
are not of great concern for Prof. Sachs, though such kinds of
discussions are parts of development economics and should not be
rejected or neglected out rightly as if they did not take place.
Secondly, the modernization theory which has focused on the problem
of traditional societies and how one could overcome backwardness by
means of growth poll which could be trickled down and overwhelms the
entire society should had been discussed at length. Thirdly, the
answer to this modernization came especially from Third World
Economists who have profound knowledge of European economic history.
Andre Gunder Frank, Samir Amin, Arghiri Emmanuel, etc. to mention
some, and the French structural school, mainly represented by
Althuser and Balibar and other highly educated anthropologists with
field work experiences, have influenced the
development/underdevelopment debate. Prof. Sachs ignores these
facts, though they are parts of the economic development theory and
obligations to be visited by development theory students. The above
intellectuals have demonstrated well how Europe had exploited
Africa, first of all through colonial trade by subjugating African
peasants to specialize in certain agricultural products which are
designed for European markets. By building infrastructures to
promote export products, the European colonialists have
systematically sabotaged the development of the home market in many
African countries. Extracting activities had connections to the
mother countries, and could not serve as the basis of further
capital accumulation from within. In addition to this the banking
activities which were centered in many colonial cities had the
purpose of financing trade and not industries and technological
development in various African countries. These factors hampered
economic development and disintegrated the African society. Even
more, the colonial administrations had destructed the divisions of
labour which had existed until the arrival of colonialists, and the
labour force was allocated in selected areas which are vital for
European capital accumulation. With this the creative activity of the Africans came to a
halt, and the exchange of commodities among Africans became very
restricted.
To
grasp more over the causes of poverty and the underdevelopment of
the African economy, I try to analyse seven fundamental aspects
which I think are very decisive indeed that have arrested economic
and social developments in many African countries.
I.
The
absence of renaissance as
a factor: first and foremost Africa was cut from the
intellectual movements of Europe which has been going at least since
the beginning of the 15th century. As I have tried to analyse above
without studying the secret of the Greek civilization economic and
social developments in Europe could not have been conceivable. After
the dark ages, the renaissance movement which was started in Italy
could be expanded else where in other European countries and create
favourable situations for wider intellectual discussions and social
movements. While Greek knowledge moved towards Europe through
different mechanisms and routs, Africa did not have the chance to
participate in the intellectual discussions of Europe, though Africa
was the source of the Greek civilization. As Greek philosophers have
persistently taught us that the sources of knowledge and
intellectual movement is to engage in scientific dialogs by
upholding idea as the true source of knowledge.
II.
Slave trade as a factor:
slave trade which was started first of all by the Portuguese
merchants and overtaken by Spain and other European countries had
totally annihilated the social structures of many African countries.
Estimations show that 30 to 90 million Africans were transported to
oversee. While old men, women and children remained in their native
countries, men with special knowledge who had developed wide range
activities until the arrival of slave trade who were the basis of
social and economic transformation were uprooted. The negative
consequence of this uprooting is the destruction of the social and
the technological division of labour which many African countries
had developed until the 15th century. Until today Africa could not
be hilled from the wounds of this barbaric uprooting.
III.
Colonialism as a factor: colonialism is the logical extension of
slavery which had the power of undermining and extinction the
remaining social and technological division of labour to hold down
Africa permanently as the source of raw materials for capitalist
accumulation in Europe. As colonialism took firm positions in the
African soil, Africans were compelled to abandon their long work
practices and specializations, and were allocated in plantation
activities which were designed for European markets. The colonial
administration had the purpose to facilitate this mass exploitation
and control the social movements of the African society.
IV.
The post colonial structure as a factor: post colonial
administration structures and the so called political independent
had extended the old division of labour by means of new mechanisms
which have deepened Africa's underdevelopment and poverty. After the
Second World War, and after the new economic arrangements, dictated
by the new emerging Imperial power, the United States of America,
Africa was practically cut from participating in the world
technological developments which is the basis of true social
transformations. In order to bind Africa into the new emerging
international division of labour and trade, the African social
transformation become a unique case which can be dealt by means of
import-substitution-industrialization which is a part and parcel of
the so-called modernization theory. The
import-substitution-industrialization which is not based on
machine-tool industries is entirely dependent for its reproduction
on imported inputs, and as such it is vulnerable for internal and
outside shocks. It is not organically linked to the rest of the
economic sectors; and has a very limited accumulation effect. The
fact that it is detached from research and development, its capacity
to expand and encompass the traditional economic sector, and
transforms it to a dynamic economic sector is heavily restricted. In
the absence of development and research, and in the absence of
machine-tool industries it is practically impossible to produce a
coherent economic structure which could operate like a human body.
Such an industry must inevitably push those economic forces in areas
where the turnover of capital is very quick but the accumulation
base and hence the multiplier effect is very limited. This is the
case in many African countries where
import-substitution-industrialization has been taken as the only
viable policy which could modernize the African economy. From this
vantage point of view if we see the
import-substitution-industrialization and the modernization
policies, they are mechanisms of controlling the African economises
not to take their natural paths. The consequence of such policies is
as we see it today to destroy and to disturb the minds of the
Africans by reducing them to the status of that of cattle. Africans
are not created to build well-designed cities; they cannot develop
science and technology and must remain as animals without any social
order and harmony which governs their handlings and gives them the
capacity of creating new ideas. The school systems are special
mechanisms which darkens the minds of the African elite not to see
the world of science and technology and at the same time the world
of aesthetic beyond once own lives.
V.
The omnipotent state as a factor: the characteristic feature of the
state in various African countries is that it lacks any theoretical
and philosophical foundations by which it could organize the society
around certain principles. In order that any society could exit as a
society and reproduce itself economically and socially it needs
certain philosophical frame works which serve as guidelines that
bring the society together so that it could work in unison to build
a dynamic and strong society. From this point of view the state
apparatus in all African countries which became independent in the
60s could not play as instrument of capitalist accumulation by
creating favourable conditions for those dynamic forces from within.
Since the state apparatus was moulded and structured by the colonial
masters its mission was to distort internal accumulation and create
conditions for the outflow of wealth to the capitalist centre. The
indirect control of the African state structures by foreign forces
and the incoherency of the state from within create an atmosphere of
fear and suspicion among those forces that control the state
apparatus. Different foreign secret services that operate in various
African countries to destabilize Africa use the various elements of
the countries concerned to concentrate their work in information
gathering rather than fulfil their constitutional duty for which
they have sworn. Hence the bureaucratic apparatus must be
strengthened to suppress democratic processes which are essential
for the free flow of ideas and creative activity. Foreign forces
could fulfill their satanic mission only through the omnipotent
state apparatus which they finance and advise. In this manner the
state machines in all African countries serve as instrument of
suppression rather than building a cultured economy which is based
on science and technology.
On
the other side if we see the role of the capitalist states starting
the 16th century we witness that the state had progressive roles in
creating conditions which favored internal accumulation. Without the
intervention of the state capitalist accumulation and hence the
development of science and technology could not have been developed
as we see it today. After the Second World War all capitalist
countries must continue to support internal accumulation by creating
new devices, where as African governments are advised not to take
any measure which could strengthen the economic base of their
society. The intervention of the state in the economy is seen as sin
where as state intervention in all major capitalist countries become
the exclusive rights of European governments. Such insane attitudes
in many African countries have reduced the role of the state purely
as instrument of suppression and internal economic distortion which
canalizes wealth to the capitalist countries.
The
political situation in Ethiopia is a vivid example why the civilized
West sticks to the Meles regime, though the regime of Meles is
engaged in mass killings and torture. The country is turned to a
play ground of Economic Hit Men which distort economic performance
of the country by giving false advises. The acceptance of the regime
the structural adjustment program (SAP) and its materialization, and
its full fledged promises to introduce a market economy which is
completely detached from science and technology, and the mafia type
system which is spread within the circle of the state apparatus, and
which is well financed by the World Bank and the IMF and certain
Western governments is a clear example how Economic Hit Men are
trying everything to hold Ethiopia down as a country which produces
and reproduces poverty on a higher scale. The expansion of flower
plantation by Western firms and their engagements in those areas
where they can make quick profits are examples why they are not
ready to allow any democratic changes in Ethiopia. The EPRDF
government is purely a puppet regime of imperialist forces which are
waging direct war against the Ethiopian people so that they do not
enjoy true freedom by developing science and technology. It is
therefore foolish to believe that the West will loose the control it
has gained without gaining any guarantee from the opposition forces.
VI. The absence of intellectual
discourse as a factor:
we know that from the Greek philosophical discourse and dialectical
method of conversation one could develop science if a society is
engaged in intellectual discourse. Scientific
discourses and hypothesis building are the basis of a science driven
technological development. The
true understanding of the source of knowledge and the divergent
ideas that had been developed by various schools of thought over the
last 3000 years are the basis of any society if it could sustain as
a society and make history in the true sense of the word. Any
society must question itself what is the meaning of life in this
world, from where it comes, what it is doing in this world, and
where it is heading. A society that does not pose such kinds of
questions, its sustainability as a full functioning society will
remain vague, and it does not understand in which direction it is
marching. From this perspective the school systems in Africa lack
any philosophical foundations. Colonial masters and their successors
have deliberately formulated a school system which could arrest the
minds of the students. They have imposed a system which is not self
reflective, and block any meaningful scientific discourse. A society
which is not self-reflective, and can not questions the meanings of
various policies it will be easily manipulated by outside forces. At
the end such a society produces and reproduces gangster like
politicians that sell their countries for foreign forces. This is
what we see and witness in the present day Africa.
VII.
Incoherent economic policy as a factor: the different policies
followed after the modernization theories are nothing other than
cementing the existing international division of labour and
confusing the African society. Whether the basic needs approach
strategy, the Green Revolution or the Structural adjustment program
that are mainly outlined by the World Bank and the IMF are seen as
the real panacea for the African economic crises are nothing other
than extending the old system of exploitation by adjusting the
African economies to the changing international order which began in
the beginning of the 70s and intensified in the 80s. Structural
adjustment programs have the sole purpose of absorbing the African
resources via debt mechanisms and intensify unequal trade where as
Europe and America become richer and richer. The known austerity
program of the IMF, which is simply stated as unscientific by Prof.
Sachs but could not be analysed further is another attempt of
distorting the monetary mechanisms of the banking sector. According
to the philosophy of the IMF, money must be drawn away from those
unproductive social forces and allocated to those productive forces
which behave like capitalists. The true purpose of this policy is
nothing other than strangulating the economy by cutting it from its
monetary base and allocating the meagre resource to the export
sector so that the African economies become more and more outward
oriented. As we see in the last 20 or more years by applying the
bitter medicine of the IMF and the World Bank the African economies
become more and more dependent on outside aid, and become
strangulated so that Africa rotates within the vicious circles of
debt mechanism, dependent on few exportable goods, which are
becoming meaningless every year, and chaotic administration
structures which become more and more suppressive and submissive to
the outside forces.
Prof.
Sachs criticizes here and there why politics and bad governance
cannot explain the African underdevelopment and poverty. In this
case he attacks both the rights and the lefts for their focusing
exclusively on politics to explain the causes of the African poverty
through the mirror of political discourse. It is amazing how Prof. Sachs understands politics, though
starting three thousand years the human social and economic
development evolves around politics. The first Greek state men and
philosophers had seen in politics the real mechanism in shaping
social affairs. That is why they had studied in depth the meaning of
metaphysics and its relation to politics. Accordingly, only those
who are guided by philosophical and rational principles have the
capacity to give wise leadership and play historical roles in
shaping a harmonious and developed society. On the other side those
who lack these principles they rely solely on pure power and
permanent war which ultimately destroy the society they govern.
Those who control state apparatus and hence shape politics have the
ability to determine the movements of the different social forces
within their boundaries. According to their social consciousness and
understanding of the role of human beings political leaders either
destroy the basis of the social reproduction capacities of their
society or design them in such a way so that innovation, social
reproduction and capital accumulation based on science and
technology grow permanently. Without politics and understanding the
role of politics in shaping the social destiny of any given society,
a society cannot exist as a social reproduction force where arts,
city buildings, technological development and further innovation
take place to sustain that particular society. Only politics, as the
concentration of social process and an arena of ideological and
economic struggle has the capacity in shaping the social well being
of a given society or destroying it. In this case politics in many
African counties cannot be the exception.
In
order to understand the political roles of successive African
governments and their leaders, one cannot see their handlings and
their methodologies outside the scope of the colonial past, and the
education system by which they are brought up, and the social
formation in which they grew up. Though Africa had brilliant
leaders, these leaders were chased and killed by Western intelligent
services and their henchmen from within. All the attempted murders
and coup d` �tat were nothing but to prevent Africa from
technological developments and science and to hold it down as
permanent house of producing and reproducing poverty on a higher
scale. All wars which have been taking in the last three or more
decades on the African soil are wars orchestrated by the Western
civilized states to destabilize Africa. The economic policies of the
IMF and the World Bank, and their applications by those Economic Hit
Men as put by John Perkins in his well illuminating analysis
demonstrates clearly how Africa and the rest of the Third World
countries are being destroyed by those satanic forces who enjoy when
they see that a part of humanity is permanently languishing under
poverty and disease. The globalization of the world economy which
has been going since the last 15 years is worsening the economic and
social situation of many African countries, and cannot be
enlightened as Prof. Sachs makes us believe since by it self is the
causes of permanent economic crises and destabilization. After all,
how can such a system have the mission of enlightenment when its
ideological tenet is neo-liberalism which is the antithesis of a
science driven technological development.
After
he has studied the causes of poverty through the mirror of his
differential diagnosis Prof. Sachs came to the conclusion that
poverty can be eliminated from the African soil if Western
governments see it as their own problem and make efforts to help
Africa. The millennium 2015 is a part of this global attempt to
reduce and eradicate poverty from the African soil. Only through the
blessing attempts of donor countries is the hope and aspirations of
millions of Africans lies. According to the belief of Prof. Sachs to
think that Africa could come out of poverty by itself is not
imaginable.
Though
one cannot doubt the good intention of Prof. Sachs, to think that
Western governments and their sophisticated institutions could solve
the African economic crises is silly wise indeed, and at the same
time an insult to the millions of Africans who become the victim of
the global economic disorder instituted after the Second World War.
When Western capitalist countries are the problem of economic
disequilibrium on the global scale and the causes of mass exodus by
appropriating the African wealth how could they eradicate poverty
from the African soil? Since Prof. Sachs tries to analyze the
economic crises of Africa from a false paradigm he must reach such
kind of a conclusion which cannot be materialized. Even if part of
it sees the light of the day this leads to more dependency and
economic colonization. The
policies which he had forwarded to Poland in the beginning of the
90s, to Bolivia to end hyperinflation and which it has failed, and
the privatization policy he had worked out for Russia are clear
examples that his approaches are more conceptualized from a
neo-liberal point of view which cannot solve the problem of economic
crises once-for-all but postpone it and deepening the economic
crises of those countries. Likewise
his methodology and solution to end poverty from the African soil is
another attempt to prolong the African misery, and thereby pave the
way for the decolonization of Africa.
In
order to end poverty from the African soil we must see the problem
through the mirror of physical economic principles which is the only
viable scientific instrument that brings real economic development
in many African countries. Since almost all African countries have
never attempted to dissociate themselves from the destructive
policies of the IMF and the World Bank, only the destruction of the
ideological basis of this policy will have the power of redeeming
the African people and use their natural creative power to develop a
harmonious and well functioning society. The eradication of poverty
is possible when African governments are guided by this principle,
and see poverty as a part of an over whole economic and social
underdevelopment. To see the problem of poverty outside the scope of
technological, cultural, social and a generalized economic
development is an erroneous thing which must be rejected from the
outset.
Fekadu Bekele, PhD
March
20, 2006
Fekadu Bekele can be reached
at [email protected]
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