A viable alternative
published 25 Feb 2008
It appears that the inclination to turn hardships into a laughing matter is not peculiar to Filipinos. Ultimately, it’s not so much the sense of humor but the resilience of the human spirit.
In Zimbabwe, commuters get a kick out of watching bus conductors fumble in giving them change for their 750-thousand dollar notes. The new denomination was introduced only last December by the central bank. People chuckle and say it’s an “arithmetic nightmare.”
Not that the new banknote is the biggest they’ve ever seen. Zimbabweans, who have got to be the most desolate millionaires in the world, already have the ten million note as well. Of course it’s just a punishment in digits. The money does not really amount to a lot. Worse, it will be worth even less as the days go along.
Inflation in this country is at a notorious 26 thousand percent. It’s already bad that only one out of five people have jobs and that these jobs pay them meager salaries that barely get them a loaf of bread which, for purposes of illustration, cost 3 million Zimbabwean dollars on Feb. 5, 5 million on Feb. 8 and 5.4 million on Feb. 11. Price increases have made financial planning impossible. One is merely concerned with the present day—truly an African spin on the Filipino phrase “bahala na bukas.”
A new kind of brain drain is also emerging in the country. Among those who choose to stay behind, there is pressure to earn even more. They give up their professions—teaching, writing, managing companies—and instead engage in commodities trading where they take advantage of crazy price differentials.
These portrayals of life in Zimbabwe come from a girl who calls herself Ester, a 28-year-old professional living in the capital, Harare, through the Web site of the British Broadcasting Co. (www.bbc.co.uk). That's not her real name—a giveaway to the repression in her homeland.
And her accounts don’t seem to be exaggerated. Mernat and Ndaamu, two journalists I met in a course I attended last summer, painted the same picture of their troubled country. I actually wrote about Mernat (see The millionaire from Zimbabwe, April 27, 2007) who called himself a full-time smuggler—he traded paint from Botswana and sold it at ridiculous prices in his town—and part-time writer. Mernat always ranted how he never wanted to go back to Harare but felt he had no choice. He held on to his precious euros and, living ever so frugally and converting his stipend to his own currency, declared he could live like a king for five years with that kind of money. He told us stories about lining up for basic goods at the store and finding the price marked up by the time it was his turn. It was tempting to be fascinated, but this was not the stuff for movies. This was real life.
Three months ago, I received an e-mail from Mernat asking if he could borrow the equivalent of 50 US dollars because he was now unemployed and was thinking of starting a venture somewhere. He did not, however, elaborate on the business he was planning. He didn’t even say much and I haven’t heard from him since.
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In a more recent e-mail, my other classmate Ndaamu sounded more upbeat and said he as well the rest of his people were looking forward to the March 29 elections. A candidate, Simba Makoni, was challenging the country’s 83-year-old dictator, Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe assumed power in 1980. He was the first black head of state, and, in the beginning gave his people pride and hope. He prioritized education and basic infrastructure. Somewhere along the way, however, the administration degenerated, dragging down people’s living conditions along with it. The present leadership is widely regarded as corrupt and repressive, bringing only misery upon his people.
Makoni, for his part, is a former finance minister who has been known to clash with Mugabe on economic issues. Makoni is popular because he has thus far preserved an image untainted by corruption. He has been one of few people actually able to stand up to the president, who has been known to crush, disunite or co-opt his opponents. Now he has announced he would run as an independent. For the first time in many years, it seems Zimbabweans’ dream of having a viable alternative to their aging dictator may just come true. The Economist says Mugabe “may be facing his most dangerous opponent yet.”
A leadership change means a lot to ordinary people because their conditions have hit rock bottom and most of them believe that the solution to their country’s problem is a political one. A good leader can make all the difference. This is the reason why the likes of Ester stick it out day after day in Harare. She remains upbeat about life in her country.
And it may as well be life anywhere else, assuming there are leaders who can inspire and deliver, who are credible and compassionate, who scoff at indolence and incompetence, and, most importantly, who make no compromises.
