The secrecy bill. What the hell is wrong with this government?! Seriously. The secrecy bill is not another apartheid, it is a mockery of the freedom that we fought for to get out of apartheid, it is a mockery of the rights that everyone fought for 30 years ago.
First off, what is the secrecy bill? It is basically a law that will prevent media from publishing certain defamatory stories about members of parliament. It will inhibit their ability to perform their jobs and will censor our right to freedom of information. But let us look at this in a different light.
Compare South Africa is a public company, the citizens would be the equivalent to shareholders (people who invested in the country, which is done by living here and paying tax etc) and the Board of Directors would be the members of parliament (their responsibility is to guide SA strategically and give us direction and ensure our investment grows).
Now, imagine a director of a company gets caught drunk in public having sex. He will be held accountable to the shareholders for tarnishing the name of the company and bring it into disrepute. He is a representative of that company's image and his actions are a poster of the company, he would be held accountable and most likely be fired, even though this action had nothing to do with the company and it is his private life, he is still accountable.
So too should the members of parliament be accountable for the actions they commit while not in parliament as they have a responsibility and they are always a representative of our country. We as "shareholders" have a right to know what is going on in our "company" and how it is being treated and the decisions it is making. The 'directors' are not using their own investment but are using our investment, and so it should be done in favour of us.
Keeping on the company simile, each company is required by law to have an EXTERNAL audit (this is because an external audit would have no ties to the company and would not be influenced by the company and as such his reports and findings would in most cases be considered accurate, fair and without bias). If we had an internal auditor there is nothing to say that the reports have been tampered with or that anything stated is the truth as only the directors know the truth.
The external auditors of our country would be the media, these are the people who would not be subject to bias and would report the facts, the truth and that is all. Nothing more and nothing less. By censoring this parliament is creating a mockery of our constitution.
The members of parliament need to be held accountable for their actions and it is disturbing that a bill of this genre can even be up for debate. I hope that this is not the beginning of something terrible to come, if we do not know the inner workings of parliament then how can we stop them from doing something even more disturbing next time.
If it doesn't stop here then it is only a matter of time before media is cancelled and we are living in a state where parliament reports on what they feel is worthy of us knowing. The media needs to be free from government regulation in order to be just, fair and unbiased.
Feel free to comment, agree, challenge correct anything you feel I have said or not said.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Saturday, 12 November 2011
1 Naturally Dumb Wonder of the World
Today Table Mountain of South Africa got elected as one of the 7 wonders of nature (Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Islands, Komodo, and Puerto Princesa Underground River). I am a South African and I think this is just pathetic, don't get me wrong I am extremely happy for our economy and the tourism it will bring but I am unimpressed with the fact that it got elected for a few reason...
Reason 1: It really isn't even that great a mountain, seriously, its not super tall or super long or even that amazing to look from the top of as you will most likely just see cities everywhere. And as for the "table cloth" of clouds, that is also not even that amazing because the 7 highest peaks of the world also become encompassed by clouds so who cares.
Reason 2: If it’s meant to be a natural wonder surely majority of it should be unaffected by and Table Mountain is completely surrounded by nature
Reason 3: How the hell does this mountain compare to Everest? To Kilimanjaro? To K2 (hardest mountain in the world to climb)? How does this mound of dirt, in comparison to these peaks, even manage to be considered?
Reason 4: Even as a mountain it doesn't compare to other far more impressive wonders. What about the Victoria falls? The reefs in the Dead Sea? There are just far too many more impressive natural wonders that take place?
Reason 5: It was based on voting of the people. Now, yes the world is democratic, and majority rules and democracy is fair, but in all honesty sometimes democracy just shouldn't be considered. (No I am not supporting dictators and am 100% for democracy) It is just that majority of the world cannot name more than 4 mountains or even 4 of the original wonders of the world and you expect them to decide based on their knowledge? I really think a panel of educated citizens should have entered in their vote and a reason why they think that that piece of nature should be considered and each country should only be allowed 7 entries. Think about it this way, America has 300 million people and pretty much everyone has the internet available to vote, if everyone in America vote for their own 7 wonders I am pretty sure that every single wonder would have ended up being in America. So I ask, yes this was democratic, but was it fair? Was it accurate?
Reason 6: How did they even allow this? Surely at some point someone should have intervened and said "Sorry guys, but this is retarded, this cannot be a natural wonder.” If the world got to vote on "The Nicest Person that ever existed" and we elected Hitler, Idi Amin, George W. Bush or Homer Simpson, surely someone, somewhere choosing this should be like "Screw you guys, you are uneducated" and where were the criteria for choosing these natural wonders? Or could I have elected my backyard in the competition? There should have been a vote-able list at the very least.
Reason 7: I hate Table Mountain with a passion.
Now, as a South African I am happy for our economy and the tourism it will attract, but as a member of the human population I am appalled at what we consider to be an accurate representation of nature.
Reason 1: It really isn't even that great a mountain, seriously, its not super tall or super long or even that amazing to look from the top of as you will most likely just see cities everywhere. And as for the "table cloth" of clouds, that is also not even that amazing because the 7 highest peaks of the world also become encompassed by clouds so who cares.
Reason 2: If it’s meant to be a natural wonder surely majority of it should be unaffected by and Table Mountain is completely surrounded by nature
Reason 3: How the hell does this mountain compare to Everest? To Kilimanjaro? To K2 (hardest mountain in the world to climb)? How does this mound of dirt, in comparison to these peaks, even manage to be considered?
Reason 4: Even as a mountain it doesn't compare to other far more impressive wonders. What about the Victoria falls? The reefs in the Dead Sea? There are just far too many more impressive natural wonders that take place?
Reason 5: It was based on voting of the people. Now, yes the world is democratic, and majority rules and democracy is fair, but in all honesty sometimes democracy just shouldn't be considered. (No I am not supporting dictators and am 100% for democracy) It is just that majority of the world cannot name more than 4 mountains or even 4 of the original wonders of the world and you expect them to decide based on their knowledge? I really think a panel of educated citizens should have entered in their vote and a reason why they think that that piece of nature should be considered and each country should only be allowed 7 entries. Think about it this way, America has 300 million people and pretty much everyone has the internet available to vote, if everyone in America vote for their own 7 wonders I am pretty sure that every single wonder would have ended up being in America. So I ask, yes this was democratic, but was it fair? Was it accurate?
Reason 6: How did they even allow this? Surely at some point someone should have intervened and said "Sorry guys, but this is retarded, this cannot be a natural wonder.” If the world got to vote on "The Nicest Person that ever existed" and we elected Hitler, Idi Amin, George W. Bush or Homer Simpson, surely someone, somewhere choosing this should be like "Screw you guys, you are uneducated" and where were the criteria for choosing these natural wonders? Or could I have elected my backyard in the competition? There should have been a vote-able list at the very least.
Reason 7: I hate Table Mountain with a passion.
Now, as a South African I am happy for our economy and the tourism it will attract, but as a member of the human population I am appalled at what we consider to be an accurate representation of nature.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Heading Backwards
For the first time in history will the children of America be less educated than their parents. What does this mean?
Well, first off it means the education system is failing, as children with all this information at their fingertips don't know how to use it or how to learn from it, it also means that maybe the education system isn't keeping up to date with advancements (why are we still being given printed notes in high school when we should get editable word documents?). Maybe children have realised that they don't need to perfectly remember anything as it can be looked up so quickly and efficiently and that they just need to have a basic understanding (I'm not even kidding, you can go to Google and type in "How to do financial Statements" and you will get over 10 000 hits, now you might not understand what the financial statements mean, but chances are with enough time you could compile a set correctly), however, I don't think this is the case...
What I think the main reason for this uneducated generation is that we are being fed lie, all we see on TV, movies is about some musician who made million after leaving the ghetto, about a sports star who earns millions of pounds a week, and children are being fed this dream subconsciously and now every single person thinks they are going to be the next Freddy Mercury, the new Tu-pac or the next Richard Branson. Well, I am truly sorry for you kids, but just because Mr. Branson dropped out of school and became a billionaire doesn't mean that every dropout will become this person, we are told stories (not bedtime stories) in high school about how we can do anything no matter what, and yes there are extremely mediocre ways to make money using only natural talent (I use mediocre in the lightest term possible, the likes of many a musician or sports star are geniuses in their own right), however, we should be hearing stories about the family man who went to school, got a degree, started as a clerk and worked his way up to manager, we should be being told stories about hard working normal men, not stories of the exception, you are just building these houses made out of fake dreams in innocent minds. There are 11 players in a soccer team; there are 1000 employees in a single business. You do the math, or Google it, I guess it depends on your level of education.
Seriously, just because you heard ONE story of ONE guy who become rich from nothing, does not mean it will happen to you, its time we start being taught rules more than exceptions, that people without degrees are lucky to have a job because there are thousands who have degrees and are poverty stricken, its time we stop dreaming about waking up one morning with some epiphany that will make us an instant millionaire and start working towards a reality.
This is my third blog raging against children haha, is it our fault for believing these stories or our teachers for telling them to us? Let me know...
Well, first off it means the education system is failing, as children with all this information at their fingertips don't know how to use it or how to learn from it, it also means that maybe the education system isn't keeping up to date with advancements (why are we still being given printed notes in high school when we should get editable word documents?). Maybe children have realised that they don't need to perfectly remember anything as it can be looked up so quickly and efficiently and that they just need to have a basic understanding (I'm not even kidding, you can go to Google and type in "How to do financial Statements" and you will get over 10 000 hits, now you might not understand what the financial statements mean, but chances are with enough time you could compile a set correctly), however, I don't think this is the case...
What I think the main reason for this uneducated generation is that we are being fed lie, all we see on TV, movies is about some musician who made million after leaving the ghetto, about a sports star who earns millions of pounds a week, and children are being fed this dream subconsciously and now every single person thinks they are going to be the next Freddy Mercury, the new Tu-pac or the next Richard Branson. Well, I am truly sorry for you kids, but just because Mr. Branson dropped out of school and became a billionaire doesn't mean that every dropout will become this person, we are told stories (not bedtime stories) in high school about how we can do anything no matter what, and yes there are extremely mediocre ways to make money using only natural talent (I use mediocre in the lightest term possible, the likes of many a musician or sports star are geniuses in their own right), however, we should be hearing stories about the family man who went to school, got a degree, started as a clerk and worked his way up to manager, we should be being told stories about hard working normal men, not stories of the exception, you are just building these houses made out of fake dreams in innocent minds. There are 11 players in a soccer team; there are 1000 employees in a single business. You do the math, or Google it, I guess it depends on your level of education.
Seriously, just because you heard ONE story of ONE guy who become rich from nothing, does not mean it will happen to you, its time we start being taught rules more than exceptions, that people without degrees are lucky to have a job because there are thousands who have degrees and are poverty stricken, its time we stop dreaming about waking up one morning with some epiphany that will make us an instant millionaire and start working towards a reality.
This is my third blog raging against children haha, is it our fault for believing these stories or our teachers for telling them to us? Let me know...
Friday, 4 November 2011
The Great Dictator
This was a speech given during a movie called "The Great Dictator"
I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all.
Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men---machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have a love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.
Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it’s written “the kingdom of God is within man”, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power.
Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill their promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
-Charlie Chaplin
Isn't it ironic that one of the world's greatest comedians would be the one to say such powerful words... It should be the politicians who believe in this not the artists, as said by Bill Clinton, "If every poet had a little more politician in them, and every politician a poet, the world would be a better place"
Think about it... Really think about it... hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all.
Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men---machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have a love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.
Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it’s written “the kingdom of God is within man”, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power.
Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill their promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
-Charlie Chaplin
Isn't it ironic that one of the world's greatest comedians would be the one to say such powerful words... It should be the politicians who believe in this not the artists, as said by Bill Clinton, "If every poet had a little more politician in them, and every politician a poet, the world would be a better place"
Think about it... Really think about it... hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
When life gives you lemons
A study done showed that with the same technology, same level of education and same time frame China managed to produce 90 something cars while SA managed to produce 20 something. Where did we go wrong?
The problem wasn't education, as it was equal. The problem wasn't technology as it was the same. The problem was discipline, we are being raised in a nation, a society in which we expect things to be done for us. Not just in SA but in the world (in America when comparing International math and science quizzes, America came 25th out of 30 in scores but ranked highest when asked if they beat other countries, this is a combination of a high focus on self esteem and low expectations) are we allowed to settle with complacency as long as we feel positive.
You cannot educate discipline, discipline comes from your upbringing and values. Parents in SA are being given grants based on how many children they have, which yes in an economic manner makes sense since they have more children to look after, however, this also means the poor are just making more and more babies to get a bigger and bigger grant to support themselves (who knew even the poor are greedy?). Surely at some point we should stop allowing people to "free-ride" off of their own selfishness. The more children you have, in impoverished conditions, means its harder for them to be raised effectively (law of diminishing marginal utility even applies to the number of children) and so the cycle continues with the poor becoming poorer.
Maybe if the Government stopped giving out child support grants and started educating parents (yes parents) and helping them ONLY while they get an education so that the parents can get a job and teach their child by acting. No matter how many times you tell someone smoking is bad, if you do it with a cigarette in your hand they wont believe you. We need to instil discipline through actions, even with rich parents that are never home, children are being left behind, without proper guidance and without a proper figurehead children will remain children and never really amount to their full potential.
6 million people pay tax in South Africa, if you only use people between the ages of 18-24 there is a 75% unemployment rate, this means one of a few things, children aren't being given enough responsibility and are not trusted by the elder generation to run things, the youth are not properly educated or there is just no room for newcomers. If its the third problem then we really do have an employment crisis on our hands as people will refuse to step down and no one will force them ( I personally am against forcing retirement as I believe if you can work, you can work, regardless of age), but if its the other 2 then the problem can be addressed and dealt with. We need to raise the youth in a more productive way, to teach them to make lemonade rather than tell them too, to SHOW them how to deal with situations through your actions. And no matter how good your education system is, if a child goes home to an uneducated parent, majority of them will not succeed, if a parent beats a child, studies show that in all likelihood that child will beat theirs and the circle will continue, we need to educate parents on how to raise proper children.
It is not only the education system that is at fault but also how it is taught and how children are being treated, when teachers go on strike, children should not celebrate and be happy, they should strike against the teachers striking, we have to want to be here, we have to want to make a difference! It is up to us, the children to say, hang on! something is wrong here, and we have to stand up for it and speak out against it, not through violence, or protests, but through speech and communication, through education and understanding, would you want to teach someone who stood outside your house and shouted at you? No, so its time that we started wanting to learn and not just expecting to be taught everything. Its time for us to read more than the set workbook, to research more than just the school syllabus, to actually find common sense. It is our responsibility as children to make sure we are educated ourselves if we are not given the right environment to do it.
Please feel free to leave comments, I really would like to start a discussion on this :) do you think I have given too huge a burden on children to do things themselves? Or that I am not giving enough thought to those without "real opportunities"?
The problem wasn't education, as it was equal. The problem wasn't technology as it was the same. The problem was discipline, we are being raised in a nation, a society in which we expect things to be done for us. Not just in SA but in the world (in America when comparing International math and science quizzes, America came 25th out of 30 in scores but ranked highest when asked if they beat other countries, this is a combination of a high focus on self esteem and low expectations) are we allowed to settle with complacency as long as we feel positive.
You cannot educate discipline, discipline comes from your upbringing and values. Parents in SA are being given grants based on how many children they have, which yes in an economic manner makes sense since they have more children to look after, however, this also means the poor are just making more and more babies to get a bigger and bigger grant to support themselves (who knew even the poor are greedy?). Surely at some point we should stop allowing people to "free-ride" off of their own selfishness. The more children you have, in impoverished conditions, means its harder for them to be raised effectively (law of diminishing marginal utility even applies to the number of children) and so the cycle continues with the poor becoming poorer.
Maybe if the Government stopped giving out child support grants and started educating parents (yes parents) and helping them ONLY while they get an education so that the parents can get a job and teach their child by acting. No matter how many times you tell someone smoking is bad, if you do it with a cigarette in your hand they wont believe you. We need to instil discipline through actions, even with rich parents that are never home, children are being left behind, without proper guidance and without a proper figurehead children will remain children and never really amount to their full potential.
6 million people pay tax in South Africa, if you only use people between the ages of 18-24 there is a 75% unemployment rate, this means one of a few things, children aren't being given enough responsibility and are not trusted by the elder generation to run things, the youth are not properly educated or there is just no room for newcomers. If its the third problem then we really do have an employment crisis on our hands as people will refuse to step down and no one will force them ( I personally am against forcing retirement as I believe if you can work, you can work, regardless of age), but if its the other 2 then the problem can be addressed and dealt with. We need to raise the youth in a more productive way, to teach them to make lemonade rather than tell them too, to SHOW them how to deal with situations through your actions. And no matter how good your education system is, if a child goes home to an uneducated parent, majority of them will not succeed, if a parent beats a child, studies show that in all likelihood that child will beat theirs and the circle will continue, we need to educate parents on how to raise proper children.
It is not only the education system that is at fault but also how it is taught and how children are being treated, when teachers go on strike, children should not celebrate and be happy, they should strike against the teachers striking, we have to want to be here, we have to want to make a difference! It is up to us, the children to say, hang on! something is wrong here, and we have to stand up for it and speak out against it, not through violence, or protests, but through speech and communication, through education and understanding, would you want to teach someone who stood outside your house and shouted at you? No, so its time that we started wanting to learn and not just expecting to be taught everything. Its time for us to read more than the set workbook, to research more than just the school syllabus, to actually find common sense. It is our responsibility as children to make sure we are educated ourselves if we are not given the right environment to do it.
Please feel free to leave comments, I really would like to start a discussion on this :) do you think I have given too huge a burden on children to do things themselves? Or that I am not giving enough thought to those without "real opportunities"?
Misunderstood Malema
Well, first off this is my first blog post so please excuse any mishaps.
Nationalisation? Marches? what does it all mean?
A big topic in South Africa today is the nationalisation of the mines, Malema seems to think that this will solve many economic problems as he feels it will "return the wealth to the people" and that the "capitalist white man" is the undoing of SA, but what he fails to understand is just how big a word nationalisation is and what it means. first off, if SA were to nationalise the mines they would have to buy out de Beers completely, our government cannot afford to go and just spend billions upon billions of rands on something like this especially since we are already in a financial and current account deficit. also the mining industry supplies 1 million jobs and 30% or the company tax to the government. Nationalisation is meant to take place when it is believe to be in the greater interests of the public servants i.e. the 'normal' people in the country.
Now, what would be the major repercussions? poverty, higher interest rates and huge loss in foreign investment. if SA were to nationalise the mines there would be no immediate signs of an increase in unemploment, however interests rates would increase, thus hitting the middle class hardest and fastest as they are the majority of loan holders in this country (poor cant get loans and the rich don't need them) meaning they would lose a lot of their spending power. Now, how would unemployment rise? well if you were a South African investing in Libya, and you heard of a civil revolution and riots, would you feel safe having your money there? no. Same goes for Americans and Europeans, if they feel that their invested money will just be taken by the Government then they won't invest in this country, lack of foreign invest means lack of job creation meaning unemployment stays the same, but if current investors feel that their industries will also be nationalised then they will pull their money out of the country thus leaving their workers unemployed. Nationalisation is not the answer, but why do I call him misunderstood?
He is misunderstood because he has realised something needs to change, I just feel he is unaware of how to change it. The youth in this country are being left behind and somewhat even having the future we deserve taken from us or being controlled by the current people in power. During apartheid the adult literacy level was 80% (including the oppressed) it is currently sitting at 67%, this means education is going backwards, the things we are taught are not sufficient, but why? Does Government think we are too stupid to understand that they have dropped the level? Or are they merely unable to create a sufficient education model. We have a 67% matric pass rate nationally, however, this only counts the people who WROTE matric, including everyone who was at school in grade 8 and compared to the number that pass matric that number would probably drop to about 50%. Is our schooling system even preparing us for life or University?
I also think that Malema is playing the "politics" card far more than he is playing the "looking after the needs of the youth" card, he fails to understand that he is not in parlaiment and he is not running for presidency and if he really truely believed in the distribution of the wealth he would not be living in a multi-million rand home with multiple cars taking holidays to Mauritius.
To conclude, Malema is misunderstood because he fights for the right things but in the wrong way. We need someone to stand out for the people and not stand out for themselves. Please leave comments. thoughts and opinions as i would love to discuss anything on your mind :)
Nationalisation? Marches? what does it all mean?
A big topic in South Africa today is the nationalisation of the mines, Malema seems to think that this will solve many economic problems as he feels it will "return the wealth to the people" and that the "capitalist white man" is the undoing of SA, but what he fails to understand is just how big a word nationalisation is and what it means. first off, if SA were to nationalise the mines they would have to buy out de Beers completely, our government cannot afford to go and just spend billions upon billions of rands on something like this especially since we are already in a financial and current account deficit. also the mining industry supplies 1 million jobs and 30% or the company tax to the government. Nationalisation is meant to take place when it is believe to be in the greater interests of the public servants i.e. the 'normal' people in the country.
Now, what would be the major repercussions? poverty, higher interest rates and huge loss in foreign investment. if SA were to nationalise the mines there would be no immediate signs of an increase in unemploment, however interests rates would increase, thus hitting the middle class hardest and fastest as they are the majority of loan holders in this country (poor cant get loans and the rich don't need them) meaning they would lose a lot of their spending power. Now, how would unemployment rise? well if you were a South African investing in Libya, and you heard of a civil revolution and riots, would you feel safe having your money there? no. Same goes for Americans and Europeans, if they feel that their invested money will just be taken by the Government then they won't invest in this country, lack of foreign invest means lack of job creation meaning unemployment stays the same, but if current investors feel that their industries will also be nationalised then they will pull their money out of the country thus leaving their workers unemployed. Nationalisation is not the answer, but why do I call him misunderstood?
He is misunderstood because he has realised something needs to change, I just feel he is unaware of how to change it. The youth in this country are being left behind and somewhat even having the future we deserve taken from us or being controlled by the current people in power. During apartheid the adult literacy level was 80% (including the oppressed) it is currently sitting at 67%, this means education is going backwards, the things we are taught are not sufficient, but why? Does Government think we are too stupid to understand that they have dropped the level? Or are they merely unable to create a sufficient education model. We have a 67% matric pass rate nationally, however, this only counts the people who WROTE matric, including everyone who was at school in grade 8 and compared to the number that pass matric that number would probably drop to about 50%. Is our schooling system even preparing us for life or University?
I also think that Malema is playing the "politics" card far more than he is playing the "looking after the needs of the youth" card, he fails to understand that he is not in parlaiment and he is not running for presidency and if he really truely believed in the distribution of the wealth he would not be living in a multi-million rand home with multiple cars taking holidays to Mauritius.
To conclude, Malema is misunderstood because he fights for the right things but in the wrong way. We need someone to stand out for the people and not stand out for themselves. Please leave comments. thoughts and opinions as i would love to discuss anything on your mind :)
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