The Sunday News
ACCORDING to a study by Selvarathinam Santhirasegaram from Sri Lanka published online, empirical results of pooled data in 70 developing countries during 2000-2004 shows that peace building capacity has positive effects on economic growth directly and indirectly.
The report says countries with peaceful environments have higher growth than conflict countries. Peace reduces uncertainty and risk hence positively contributes to economic growth in present globalisation. Peace has positive effect on physical capital accumulation and human capital accumulation.
This effect is more significant than other economic determinants of physical and human capital accumulation.
The economies which have peaceful environments accumulate more physical and human capital and enhance economic growth rapidly.
Peace contributes to economic growth by the ways of increasing of productivity in capital and labour, good governance, tourist arrival and also efficiency of institutions. Peace has direct and indirect effect on economic growth.
Conflicts, violence and war devastate the accessible physical and human resources and wipe out socio-political institutions which contribute to economic growth positively. Studies have shown that an economy which has more violence and war loses the confidence of investors locally and internationally.
Human resources which is made by skilled workers has been migrated to abroad due to the non- peaceful environments.
It is behind that background that we reiterate that calls for work stayaways, demonstrations and riots by the opposition MDC-A and its partners are ill advised and uncalled for.
At a time when the country is engaged in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and trying to keep the economy alive, advocating for demonstrations is counterproductive and against the efforts to save lives from Covid-19 and resuscitating the economy.
We therefore congratulate Zimbabweans for ignoring calls by opposition political parties to engage in an illegal demonstration that was pencilled in for Friday under the disguise of demonstrating against corruption. As rightfully said by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa, the planned demonstration was foreign-funded and meant to destabilise the country and unconstitutionally topple the Government.
Minister Mutsvangwa said the USA’s stance of meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs was surprising given that President Donald Trump’s administration had cancelled public events in their home country.
“The ongoing USA elections are a big exercise in democratic expression. Even President Trump has had to cancel the Convention of the Republican Party in Jacksonville for fear of Covid-19. Why can’t the detractors and doom mongers equally copy this act of noble political restraint?
“And why can’t the American and Western embassies provide counsel to their regime change charges that this is not the hour to play dice with the lives of Zimbabweans?
“This is the season of Black Lives Matter after the choking to death of George Floyd by a cruel white police officer in Minneapolis. We have travelled and suffered from their past depredations. It’s not democracy they want.
“After all we paid a heavy price to attain it from the conquering colonials. They did not give up Zimbabwe on a platter. It’s cruel self-enrichment from our resources that they seek. Please why can’t you give Africa a break? As Zimbabwe we are saying: WE CAN’T BREATHE,” she said.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the situation was peaceful countrywide, adding that security services would remain firm on the ground to decisively deal with any unruly elements to preserve peace.
“The ZRP applauds Zimbabweans for the peaceful environment, which characterised all parts of the country. No reports of violence were received by the police and security services, as they continued to conduct patrols, roadblocks and checkpoints to ensure safety, security and health of Zimbabweans.”
