We need to rethink ‘entrepreneurship’, particularly within the context of developing countries, where homegrown entrepreneurship is still a potential not an actuality, despite the numbing rhetoric to the contrary! If truth be told, the world driven by monopoly capital hardly allows national bourgeoisie to emerge in the various other nation states. The only way to ameliorate this deficiency, if it is at all possible in the current scenario, is to try to leverage the ‘developmentalist state’ to the full extent. To bring about some kind of balance in the lopsided global market, the traditional anti market, the state, must be revitalized in ways that might sound radical, at least from the point of view of reigning neoliberalism!
The global regime of monopoly capital, facilitated by the strong states of the industrially advanced economies, has effectively killed entrepreneurship not only in the developing countries but all across the globe. What now passes for entrepreneurship is usually some kind of crony capitalism, explicitly favoring the power connected at the expense of creative and dynamic entrepreneurial dynamism! In many parts of Africa, it is mostly state supported enterprises, whether traditional parastatals (government) or paraparties (political parties) or the multitude of connected individuals directly/indirectly fronting for the power that be, that seem to be fully engaged in large scale economic/business activities. The current global scenario is such that; small time operators don’t have a fighting chance to make it to the big league, unless they have either the backing of the national state or are a mere appendage of transnational/monopoly capital. The rhetoric or even the actual presence of small enterprises in an economy is just to give a semblance of dynamic market activities, a charade that is now fast unraveling!
The world of the rich (OECD) is undergoing tumulus political change, mostly due to polarization brought about by the entrenched regime of crony capitalism! In this inequality perpetuating machine/scheme, certain institutions play prominent role. For instance the finance sector, without a doubt, is one of the main culprits that is fostering all-round injustice, hence instability across the planet, to say nothing about its callous destruction of the natural world! Even though the unsustainability and undesirability of the current global economic regime is very clear to the sheeple, politicos of nation states are refusing to look at options, which might possibly pacify the excessive greed that is causing untold destruction, both in the world of humans and nature. The political tumult we are witnessing in the West is a manifestation of creeping insurrection that will probably engulf all of us, sooner than later. We believe the best option for incumbent states is to boldly and honestly address existing and impending problems in collaboration with their respective sheeple! ‘Kicking the can down’ might not do the trick any more. To this end, the commanding heights of a country’s economy must be under the common will of the sheeple and not with the ever-conniving stealing oligarchs. In this context, all financial institutions must be more than regulated, as their business is dealing with one of the main ‘Commons’ (of societies), just like the water we drink, the air we breathe, etc. For example, the ‘Birr’ is our common currency and it should not be dispensed freely to the selected few under various disguise, (so that the connected can convert the allotted money into new wealth, mostly by disfranchising the old, rather than create new ones on their own) while the majority has to sweat for it.
In addition to efforts to salvage aspects of the broader economy, the whole ‘social machinery’ must also be redirected to more ‘value oriented objectives’. Making money only for the sake of making money is a meaningless pursuit, at least to those with some grain matter upstairs. Here is an extract about money from once the richest man on earth. Warren Buffett is a simple man, with just one caveat and is the subject of an HBO documentary, titled Becoming Warren Buffett, that explores his lesser-known personal life. But his daughter Susie Buffett warns not to expect anything extravagant from the successful Berkshire Hathaway investor. ‘He’s pretty boring – it’s just not what people expect,” Susie tells PEOPLE of the most surprising thing about her dad. “I think it’s also probably surprising to people that the money doesn’t matter to him. He made the money sort of by accident because he was really good at doing what he loved, and when you do that particular thing really well, you end up with a whole bunch of money. But it’s really true that he does not care about having a bunch of money. Buffett echoed his oldest child’s sentiments at the film’s premiere, telling PEOPLE that it’s not that he’s frugal, he just doesn’t think spending money will make him happier than enjoying the simple things in life.’ I buy everything I want in life,” Buffett said. “Would 10 homes make me more happy? Possessions possess you at a point. I don’t like a $100 meal as well as a hamburger from McDonald’s. That’s the way I’m put together, I don’t equate the amount I spend with the enjoyment I’m going to get from something.’
Money is only a means and not an end onto itself. Societal relations must not only hinge on this superficial construct, excessively propelled by un-tempered greed of late modernity. Unfortunately, distorted attitude towards money has now come to dominate public life in many of the traditional societies of Africa, Ethiopia not excepted! A country that has sacrificed a whole lot to bring about an ethical and just society (The Great Ethiopian Revolution of 1974) is now wallowing in a cesspool of narcissistic greed, corruption and widespread injustice, facilitated by degenerate polity in partnership within notorious oligarchs, both foreign and locals! As a result of this ill spawning taking place throughout all the regions of Ethiopia, resistance in form of mass uprisings seem to become the order of the day. We sincerely believe certain things are way beyond repair in Ethiopia and they must be completely dismantled with a view to effect a more transparent and equitable governance. Trying to sweep all major problems (along with the sheeple’s grievances) under the rug might not cut it anymore!