The cost of negative politics

The destructive impact of hartals on the nation's economy has been self-evident, but none of the political parties seemingly put the nation's interest ahead of their own and forsake their use. Hartals devastate businesses and the harm is compounded by the fact that they act as a serious disincentive for both foreign and domestic investors to invest their capital in much-needed enterprises.

The opposition's stated reason for resorting to such measures is that the government allows no other space for the voicing of dissent. Not to legitimise the calling of hartals, but a good first step would be for the government to permit true parliamentary debate and not abuse the power of being in the majority by effectively silencing the opposition.

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Indeed, parliament appears to exist for the purpose of character assassination and the trading of accusations and insults. As a result of these negative politics, parliament does not come near to fulfilling its intended function, which is to be a forum where important matters that need to be addressed for the good of the country are debated and resolution reached.

Finally, extortion runs rampant and can be considered an additional tax on the cost of doing business in this country that has a negative impact on the economy. This too is a political problem, rooted in the political culture of nourishing criminals and colluding in criminality.

The ultimate result of the debasement of the political process is that it is the nation that suffers. These negative politics diminish us in the eyes of the world and, more to the point, have a destructive impact on the investment climate and the business environment. Both the government and the opposition must forsake the use of negative politics if the nation is to ever advance economically.