Michael Amushelelo: fighting capitalism or the man?

Between the 9th and 15th centuries, feudalism was the main economic system in Europe and certain parts of East Africa. However, feudalism was more of a political structure than an economic system.

According to Collins Dictionary, feudalism was a system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank and worked and fought for them in return.

The system exploited the labour of the peasants, called “serfs”, who worked the land but could not own any land. In this political / economic system, a peasant would remain a peasant, no matter how hard they worked.

The masses eventually opposed the unjust feudal system. Feudalism was replaced by a better-suited economic system: capitalism, in the early 19th century. In contrast, unlike feudalism, capitalism is said to provide material growth incentives for innovation and hard work for individuals regardless of the social status they were born into.

Dominant system

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) describes capitalism as “an economic system in which private actors own and control property in accord with their interests and demand and supply freely set prices in markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society.”

Popular capitalist countries include the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Botswana. One can identify many African countries as capitalist, even though, constitutionally, they may not be so.

While capitalism is the dominant economic system in the world today, according to historical records, communism and socialism have given it formidable competition when it comes to governing systems. While both communism and socialism work towards creating equality through abolishing class privilege, communism appears more authoritarian while socialism practises democracy.

Today, the Republic of China is a perfect example of a socialist country ruled by the Communist Party of China, while Cuba, which is ruled by the Communist Party of Cuba, has been an example of communism.

And, despite being a strong communist country, Russia’s economic system has been difficult to pinpoint since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Karl Marx, who is regarded as the founder of communism, heavily criticised capitalism, arguing that “capitalist production, therefore, develops technology and the combining together of various processes into a social whole, only by sapping the original sources of all wealth – the soil and the labourer.”

Big corporations exploit the land for natural resources while exploiting the people for cheap labour. The virtue of working, whether on the land or in a trade, is to sustain oneself. To have basic needs met and not lack essentials. However, the current worker, even though they work more than before, can hardly sustain themselves from their earnings, at the expense of the employers who reap the profits.

Profits

The first page of the capitalist bible reads, “Thou shalt make profit.”

The cold fact is that profit cannot be attained through paying fair wages. So while the working class works harder and still struggles to pay for their basic needs, the business owners work less and yet collect enourmous profits, only to spend the money on needless wants.

Michael Amushelelo has been leading a revolution for the working class, fighting major corporations such as the Shoprite group of companies. At face value, Amushelelo appears to confront greedy business owners who refuse to pay fair wages and treat their employees with dignity.

But in retrospect, Amushelelo is fighting capitalism.

Unfortunately, the capitalist who prides himself or herself on achieving “the bottom line” will never pay workers fair wages as this would reduce their wealth.

Nevertheless, the masses are tired of the rat race, slavering for wages that do not last past the third day of the month while the rich get richer.

Karl Marx predicated that capitalism would eventually self-destruct as workers would protest against working conditions and naturally lead into communism.

“The worker of the world has nothing to lose, but their chains, workers of the world unite.”

System suited to needs

We have heard Amushelelo utter the exact same sentiments at protests, either because he is a follower of Marx or, perhaps, because the current conditions naturally force such sentiments out of him.

The Swapo party was founded on socialist ideals but is said to have adopted capitalist ideologies since independence until 2018, when it adopted socialist principles.

In 2021, President Hage Geingob was quoted in the local media under the headline, “Adopting socialism was a mistake –Geingob,” stressing the fact that although the Swapo ruling party aligns with socialist ideologies, “its leaders and ordinary members are not living up to these standards.”

Despite various revolutions in the past, capitalism appears to resemble a cat with nine lives: it survives.

But in 2023, after the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, high levels of unemployment, rising costs of living, increased work-related mental health challenges, weakening social provision systems, high levels of corruption, especially amongst those entrusted with leadership, etc., do these conditions point to a failure of the current economic system?

Albert Einstein was a founding member of the liberally-inclined German Democratic Party in 1918. But surprisingly, later in his life, it is said that Einstein denounced capitalism, arguing that capitalism was the real source of evil.

Just as Einstein changed his mind on capitalism when conditions forced him to, is it perhaps time for Namibia to either properly adopt and implement socialism or develop an economic system that is better suited to the current needs of our people?

The question we need to ask is: for how long will Michael Amushelelo continue fighting individual business owners? Should the fight be to remodel the economic system in its entirety?

• Paulina N. Moses is a Namibian millennial mother to Naneni Ipito