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babwe election, Robert Mugabe.
But that support bad been costly.
Sanctions against the old Rhode–
sian government had cost Mo–
zambique $550 million. Its terri–
tory had suffered 350 cross bor–
der reprisal raids (Mr. Mugabe's
"freedom fighters" attacked from
Mozambique).
Mozambique was more inten–
sively involved in Britain's Lan–
caster House settlement of the
Rhodesian crisis tban any other
so-called "Front-line S tate."
President Machel leaned heavily
on Mr. Mugabe to go through
with the negotiation leading to
elections and independence.
Confllc t l ng l deologles
Both Jeaders Mache! and Mu–
gabe had depended upon the
chief "foreign aid" of the Com–
munist world-military arms- to
help secure their political posi–
tions. But both now accept the
fact, howbeit reluctantly, that
only Western technology, exper–
tise and at least sorne prívate
enterprise (in a so-called "mixed
economy") can lead the way to
economic development.
They have only to look at
Angola, where tbe revolutionary
Jeaders are complaining about
the paucity of economic aid from
Eastern-bloc countries. Angola,
too, is turning to the West for
economic assistance.
Capitalism has its weaknesses .
Western-style, democratic free
enterprise is difficult to engraft
on traditional, essentially tribal
societies. But rigid socialism is
nawed too-even more so. As
Winston Churchill once quipped:
"The inherent vice of capitalism
is the unequal sharing of bless–
ings while the inherent virtue of
socialism is the equal sharing of
miseries."
The
Rand Daily Mail.
an
influential newspaper widely read
throughout Southern Africa,
praised President Machel's
"pragmatic realism." In an edito–
rial it said:
"Socialism may have a lot of
emotional appeal for African
nationalists, as indeed it does for
have-not peoples everywhere. But
this appeal is proving ephemeral
August 1980
because in reality socialism fails
to produce the wealth the under-
' developed world so desperately
needs. Africa's success stories–
Kenya, Nigeria, the lvory
Coast-have all been based on
the free enterprise system, and
this message now appears to be
getiing through to the rest.
"But there is a lesson for capi–
talism too. The reaction against
tbe free enterprise system was
largely because blacks identified
it with colonialism and racialism.
If
it is to take root in Africa it
must shake off this identification,
and in other ways, too, acquire
greater empathy with the people
of this continent."
Better t o Adap t
President Mache! and Prime Min–
ister Mugabe show no intention of
blindly following doctrinaire so–
cialism practiced in other parts of
Africa, such as in neighboring
Tanzania. There, unbending com–
mitment to collectivization, espe–
cially in agriculture, has resulted
in a demoralizcd nation ranked
among the 17 poorest countries of
tbe world. Its leadership is criti–
cized as having a "begging-bowl"
mentality. Half of Tanzania's
annual budget is supplied by
Western aid and grants.
Better to adapt than to stick to
unproven principies, believe the
leaders of Mozambique and Zim–
babwe.
The editors of the magazine
To The Point
praiscd Samora
Machel for being willing to admit
that, as they put it, "his people
cannot eat the philosophy of Karl
Marx, nor can his economics be
stimulated without expertise, a
commodity denied him when he
slaughtered the golden goose
[when the Portuguese left]."
A newspaper in South Africa
added: "As has been shown
worldwide, when you eliminate
prívate enterprise you remove the
incentive to work, to improve, to
excel. When the opportunity for
personal gain is removed, so is
motivation and the need to
achieve. An unfortunate human
trait, perhaps, but a trait nev–
ertheless and one that líes at the
root of the failure of socialism.
lndolence does not feed people.
"A remarkable example that
bears this out-is the fact that
one American farmer produces
enough food to feed 75 people
wbile one Russian farmer pro–
duces only enough to feed 1
O
people. Is it any wonder, then,
that Russia must import grain
from America? And is it any
wonder that Robert Mugabe is
pursuing such a moderate course
in Rhodesia? He has the ruins of
Mozambique, Tanzania and
others in Africa to learn from."
Yet t o Come-Best Syst em of All
Leaders such as Mr. Mache! and
Mr. Mugabe have displayed
courage in their willingness to
admit mistakes and to break out
of fixed positions and try proveo
methods to make life more beara–
ble, and it is to be hoped, eventu–
ally even comfortable for their
peoples.
The editors of
The Plain Truth
are not party to any particular
political ideology or economic
"ism" of
chis world.
Tbe purpose
of this magazine is to proclaim, in
print, the good news of the com–
ing government of God- the
Kingdom of God.
The economic philosophy of the
World Tomorrow will be neither
free-wheeling
/aissez-faire
capi–
talism nor initiative-stifiing col–
lectivism.
Jt
wi/1
be government
from the top down- yet its citizens
will enjoy freedom, own property,
and have abundant opportunity to
develop their "talents" (Matthew
25: 14-30) and "pounds" (Luke
19:11-27) to the full. Wealth will
abound as never befare in his–
tory- but never again at the self–
ish expense of either other humans
or the environment. The poor will
be instructed in the seven Jaws of
success.
As
Plain Truth
Editor-in–
Chief Herbert W. Armstrong has
said: "lt is nota sin to be rich but
it is a sin to covet riches, or to put
your heart on material things.
Our God is a multibillionaire
heavenly Father ... and He
wants every child of His to truly
prosper . .. God wants fulness ,
abundance in every life."
That indeed
is
good news.
o
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