Uncertainty ahead

THE country is flying into a new year on the back of a weakly mandated government, a promise to hold elections, and mounting uncertainty from within and without. The year 2024 is when a new window of opportunity will open to reckon with all the ailments that brought us to this pass. But for that to happen, an elected government needs to enter, on time, and without the allegations of rigging that are already mounting with each passing day. No economic recovery is possible without a credible government in place. This is easy enough to see and those who think that the present moment of stability represents an economic recovery need to understand their mistake. The economy came near default in the year 2023. But it rapidly pulled back from the brink in July once the Stand-by Arrangement with the IMF began. The massive price adjustments undertaken under that programme saw the price of electricity skyrocket, nearly doubling for some category of consumers, followed by the price of gas.