No to stadiums, fix Limbe Market and other markets

President Peter Mutharika is obsessed with power. He is so high on it that like any politician during this campaign period he will promise us anything.

APM like every politician knows that the key to winning elections is to make great promises. But is he making a great promise by saying he will construct two new stadiums for Big Bullets and Nomads? Do we, folks on the street, really need more sports stadiums?

I know that sports stadiums give people pride and a sense of community. Some proponents—especially BB and Nomads supporters—say that constructing new sports facilities for the two teams is justified because of the economic impact it will have on the community in Blantyre. They cite jobs, beauty, pride and other benefits that come with stadiums.

Well that’s their view but sports stadiums are huge construction projects that require huge resource envelopes. Who the hell is going to fund these petty projects? Is the President going to use his resources or it’s your tax money?

Of what use will these stadiums be after a match or during Super League off season? On the streets, the key question has been what opportunity cost is our great leader thinking of to make the stadiums self sustaining? Will they be turned into markets, carwash, salons, public restaurants or be hired out for trade fair and weddings? These, ladies and gentlemen, are the questions this government must answer.

An important pitfall when considering the economic impact of stadiums is the failure to include opportunity costs. Bingu National Stadium is a great example.

The opportunity cost is the value of the next-best alternative. In the case of sports stadiums, both “seen” and “unseen” economic activity should be considered.  In the case of the proposed BB and Nomads stadiums we see no benefit apart from the selfish goal of winning votes on May 21.

This is why we ask our dear leader to fund Limbe Market where merchants have to improvise to keep their goods safe. The market, which is a reflection of the state of our markets today, is in total disrepair. The roof has caved in and leaks like an old bucket. It has no proper drainage system and the waste generated go months without being collected. Its toilets stink like a dysfunctional morgue full of uncollected bodies.

The market which used to be vibrant is today a muddy marsh of dirty water. To imagine that residents still buy food from the market makes my stomach turn. Yet we have a President who is so obsessed with power and is willing to waste State funds on new stadiums.

On the streets, we oppose the new stadiums with all our hearts because BB and Nomads as sports businesses should not be subsidised. Rather than subsidising their sports stadiums, APM government could finance other projects such as infrastructure or education that have the potential to increase productivity and promote economic growth. n