News / National
We need visionary MPs - Chimanikire
28 Jul 2016 at 07:08hrs | Views
MDC-T MP Gift Chimanikire has challenged the legislators to be visionary and stop being selfish in their making of the law to run the country.
Speaking in Parliament Chimanikire said people were angry with politicians whom they think they are no longer representing them but their own interests.
"We seem to be concentrating inwardly towards ourselves as politicians and not looking out there as to what we can contribute to the nation of Zimbabwe in terms of how to run the economy," he said.
"We need visionaries in this House and we need visionaries as politicians to lead this country. We must move beyond the past because we seem to be bogged in the past and not looking towards the future of where we want to take this country."
he said Zimbabwe can never be called a developing country when the infrastructure is stagnant it can never be called a developing country.
"For example, we should be tunneling into the future - just next door in South Africa, someone is talking about sanctions here we have drills and we have got everything, and you now have the underground train in Johannesburg, but what have you got here - a few TelOne wires going under Julius Nyerere Way and maybe Mukuvisi river going underneath Julius Nyerere Way," he said.
"That is the only thing we have got. We do not seem to be recognising what is happening in other developing countries. We could be generating jobs and incomes for various people if we were to indulge ourselves in the development of our country through our own ideas."
Chimanikire challenged any Member of Parliament to point a finger at one single millionaire who is as a result of the Indigenisation Policy that was passed in this Parliament several years ago.
"There is not a millionaire who is as a result of Indigenisation Policy that was passed in this Parliament several years ago. Has anyone benefited and there is no evidence and yet that is the key issue that is locking out Foreign Direct Investment into this country, it is not the sanctions. How can we go for 51%/ 49% when you do not even have the money? Even our banks do not have the money," he said.
"We are supposed to have created a Sovereign Fund that is supposed to fund people who want to buy shares into Indigenisation but we do not have it. So, where are we going? Mr. Speaker, history and experience has taught us that if we were to lower the threshold, some of the companies would even give us as a present 25%. Why go for 51% when there is no one who has got 51% to be able to buy shareholding not even into NRZ? I will come to that. We must Mr. Speaker, if we are going to end shortages of cash, be able to create and build alliances."
He said politicians were too aggressive towards those who could invest and help improve the performance of our economy.
"All we are doing is we send (Patrick) Chinamasa to Paris, London and the following day we are saying the French are actually conspirators into demonstrations that are going on in this country. Good Lord! Why did you send that man there to look for money and the news the previous night was saying the French are going to invest in agriculture in joint ventures," he said.
"Twenty four hours later, you accuse the French of masterminding the demonstrations in this country, are we mad? – [Laughter.]- Do we know what we are talking about? Why did we send a Minister there if we are going to be attacking them 24 hours later? What has happened to our intelligence sources there who should have informed us not to send anyone to Paris because those people are conspiring against us? We need political stability, sensibleness and soberness in this country, it is lacking."
Chimanikire said the issue of legacy is one thing that should be embedded in the culture of our country.
"I was listening to President Barack Obama when he received a question a few months ago to say, what is it that you would like to be your legacy when you leave the White House? The response was I will only know about my legacy ten years after I have retired from politics. The politicians in this country should learn to leave a legacy and not to die with their legacy having been known by anyone in this country. That is very important, if the future of our country is going to be developed and we also have to address the issue of technology. In fact, a few months ago we were talking about sending our children who have got so many ‘O' levels in sciences and so on, even funding that particular programme so that they learn about science," he said.
"We need to absorb science developments that are there and technology developments that are already there in this country. We need to utilise our scientist. One of the immediate solutions is we have nurses in excess in this country who have been trained but who are not employed. We have teachers in excess in this who have been trained but are not employed. We have graduates who have been trained that are not employed varikutengasa ma card apa ma juice card, but here we are, we sit here each and every year we cap 10 , 20 thousand and we make them sit at home."
Speaking in Parliament Chimanikire said people were angry with politicians whom they think they are no longer representing them but their own interests.
"We seem to be concentrating inwardly towards ourselves as politicians and not looking out there as to what we can contribute to the nation of Zimbabwe in terms of how to run the economy," he said.
"We need visionaries in this House and we need visionaries as politicians to lead this country. We must move beyond the past because we seem to be bogged in the past and not looking towards the future of where we want to take this country."
he said Zimbabwe can never be called a developing country when the infrastructure is stagnant it can never be called a developing country.
"For example, we should be tunneling into the future - just next door in South Africa, someone is talking about sanctions here we have drills and we have got everything, and you now have the underground train in Johannesburg, but what have you got here - a few TelOne wires going under Julius Nyerere Way and maybe Mukuvisi river going underneath Julius Nyerere Way," he said.
"That is the only thing we have got. We do not seem to be recognising what is happening in other developing countries. We could be generating jobs and incomes for various people if we were to indulge ourselves in the development of our country through our own ideas."
Chimanikire challenged any Member of Parliament to point a finger at one single millionaire who is as a result of the Indigenisation Policy that was passed in this Parliament several years ago.
"We are supposed to have created a Sovereign Fund that is supposed to fund people who want to buy shares into Indigenisation but we do not have it. So, where are we going? Mr. Speaker, history and experience has taught us that if we were to lower the threshold, some of the companies would even give us as a present 25%. Why go for 51% when there is no one who has got 51% to be able to buy shareholding not even into NRZ? I will come to that. We must Mr. Speaker, if we are going to end shortages of cash, be able to create and build alliances."
He said politicians were too aggressive towards those who could invest and help improve the performance of our economy.
"All we are doing is we send (Patrick) Chinamasa to Paris, London and the following day we are saying the French are actually conspirators into demonstrations that are going on in this country. Good Lord! Why did you send that man there to look for money and the news the previous night was saying the French are going to invest in agriculture in joint ventures," he said.
"Twenty four hours later, you accuse the French of masterminding the demonstrations in this country, are we mad? – [Laughter.]- Do we know what we are talking about? Why did we send a Minister there if we are going to be attacking them 24 hours later? What has happened to our intelligence sources there who should have informed us not to send anyone to Paris because those people are conspiring against us? We need political stability, sensibleness and soberness in this country, it is lacking."
Chimanikire said the issue of legacy is one thing that should be embedded in the culture of our country.
"I was listening to President Barack Obama when he received a question a few months ago to say, what is it that you would like to be your legacy when you leave the White House? The response was I will only know about my legacy ten years after I have retired from politics. The politicians in this country should learn to leave a legacy and not to die with their legacy having been known by anyone in this country. That is very important, if the future of our country is going to be developed and we also have to address the issue of technology. In fact, a few months ago we were talking about sending our children who have got so many ‘O' levels in sciences and so on, even funding that particular programme so that they learn about science," he said.
"We need to absorb science developments that are there and technology developments that are already there in this country. We need to utilise our scientist. One of the immediate solutions is we have nurses in excess in this country who have been trained but who are not employed. We have teachers in excess in this who have been trained but are not employed. We have graduates who have been trained that are not employed varikutengasa ma card apa ma juice card, but here we are, we sit here each and every year we cap 10 , 20 thousand and we make them sit at home."
Source - Byo24News
