The entire cabinet must be reshuffled for the good of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe needs a Major reshuffle as soon as now to get it moving again. In the inauguration speech the previous year ED had pledged to hit the ground running. The team has been assembled for the running but their legs are not reaching the ground. The ground is available the running has started but unfortunately you can not see the speed and  the direction. At least for now.     very few ministers can justify their existence. A major reshuffle is needed in order to get our economic woes sorted.  

Reshuffles are a chance to revive the fortunes of a President-by changing the faces of his Cabinet and Government. It is again a chance to get the policies implemented and to put people at a level they have long expected. Zimbabwe's cabinet offered much but delivered less; the occupants of key Cabinet positions may have remained in place after all but they are struggling to hit the ground. Government's big beasts may stand their ground, seemingly immovable. But with way government has performed in these nine months  the most prominent and strong ministers may exit the Cabinet. They will do better as advisors and not clogging the positions. Most ministers have done so well in downing gallons of wine but no relevance to the task at hand. The optics of reshuffle must not become at this point, about increasing diversity. It must not tell the real diversity story of the reshuffle, nor make an adequate case for diversity in the executive. Increasing diversity in the Cabinet appears to be of increasing importance to leaders and has been shown to have beneficial impacts on both policy outcomes and political participation. However, The President must not miss the chance to make a lasting impact on diversity at the highest echelons of Zimbabwe government. Diversity must not be above efficiency. The current ministers have not started to run even though they have hit the ground. There are some ministry's who have performed so well that they should be allowed to finish what they have started and we have those who only talk about their proximity to the president and nothing else.  There are off course few professional cadres who have shown an impact since they were appointed ministers.   

ED must overtly frame his reshuffle around the appeal for increasing economic growth in his refreshed administration.  He must create a war cabinet which is ready to pull this country out of the doll drums it finds itself in. The image that must capture this most explicitly should be the courage and a bold move to remove friends and relatives and replace them with a wide and national representative cabinet.  The president must be surrounded by an all hardworking group of government whips. Zimbabwe needs a government that "looks more like the country it serves". It must not be tilting on one region or province. It must not be a provincial affair but a national issue.

The president must show a repeated imagery which again will show how gender – i.e. women – is now a salient representational criterion in choosing Cabinets; descriptively in terms of the numbers of women; and symbolically, for what it 'says' about the President the Government, and the party of government. It suggests that increasing the number of women in Cabinets is regarded as beneficial by political leaders. And rightly so. There is a strong and positive symbolic impact of having more women, at least in the initial post-election Cabinet. It can 'stand for' a feminist, modern, and 'in touch' President. A higher proportion of women in Cabinet will also increase women's conventional political participation – and this effect is stronger than the effect of more women in Parliament.

That said, increasing the numbers of women in government (as in the parliament) does not go uncontested. Positive optics around diversity can lead to a backlash. This should be a positive image, but it must not be abmassacre of the middle-aged men.

Of course we must have more women in government but they must be there on merit alone not as 'token women' promoted simply because of their sex nor at the cost of 'more talented' men. This is a familiar trope against any equality measures designed to increase the representation of women in politics. There is little evidence of any qualification gap between quota and non-quota men and women – less qualified women are not being promoted at the expense of more talented candidates. Moreover, women elected by quotas are as effective as men once in office. In fact, there is some evidence that quotas can enhance merit as more qualified candidates are selected.
If the merit argument has little basis for understanding Cabinet appointments, the 'demise of the middle-aged man' is also massively overstated. The optics around diversity do not translate into reality, nor would we end up with a government that "looks more like the country it serves." After reshuffle, the face of the Cabinet ministers must not remain the same.

If we broaden out to the government overall, there should be some evidence of positive change:
ED should instigate a change in Zimbabwean politics snd economic page.

To avoid criticism, the president must match or surpass the number of hard workers appointed by his successor thus creating a 'concrete floor' of a minimum number of those who know what they are doing in Cabinet.
And these floors are not always set by leftist parties. So, if ED follows through on his promise and appoints a more purposeful Cabinet he might be able to effect change beyond his own administration.  The times we are in as a country are desperate and they need desperate measures. We cannot manage any further suffering. The party must play a very important role in the country. It must control the direction of things.

The reshuffle must show that the party still has people at heart and as a party we can still be able to direct our economy to our advantage.

The appointment of young ministers will suggest the potential to have some 'floor' effect. But this will require a certain steadfastness in the face of the expected backlash from the vampires in Zimbabwe's politics and the media.

We have already seen the exit of Dr Gumbo and the entrance of Fortune Chasi. There was almost a sharp reaction to Chasis appointment as he was sabotaged as soon as he enters the arena. The big oil dealers were determined to have him fail in the tracks. However within few days fuel situation changed. Chasi needs the support of all stake holders and even those in the opposition must pull together in order to get out of this mess.
This reshuffle will be under the microscope and will show the seriousness of the party in these appointments.

The ministry of Finance is a thorny issue. With our economy now it is not healthy for the Reserve bank governor and minister to be at each other's throat. It shows we are going nowhere as far as our economic  situation is concerned.

The reshuffle must be a turning point for Zimbabwe. We are past the time of politicking. We need action.
Ministers who have been reported for corruption must not be anywhere near the cabinet. This reshuffle must be a new start. ED must rise beyond the problems we are facing now and come up with a war cabinet to term the runaway economy.

The reshuffle must be reshuffle not a mere rotation
While the country waits anxiously there is one sector where business is booming. This is the witch doctors. Prophets and fortune tellers. Prospective ministers are now tripping each other rushing to prophets in order to boost their chances of being appointed ministers. The country must not be governed on spiritual superstitions  but on reality.  

The future of the nation is cemented to this reshuffle. If as a party we get this right then the opposition becomes history.

All the rumors of revolt will be squashed in a one blow called reshuffle.
It is not fully right to play the same team which is failing. The president has a big pull of patriots who are willing to move the country to better heights. Zimbabwe is the only country we can call ours in the whole world.
The hope of the nation is vested in the decision the president makes today.

We must say goodbye to those who are not putting their country first. Zimbabwe needs dedicated cabinet.
Most of the efforts of the president are not complimented by those who are paid to do so. A number of ministers are strangers in their posts. It is high time that they need to be retired for the sake of the nation. The vision of the president is beamed with darkness if there is no implementation in the structures.
 
This is the time ZANU PF must direct the government. It must live up to its moto as a party of excellency and cover its people with the blanket of protection.

Zimbabwe is in capable hands and these hands must be complemented.    

Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk