Opinion / Columnist
Early elections will make Zimbabwe working again
15 Jul 2011 at 13:03hrs | Views
National governance goes beyond the scope of any political party in any particular given society. A political party is a minor organisation composed of a defined ideological thrust which is backed by its supporters and sympathizers who keep its morale high.
Upon entry into government on February 11, 2009, Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) failed to re-align itself into the new dispensation of the changed status quo in which they are now core government partners. They chiefly, up to now consider themselves as an opposition political entity seeking to criticize all government policies indiscriminately. They sit in government where policy issues are tabled, discussed and debated, and ultimately resolutions made. When they go out into Harvest House, their headquarters they re-table the same issues and come up with a hyper-active oppositional stance.
This makes implementation of government programmes difficult, if not impossible, because government ministers from MDC-T are paying more allegiance to party instructions than the government which is a critical state arm coined to run the affairs of Zimbabwe on behalf of its population.
We are certain that when all ministers were sworn into the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, they took oath pledging to pay allegiance to this nation, not to their political parties. There should be clear-cut distinction between party business and the government.
At the moment all ruling political parties in the inclusive government, which is ZANU-PF, MDC-T and MDC-N are equal partners in terms of running national affairs. But it seems MDC-T is a dissent partner who is habitually at variance with other players. They criticize anything as if they are still an opposition party as was their position before inception of the inclusive government in February 2009. Maybe someone forget to remind them that they are no longer an opposition party but a government partner.
Professor Jonathan Moyo categorically states that, "Tsvangirai and his MDC faction cannot be an opposition and a ruling-party at the same time. The fact that the MDC-T and its leader continue to use opposition tactics while they are in government clearly shows that they are inherently subversive and should be treated as such."
The unilateral actions of Prime Minister Tsvangirai and His Finance Minister Tendai Biti, in their failure to honour a cabinet decision, to increase civil servants salaries is a typical example of MDC-T defiance on government in preference to selfish party decisions on the contrary. How can a government partner begrudge its own workforce that way?
Civil servants are the most critical and indispensible workforce in Zimbabwe. Civil servants serve all sections (public and private) of society on a daily basis. For instance, enforcement of laws, health services delivery, running educational institutions, national security, national welfare, registration of business entities, administration of pubic funds and collection of national revenue among other critical roles. The corporate world depend on civil servants in serving their needs in various capacities.
All national laws that enable us to enjoy the rule of law in Zimbabwe are implemented and monitored by civil servants. They are also tools for the implementation of all government policies. Therefore, they are the turbines of national development and its growth. Then one wonders if these novice government partners are fully aware of this. Frustrating civil servants is synonymous with frustrating national development. This explains why corruption is rampant in government institutions where citizens are requested to pay incentives to civil servants who will be serving them. A country is not supposed to create such an artificial scenario that instigates sprouting of corrupt tendencies as a safety valve for its workers.
These are some of the issues which are making the inclusive government a failure. Some of its players are busy serving narrow political gains at the expense of national growth. This justifies ZANU-PF call for early elections so as to redress this chaotic scenario whereby one partners rubbishes all rational government decisions just to brandish false power to the public. Let elections come! Those tumbling upon people's welfare and interests should be shown the exit where they should perish in abyss.
The MDC-T invited sanctions still continue to ram havoc on ordinary citizens in Zimbabwe. Its part of the Global Political Agreement obligation that, MDC-T is mandated to lobby for the removal of sanctions. But there is shouting and disappointing lack of willingness and commitment by Tsvangirai and his bandwagon of admirers of the West's imperialistic tendencies to lobby for their removal.
They are actually calling for more stringent measures to be incorporated against Zimbabwe according a leaked European Union document recently. MDC-T believes keeping sanctions in place will make them garner more votes. "They (MDC-T) are capitalizing on making the population suffer so as to promote a protest vote. Protesting against whom? One who invites sanctions which sting the born and the unborn or one who employs use of empowerment programmes that are meant to improve human life? Surely one who invites economic embargoes is worse than a witch who thrives on causing bad omen on innocent people!" said Ernest Gavazi a University of Zimbabwe Bachelor of Science in Economics graduate who is struggling to get a job since he left college three years ago.
MDC-T and their western allies are the worst enemies of the inclusive government in Zimbabwe. GPA partners agreed to call upon the governments that are hosting and/or funding external radio stations broadcasting into Zimbabwe like Studio 7 and Voice of the People, resident in United States of America and Netherlands respectively, to cease such hosting and funding. As well as encouraging Zimbabweans running or working for such external radio stations broadcasting into Zimbabwe to return to Zimbabwe and operate locally. These are notorious MDC-T propaganda mouthpieces which are used to fane hate speech and to whip violent emotions which normally degenerate into political violence.
Partson, an MDC-T activist laments an insatiable appetite for violence in his party when he said, "Ugly scenes took place recently in this town (Chinhoyi) when two factions clashed over trivialities. One violent group which calls itself Zvinguruve clashed with another called Zvipani. This magnitude of internal squabbles is tearing apart the strength of my party surely. It seems even my party president Tsvangirai is not even capable of dealing with this problem expeditiously. This has been going on for too long now since the run-up to Bulawayo Congress."
This pirate media peddles hate speech in defiance to local laws. Since they are not accountable to Zimbabwe, but to the western enemies of our country, they continue to infringe upon the rights of our society. So where are we going as a nation if we cannot set-up structures that satisfy our aspirations to prop-up our hard earned independence? For how long should we accept to be willing victims of neo-colonialism? Yes we need to associate with the West especially in this era of globalization. But, we cannot allow them to dictate to us what and how we can run the affairs of our country. They should remain faithful partners who respect our sovereign rights as we transact mutually.
The Minister of Finance Mr Tendai Biti is grudgingly disbursing insignificant funds for the empowerment and indigenisation programmes. This programme is meant to facilitate local people to buy a 51% stake in the foreign owned business entities leaving 49% for the owner(s). This partnering is meant to transfer the means of production to the local population to ensure economic emancipation of Zimbabweans in addition to political independence attained on April 18, 1980. "Then if one Zimbabwean resists total independence of his people, then what does someone stands for in our government?" said Robert Moyo a social commentator when he was looking at the actions of the finance minister.
A government is supposed to speak with one voice as well as implementing its policies perfectly well without dissentient motives meant to achieve parallel interests at the detriment of its people. United we stand! Divided we fall!
Upon entry into government on February 11, 2009, Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) failed to re-align itself into the new dispensation of the changed status quo in which they are now core government partners. They chiefly, up to now consider themselves as an opposition political entity seeking to criticize all government policies indiscriminately. They sit in government where policy issues are tabled, discussed and debated, and ultimately resolutions made. When they go out into Harvest House, their headquarters they re-table the same issues and come up with a hyper-active oppositional stance.
This makes implementation of government programmes difficult, if not impossible, because government ministers from MDC-T are paying more allegiance to party instructions than the government which is a critical state arm coined to run the affairs of Zimbabwe on behalf of its population.
We are certain that when all ministers were sworn into the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, they took oath pledging to pay allegiance to this nation, not to their political parties. There should be clear-cut distinction between party business and the government.
At the moment all ruling political parties in the inclusive government, which is ZANU-PF, MDC-T and MDC-N are equal partners in terms of running national affairs. But it seems MDC-T is a dissent partner who is habitually at variance with other players. They criticize anything as if they are still an opposition party as was their position before inception of the inclusive government in February 2009. Maybe someone forget to remind them that they are no longer an opposition party but a government partner.
Professor Jonathan Moyo categorically states that, "Tsvangirai and his MDC faction cannot be an opposition and a ruling-party at the same time. The fact that the MDC-T and its leader continue to use opposition tactics while they are in government clearly shows that they are inherently subversive and should be treated as such."
The unilateral actions of Prime Minister Tsvangirai and His Finance Minister Tendai Biti, in their failure to honour a cabinet decision, to increase civil servants salaries is a typical example of MDC-T defiance on government in preference to selfish party decisions on the contrary. How can a government partner begrudge its own workforce that way?
Civil servants are the most critical and indispensible workforce in Zimbabwe. Civil servants serve all sections (public and private) of society on a daily basis. For instance, enforcement of laws, health services delivery, running educational institutions, national security, national welfare, registration of business entities, administration of pubic funds and collection of national revenue among other critical roles. The corporate world depend on civil servants in serving their needs in various capacities.
These are some of the issues which are making the inclusive government a failure. Some of its players are busy serving narrow political gains at the expense of national growth. This justifies ZANU-PF call for early elections so as to redress this chaotic scenario whereby one partners rubbishes all rational government decisions just to brandish false power to the public. Let elections come! Those tumbling upon people's welfare and interests should be shown the exit where they should perish in abyss.
The MDC-T invited sanctions still continue to ram havoc on ordinary citizens in Zimbabwe. Its part of the Global Political Agreement obligation that, MDC-T is mandated to lobby for the removal of sanctions. But there is shouting and disappointing lack of willingness and commitment by Tsvangirai and his bandwagon of admirers of the West's imperialistic tendencies to lobby for their removal.
They are actually calling for more stringent measures to be incorporated against Zimbabwe according a leaked European Union document recently. MDC-T believes keeping sanctions in place will make them garner more votes. "They (MDC-T) are capitalizing on making the population suffer so as to promote a protest vote. Protesting against whom? One who invites sanctions which sting the born and the unborn or one who employs use of empowerment programmes that are meant to improve human life? Surely one who invites economic embargoes is worse than a witch who thrives on causing bad omen on innocent people!" said Ernest Gavazi a University of Zimbabwe Bachelor of Science in Economics graduate who is struggling to get a job since he left college three years ago.
MDC-T and their western allies are the worst enemies of the inclusive government in Zimbabwe. GPA partners agreed to call upon the governments that are hosting and/or funding external radio stations broadcasting into Zimbabwe like Studio 7 and Voice of the People, resident in United States of America and Netherlands respectively, to cease such hosting and funding. As well as encouraging Zimbabweans running or working for such external radio stations broadcasting into Zimbabwe to return to Zimbabwe and operate locally. These are notorious MDC-T propaganda mouthpieces which are used to fane hate speech and to whip violent emotions which normally degenerate into political violence.
Partson, an MDC-T activist laments an insatiable appetite for violence in his party when he said, "Ugly scenes took place recently in this town (Chinhoyi) when two factions clashed over trivialities. One violent group which calls itself Zvinguruve clashed with another called Zvipani. This magnitude of internal squabbles is tearing apart the strength of my party surely. It seems even my party president Tsvangirai is not even capable of dealing with this problem expeditiously. This has been going on for too long now since the run-up to Bulawayo Congress."
This pirate media peddles hate speech in defiance to local laws. Since they are not accountable to Zimbabwe, but to the western enemies of our country, they continue to infringe upon the rights of our society. So where are we going as a nation if we cannot set-up structures that satisfy our aspirations to prop-up our hard earned independence? For how long should we accept to be willing victims of neo-colonialism? Yes we need to associate with the West especially in this era of globalization. But, we cannot allow them to dictate to us what and how we can run the affairs of our country. They should remain faithful partners who respect our sovereign rights as we transact mutually.
The Minister of Finance Mr Tendai Biti is grudgingly disbursing insignificant funds for the empowerment and indigenisation programmes. This programme is meant to facilitate local people to buy a 51% stake in the foreign owned business entities leaving 49% for the owner(s). This partnering is meant to transfer the means of production to the local population to ensure economic emancipation of Zimbabweans in addition to political independence attained on April 18, 1980. "Then if one Zimbabwean resists total independence of his people, then what does someone stands for in our government?" said Robert Moyo a social commentator when he was looking at the actions of the finance minister.
A government is supposed to speak with one voice as well as implementing its policies perfectly well without dissentient motives meant to achieve parallel interests at the detriment of its people. United we stand! Divided we fall!
Source - Global Network
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