Opinion / Columnist
Zanu-PF is as hungry for power as ever
08 Dec 2014 at 04:28hrs | Views
The country's economic meltdown remains the greatest challenge facing the nation. The Zanu-PF congress has come up with nothing concrete to address this problem.
The congress was held under the theme under, Accelerated Implementation of Zim Asset. The economic plan was launched as the flagship policy in Zanu-PF's 2013 election manifesto; it is now one and half years since the party "won" the elections and still the plan is yet to be implemented.
Only one thing has delayed the implementation of ZimAsset - the money. The plan called for $27 billion to fund the country's crumbling and/or inadequate economic infrastructure following the decades of neglect this was to be bolstered by billions of dollars in foreign direct investment (FDI) creating most of the 2 million jobs the regime promised by 2018.
The Chinese has committed $4 billion in infrastructural development and the Russian have signed a deal worth $3 billion for a mining project; nothing near the $27 billion expected. As for the FDI not a penny; most investors have shied away because of the country's indigenisation law forcing them to cede 51% shares to a local partner hand-picked for them by the regime.
Congress has acknowledge the indigenisation law is flawed but even if the regime was to scrap the law no investors will trust the regime to honour its own law – such is the reputation of this Zanu-PF regime.
The key to the country's economic recovery is addressing the chronic problems of mismanagement and corrupt; nothing of any meaning will ever be accomplished until these cancerous tumours killing the economy are removed. Mugabe made the usual promises to deal with corruption which he has never followed up with action; how can he, when he is the Medusa's head on which all the snakes of corruption grow.
Congress has done absolutely nothing to address any of the problems behind the economic meltdown the nation is facing.
"(Congress) Applauds the President and First Secretary, R. G Mugabe for spearheading the conceptualisation and formulation of Zim-Asset, a home grown and indigenous economic blueprint for empowerment, national development and resuscitation of the economic fortunes of this great country," stated the congress report.
The truth is, no thinking Zimbabwean expect this congress to come up with any real solutions to the nation's total economic meltdown. The regime has grudgingly acknowledge the economy needs "resuscitation" but would not accept it was the decades of misrule that had knocked the stuffing out of the economy. Mugabe told the congress delegates it is the sanctions imposed by the west.
As long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF remain in power the economic meltdown will only get worse. Make no mistake, the ruthlessness of the power struggle in Zanu-PF of the last few months shows that Mugabe and his colleagues are more determined than ever to hang on to power. The economic meltdown and the near certainty of abject poverty for all those who have been purged will only strengthen the resolve of the winning faction to do everything in their power to hang on to power.
Unemployment is already a nauseating 90% plus, 16% or 2 million Zimbabweans are already living in abject poverty, etc. the prospect of the economic situation getting even worse than this is therefore simply unthinkable.
So we have on the one hand a regime more desperate than ever to hang on to power and on the other hand the economic reality of an economic meltdown that is already causing heart-breaking hardship on the populous but set to get even worse as long as the regime remains in power. This is a collision course of an unstopped force against an immovable object. Something has to give here.
We can end the crisis in an orderly way by Zanu-PF stepping down to allow holding fresh free and fair elections. However, the longer this chaotic situation continues; the greater the chance of the nation sliding into a violent social upheaval to end it. There is so much suffering people can be asked to endure before they say enough is enough and revolt; Zimbabweans have suffered greatly already and yet kept peace, it is most unwise to test their endurance to breaking point because the floodgates of their bottled anger and frustration may overwhelm us all!
The congress was held under the theme under, Accelerated Implementation of Zim Asset. The economic plan was launched as the flagship policy in Zanu-PF's 2013 election manifesto; it is now one and half years since the party "won" the elections and still the plan is yet to be implemented.
Only one thing has delayed the implementation of ZimAsset - the money. The plan called for $27 billion to fund the country's crumbling and/or inadequate economic infrastructure following the decades of neglect this was to be bolstered by billions of dollars in foreign direct investment (FDI) creating most of the 2 million jobs the regime promised by 2018.
The Chinese has committed $4 billion in infrastructural development and the Russian have signed a deal worth $3 billion for a mining project; nothing near the $27 billion expected. As for the FDI not a penny; most investors have shied away because of the country's indigenisation law forcing them to cede 51% shares to a local partner hand-picked for them by the regime.
Congress has acknowledge the indigenisation law is flawed but even if the regime was to scrap the law no investors will trust the regime to honour its own law – such is the reputation of this Zanu-PF regime.
The key to the country's economic recovery is addressing the chronic problems of mismanagement and corrupt; nothing of any meaning will ever be accomplished until these cancerous tumours killing the economy are removed. Mugabe made the usual promises to deal with corruption which he has never followed up with action; how can he, when he is the Medusa's head on which all the snakes of corruption grow.
Congress has done absolutely nothing to address any of the problems behind the economic meltdown the nation is facing.
"(Congress) Applauds the President and First Secretary, R. G Mugabe for spearheading the conceptualisation and formulation of Zim-Asset, a home grown and indigenous economic blueprint for empowerment, national development and resuscitation of the economic fortunes of this great country," stated the congress report.
The truth is, no thinking Zimbabwean expect this congress to come up with any real solutions to the nation's total economic meltdown. The regime has grudgingly acknowledge the economy needs "resuscitation" but would not accept it was the decades of misrule that had knocked the stuffing out of the economy. Mugabe told the congress delegates it is the sanctions imposed by the west.
As long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF remain in power the economic meltdown will only get worse. Make no mistake, the ruthlessness of the power struggle in Zanu-PF of the last few months shows that Mugabe and his colleagues are more determined than ever to hang on to power. The economic meltdown and the near certainty of abject poverty for all those who have been purged will only strengthen the resolve of the winning faction to do everything in their power to hang on to power.
Unemployment is already a nauseating 90% plus, 16% or 2 million Zimbabweans are already living in abject poverty, etc. the prospect of the economic situation getting even worse than this is therefore simply unthinkable.
So we have on the one hand a regime more desperate than ever to hang on to power and on the other hand the economic reality of an economic meltdown that is already causing heart-breaking hardship on the populous but set to get even worse as long as the regime remains in power. This is a collision course of an unstopped force against an immovable object. Something has to give here.
We can end the crisis in an orderly way by Zanu-PF stepping down to allow holding fresh free and fair elections. However, the longer this chaotic situation continues; the greater the chance of the nation sliding into a violent social upheaval to end it. There is so much suffering people can be asked to endure before they say enough is enough and revolt; Zimbabweans have suffered greatly already and yet kept peace, it is most unwise to test their endurance to breaking point because the floodgates of their bottled anger and frustration may overwhelm us all!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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