Opinion / Columnist
Dangote investment rattles MDC-T
04 Sep 2015 at 09:10hrs | Views
President Robert Mugabe (R) shakes hands with Africa’s richest man, Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote (L) prior to their meeting at State House in Harare, on August 31 2015. AFP PHOTO/JEKESAI NJIKIZANA (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)
The ongoing remarks by the MDCs and other opposition elements in the civil society and the media over the indication by Aliko Dangote to invest in Zimbabwe expose them in a big way.
The richest man in Africa, Mr Dangote is set to invest billions of dollars in Zimbabwe's key economic enablers, namely mining, power generation and cement production. The investment is going to breathe a new lease of life in the economy and massive employment is set to be created.
The MDC-T, which has been thriving on crisis since its inception, is obviously not happy with such investment. The comments that they are generously peddling in their mouthpiece media are a testimony of their uneasiness. The MDC-T, Morgan Tsvangirai in particular, was all along boasting that President Mugabe would engage him into the second inclusive government. They wanted the economy to continue tumbling so as to achieve their sinister agenda.
The MDC-T and the private media have already rushed to sound false alarm to the Nigerian businessman. They are misleadingly warning him that if he were not careful, his money would go into a bottomless pit.
The Newsday editorial of 1 September 2015 averred that there was political instability in Zimbabwe that makes it dangerous for anyone to invest in this country. To say that there is political instability in Zimbabwe is quite mischievous and an exaggeration of the political situation in the country. Political instability only exists in the MDC factions. Probably the writer lives in different country. He could have written his story in Zimbabwe of Syria.
The media is at it again. Negative publicity is one of the major factors that contributed to investment fight in Zimbabwe. The media propagated falsehoods that circulated across the globe. The political situation then was inflated to an extent that people who never set foot in Zimbabwe thought people were eating each other. Those who later had the opportunity to visit the country confessed their prior ill-advised impression about Zimbabwe.
In other countries, it is a gross offence to cast your country in bad light that scares away investors. The US has the USA Patriot law that guard against the endangering of national security. In Uganda, there is a patriotism law that requires every Ugandan to, among other things, support all government development programs and defend national interests. Failure to do so leads to imprisonment or a fine.
Although it is ideal for patriotism to be an issue of feeling that comes from inside, appreciating the things that makes one celebrate and be proud of your country, I propose that such a law be introduced in this country. We cannot let some brainless opportunists scuttle national interests on account of petty political issues. It might sound very undemocratic but at times hard decisions have to be taken for the sake of national interests. Democracy and freedom have to be enjoyed with responsibility. In the US, which is the major benefactor of the MDC-T, political parties and even the media only differ on ideology but they tow the same line when it comes to national interest.
People must learn to draw a line between political interests and national interests. The effects of economic collapse are not selective on partisan line. The one who wrote this unintelligent editorial comment is equally affected. The poor in Zanu PF and his counterpart in the MDC are affected with the same measure.
There is also a deliberate ploy to scare away Mr Dangote and other prospective investors through the misinterpretation of the indigenisation law. Government does not intend to expropriate investors' money. The 51/49 percent shareholding structure in favour of indigenous, only applies to finite resource-based investment such as mining. This is not unique to Zimbabwe and Mr Dangote himself has no problem with this law, hopefully so. It is quite misleading to say the law applies across all the economic areas.
We must all celebrate and welcome the cake that Mr Dangote is bringing to Zimbabwe. We must burry the hatchets on this one and celebrate the investment in Africa by Africans. That investment would surely boost foreign investor confidence in the country.
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John Sigauke <johnsigau@gmail.com
The richest man in Africa, Mr Dangote is set to invest billions of dollars in Zimbabwe's key economic enablers, namely mining, power generation and cement production. The investment is going to breathe a new lease of life in the economy and massive employment is set to be created.
The MDC-T, which has been thriving on crisis since its inception, is obviously not happy with such investment. The comments that they are generously peddling in their mouthpiece media are a testimony of their uneasiness. The MDC-T, Morgan Tsvangirai in particular, was all along boasting that President Mugabe would engage him into the second inclusive government. They wanted the economy to continue tumbling so as to achieve their sinister agenda.
The MDC-T and the private media have already rushed to sound false alarm to the Nigerian businessman. They are misleadingly warning him that if he were not careful, his money would go into a bottomless pit.
The Newsday editorial of 1 September 2015 averred that there was political instability in Zimbabwe that makes it dangerous for anyone to invest in this country. To say that there is political instability in Zimbabwe is quite mischievous and an exaggeration of the political situation in the country. Political instability only exists in the MDC factions. Probably the writer lives in different country. He could have written his story in Zimbabwe of Syria.
The media is at it again. Negative publicity is one of the major factors that contributed to investment fight in Zimbabwe. The media propagated falsehoods that circulated across the globe. The political situation then was inflated to an extent that people who never set foot in Zimbabwe thought people were eating each other. Those who later had the opportunity to visit the country confessed their prior ill-advised impression about Zimbabwe.
Although it is ideal for patriotism to be an issue of feeling that comes from inside, appreciating the things that makes one celebrate and be proud of your country, I propose that such a law be introduced in this country. We cannot let some brainless opportunists scuttle national interests on account of petty political issues. It might sound very undemocratic but at times hard decisions have to be taken for the sake of national interests. Democracy and freedom have to be enjoyed with responsibility. In the US, which is the major benefactor of the MDC-T, political parties and even the media only differ on ideology but they tow the same line when it comes to national interest.
People must learn to draw a line between political interests and national interests. The effects of economic collapse are not selective on partisan line. The one who wrote this unintelligent editorial comment is equally affected. The poor in Zanu PF and his counterpart in the MDC are affected with the same measure.
There is also a deliberate ploy to scare away Mr Dangote and other prospective investors through the misinterpretation of the indigenisation law. Government does not intend to expropriate investors' money. The 51/49 percent shareholding structure in favour of indigenous, only applies to finite resource-based investment such as mining. This is not unique to Zimbabwe and Mr Dangote himself has no problem with this law, hopefully so. It is quite misleading to say the law applies across all the economic areas.
We must all celebrate and welcome the cake that Mr Dangote is bringing to Zimbabwe. We must burry the hatchets on this one and celebrate the investment in Africa by Africans. That investment would surely boost foreign investor confidence in the country.
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John Sigauke <johnsigau@gmail.com
Source - John Sigauke
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