Opinion / Letters
Open letter to President Mnangagwa - lessons from how Mugabe conducted himself
22 Nov 2017 at 11:52hrs | Views
Dear Honourable President,
As you get ready to commence your duties as the Head of the State and Government of Zimbabwe, here are some of the lessons that you could learn from how Mr Mugabe conducted himself in the same office which could have led to his unexpected exit on the 21st of November 2017.
His Nonplussed Attitude to Corruption
The erstwhile President largely turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to corruption. Citing a few examples that show that the former President would just ignore any report of corruption that implicated those who reported to him either directly or indirectly. One wondered how for example, after the Vice Chancellor of Bindura University of Science Education's massive corruption scandals were splashed in the public media with what appeared to be genuine acts of malfeasances, the then President simply ignored those allegations. Corruption being a cancer that it is if it is not eradicated then it will continue unabated. The same happened with some Minister who has since his appointment had become a career politician with so many properties that one would tire of counting them unless they have been promised a bagful of ten million United States dollars! Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation also felt it shouldn't be outdone! PSMAS was also shouting from its corner.
The so-called unaccounted for diamonds from Chiadzwa also generated quite some noise yet the erstwhile President kept quiet. These individuals, who emboldened by the former President's non-action, would reasonably be expected to continue to be corrupt if not more corrupt in an endeavour to beat their previously set records. Mr President, if you in turn, take on the flummoxed approach to corruption and fail to act on it, not only would you have let the fighters in the last Chimurenga staged last week on the streets of all towns down but you could thereby be sowing seeds of a disgraceful exit as well. You will need to be wary Mr President that these people given to corruption are also masters at playing underhand tricks. They may move in quickly to try to inveigle you into believing that they are clean and that they have been fighting from your corner. If you nip corruption in the bud then the cancer may be wiped out.
Nepotism
The outgoing President unabatedly stuffed the cabinet and parastatal boards with his relatives or wife's relatives. Even his son in law suddenly found himself qualified to lead the flagship carrier upon becoming related to Mr Mugabe. At times you would wonder where persons would be coming from that would be filling openings, until the incumbents would for example gain some academic qualifications and they were celebrating for one to discover that they are cousins with the then first lady. Some became chairpersons of road management authorities because of their relationship with the former President. Even in the police the former President's relatives occupy senior offices. Mr President, nepotism is bad! It does not guarantee the country gets the best qualified persons in key positions. Without the right people in key positions, then the economy would suffer. Being related to the former President had become a ticket to immense wealth. Economies suffer when only those related to the Head of the State get key positions despite the latter being unqualified.
Excessive Profligacy and His Love for all Things Foreign
The former President exclusively sought treatment at plush foreign medical facilities; remember the numerous trips to Singapore. Even his daughter delivered his first grandchild in Singapore. If you are treated in foreign lands, Mr President, you will have no incentive to develop your own domestic health facilities. The former President's daughter even had to go abroad for her university education. Not even the University of Zimbabwe met this family's standards. How then do you get to properly assess the standard of living and learning at the local institutions if all you rely on are briefings that you will be getting from time to time during graduation ceremonies.
Deifying of the Leader
Mr Mugabe had become some sort of a demi-god for his followers. That led to him believing that there is no other person who can lead even at 93 years of age. Surely at that age one would have overstayed his welcome. A servant leadership approach is best for economic growth. You would do best to rid yourself of the "shefu" mentality within your ranks.
Lack of Sound Economic Policies
From ESAP through Ten Point Plan and lately ZIMASSET have led a freefall of the economy. Sloganeering and vote buying economic policies that will not take the economy go anywhere should not be the way we should go forwards. We need stabilizing policies presently then we move on to growth policies. As we work towards restoring our economy let us avoid those economies that have exploitative policies. Quoting the West is bound to bring fruits that may be picked quickly. Mr President, you also need to avoid appointing unqualified individuals to key positions such as the Reserve Bank, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Reducing the Number of Ministries
A small economy like ours cannot afford a multitude of Ministers and Deputy Ministers. Ten Ministers appear to be enough for our small country. Why do we need a Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, as well as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and a Ministry of Psychomotor blah blah. All these could just be collapsed into one Ministry of Education. The same applies to Agriculture.
Lavish Birthday Parties and Unnecessary Travels
Mr President we wish that the lavish parties will now a thing of the past. The erstwhile President I am sure visited all countries of the world with a huge entourage of people. When the entourage came back from all these trips there would be unnecessary converging of masses at the airport. Imagine the wasted fuel and the lost man-hours! Those are unnecessary expenditures, Mr President.
Unprofessional Police Officers
Mr President you may need to stop the unprofessional conduct of the police especially on the roads. Zimbabwean roads had become unpassable for the motoring publics. Why should one be harassed and think twice when one has to embark on a journey that requires one to drive on our roads? Our police officers must uphold the law and not just be concerned with lining their pockets.
His Unrestrained Wife and Boyz Dze Smoko
Mr President the family can be a cause for one's undoing. I will not say much. Spend some time with your family and get to understand what is happening in their lives. Family liaisons must remain at that! Bringing the wife to the office may be perilous. Mr President these are just some few pointers that I could hazard at such short notice that could help you out as you start out on your job.
As you get ready to commence your duties as the Head of the State and Government of Zimbabwe, here are some of the lessons that you could learn from how Mr Mugabe conducted himself in the same office which could have led to his unexpected exit on the 21st of November 2017.
His Nonplussed Attitude to Corruption
The erstwhile President largely turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to corruption. Citing a few examples that show that the former President would just ignore any report of corruption that implicated those who reported to him either directly or indirectly. One wondered how for example, after the Vice Chancellor of Bindura University of Science Education's massive corruption scandals were splashed in the public media with what appeared to be genuine acts of malfeasances, the then President simply ignored those allegations. Corruption being a cancer that it is if it is not eradicated then it will continue unabated. The same happened with some Minister who has since his appointment had become a career politician with so many properties that one would tire of counting them unless they have been promised a bagful of ten million United States dollars! Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation also felt it shouldn't be outdone! PSMAS was also shouting from its corner.
The so-called unaccounted for diamonds from Chiadzwa also generated quite some noise yet the erstwhile President kept quiet. These individuals, who emboldened by the former President's non-action, would reasonably be expected to continue to be corrupt if not more corrupt in an endeavour to beat their previously set records. Mr President, if you in turn, take on the flummoxed approach to corruption and fail to act on it, not only would you have let the fighters in the last Chimurenga staged last week on the streets of all towns down but you could thereby be sowing seeds of a disgraceful exit as well. You will need to be wary Mr President that these people given to corruption are also masters at playing underhand tricks. They may move in quickly to try to inveigle you into believing that they are clean and that they have been fighting from your corner. If you nip corruption in the bud then the cancer may be wiped out.
Nepotism
The outgoing President unabatedly stuffed the cabinet and parastatal boards with his relatives or wife's relatives. Even his son in law suddenly found himself qualified to lead the flagship carrier upon becoming related to Mr Mugabe. At times you would wonder where persons would be coming from that would be filling openings, until the incumbents would for example gain some academic qualifications and they were celebrating for one to discover that they are cousins with the then first lady. Some became chairpersons of road management authorities because of their relationship with the former President. Even in the police the former President's relatives occupy senior offices. Mr President, nepotism is bad! It does not guarantee the country gets the best qualified persons in key positions. Without the right people in key positions, then the economy would suffer. Being related to the former President had become a ticket to immense wealth. Economies suffer when only those related to the Head of the State get key positions despite the latter being unqualified.
Excessive Profligacy and His Love for all Things Foreign
The former President exclusively sought treatment at plush foreign medical facilities; remember the numerous trips to Singapore. Even his daughter delivered his first grandchild in Singapore. If you are treated in foreign lands, Mr President, you will have no incentive to develop your own domestic health facilities. The former President's daughter even had to go abroad for her university education. Not even the University of Zimbabwe met this family's standards. How then do you get to properly assess the standard of living and learning at the local institutions if all you rely on are briefings that you will be getting from time to time during graduation ceremonies.
Mr Mugabe had become some sort of a demi-god for his followers. That led to him believing that there is no other person who can lead even at 93 years of age. Surely at that age one would have overstayed his welcome. A servant leadership approach is best for economic growth. You would do best to rid yourself of the "shefu" mentality within your ranks.
Lack of Sound Economic Policies
From ESAP through Ten Point Plan and lately ZIMASSET have led a freefall of the economy. Sloganeering and vote buying economic policies that will not take the economy go anywhere should not be the way we should go forwards. We need stabilizing policies presently then we move on to growth policies. As we work towards restoring our economy let us avoid those economies that have exploitative policies. Quoting the West is bound to bring fruits that may be picked quickly. Mr President, you also need to avoid appointing unqualified individuals to key positions such as the Reserve Bank, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Reducing the Number of Ministries
A small economy like ours cannot afford a multitude of Ministers and Deputy Ministers. Ten Ministers appear to be enough for our small country. Why do we need a Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, as well as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and a Ministry of Psychomotor blah blah. All these could just be collapsed into one Ministry of Education. The same applies to Agriculture.
Lavish Birthday Parties and Unnecessary Travels
Mr President we wish that the lavish parties will now a thing of the past. The erstwhile President I am sure visited all countries of the world with a huge entourage of people. When the entourage came back from all these trips there would be unnecessary converging of masses at the airport. Imagine the wasted fuel and the lost man-hours! Those are unnecessary expenditures, Mr President.
Unprofessional Police Officers
Mr President you may need to stop the unprofessional conduct of the police especially on the roads. Zimbabwean roads had become unpassable for the motoring publics. Why should one be harassed and think twice when one has to embark on a journey that requires one to drive on our roads? Our police officers must uphold the law and not just be concerned with lining their pockets.
His Unrestrained Wife and Boyz Dze Smoko
Mr President the family can be a cause for one's undoing. I will not say much. Spend some time with your family and get to understand what is happening in their lives. Family liaisons must remain at that! Bringing the wife to the office may be perilous. Mr President these are just some few pointers that I could hazard at such short notice that could help you out as you start out on your job.
Source - Vabatsiri Venyika
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