Technocracy is a square plug forced into round political holes

IT is pleasing to see that calls for political reforms are gaining traction just two months after elections.

It is also pleasing that these calls are not coming from opposition politicians only, but from ordinary citizens.

There is consensus that our political system is the bane of our time and is the reason why our progress has perpetually stalled.

This agenda needs to be pursued to its final end.

It will not be easy, but it needs to be addressed.

While it is hard to effectively pursue this without being accused of a political agenda, but the fact of the matter is that, trying to achieve economic growth and development under a political system that is not designed do so would be a futile project.

Zimbabwe has the potential to be a better country.

As we start this new journey under new faces of the same old system, it is important to remember that Zanu PF as a party is designed to fight and secure political victories through whatever means.

It is a guerrilla organisation whose structure and system were designed to win all challenges brought before them with or without justification.

The party is aware that it does not need to explain itself on how and why it wins elections, but is certain that it must win elections by whatever means possible.

They possess an unjustified sense of entitlement to win and rule.

This is why today Zanu PF party can win any political challenge put before it while it has struggled to address the challenges the country is facing.

This is typical of most liberation movements in sub-Saharan Africa.

They have a history of crushing their enemies and to survive political storms.

They are propaganda organisations that have been able to package victories over perceived enemies into a message for the consumption of their rural voters.

They are non-productive victors.

This is why today, 38 years after independence, they have nothing else to sell but the war narrative.

Economic growth and development have never been their strongest points since they took over the leadership of the country.

They are also amateurs in the subject of economic development.

If they achieve these now, it would be their first time.

There is a first time for everything, right?

The political and economic stability of any nation derives from the hope of a better immediate and long term future offered by its leadership.

And in our case, given what has been obtaining after elections, those hopes are gradually dashing faster than expected.

It now seems the new faces and their new ideas are square plugs being forced into round holes.

They need freedom to think and allow their ideas to flourish.

Political suffocation of their ideas is not what will help the country to move forward.

In last week's instalment, I argued that our problems are largely political rather than economic.

They have deployed technocrats, as a public and international relations stunt, purportedly to address the economic problems caused by bad politics without changing the political culture that has stunted our growth over the decades.

The flip-flopping that ensued the monetary policy announcement last week is evidence that politics precedes over economics and technocracy.

For as long as technocrats' ideas have to be endorsed by a non-productive political system that does not possess a history of economic growth, then it might just be too early to expect the change we want.

This is where the problem lies and the opposition — after losing elections — must not stand aside, but come to the rescue of those technocrats and ensure that their ideas are protected from unnecessary political pressure.

Change is not only about replacing one party by another, but it is also about fostering the right national policy directions even from outside.

In South Africa, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a major political force to reckon with because they push policy agendas on behalf of the people.

They have proven that it is possible to rule from outside in a context where liberation movements have mastered the art of staying in power even when they do not have a clue of how to move the country forward.

Our opposition political parties can draw inspiration from EFF and must now focus on demanding accountability from the current government on behalf of the people.

That is the only turf for them to remain politically relevant.

It is time to score major political goals long before the next elections.

The government must be questioned and held accountable for the promises they made to the nation. Unfortunately, boycotting Parliament is not one of those effective strategies.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and other non-political ministers will not deliver unless they are protected by the people from unnecessary political pressure.

They need everyone's support, bearing in mind that politics is not productive, but technocracy is.

The economic development and progress this world has witnessed today, did not come from politics, but technocracy.

Countries that have witnessed economic growth and poverty reduction are those that have embraced technocracy over politics.

Economically, the world has become a better place today because some governments have accepted and embraced new ideas and technology which have spawned productivity and economic growth.