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Grace has no place in Zim Presidency- Build Zimbabwe Alliance
23 Feb 2017 at 01:58hrs | Views
Build Zimbabwe Alliance leader Noah Manyika has said first lady Grace Mugabe has no quality of being a Zimbabwean President.
He said in any other place besides Zimbabwe, the idea of a Grace Mugabe presidency would be a joke.
"Unfortunately, we have become known as a country and a people for the absurdities we tolerate. Only in Zimbabwe would cabinet ministers who were hoodwinked by a spirit medium into believing that all the country's economic problems were about to be solved by the discovery of refined diesel, Jet A1 fuel, petrol and kerosene flowing from a rock would still be serving in cabinet 9 years later," he said.
"And just to remind everyone, these were not low-level ministers either, but members of the country's Joint Operations Command which included the Minister of Defence, who happens to be a medical doctor by training, as well as the country's Minister of Home Affairs."
Manyika said in mid 2014, Grace Mugabe loudly entered the political fray, quickly becoming President Robert Mugabe's most ruthless weapon against those he accused of wanting to depose him.
"In short order she had dispensed with Joyce Mujuru, much to the delight of Emmerson Mnangagwa who was to replace her as Vice President. Intoxicated by the adulation of everyone in Zanu (PF), including doctors, lawyers, professors who began to chant "Munhu wese kunaAmai" and "Pamberi neMazoe Crush," she announced to all that the constitution of Zimbabwe did not apply to her, and that the two Vice Presidents of the country, including Emmerson Mnangagwa who she had now turned against, were her subordinates," he said.
"It should be noted that none of the people in Zanu (PF), including those who claim to be constitutional experts, challenged her claims even though they were as absurd as Rotina Mavhunga the diesel mystics claims. Somehow the idea of a Grace Mugabe presidency started gaining currency in Zanu (PF) not because she had shared with anyone how she would tackle Zimbabwe's 90% unemployment, or how she would address what has become one of the lowest Human Development Indices in the world, what her ideas were to address Zimbabwe's GDP per capita which is equivalent to 6% of the world's average, how she would improve Zimbabwe's corruption rank of 150 out of 175 countries, or move the nation up from its current competitiveness ranking of 125 out of 144 countries."
He said Frankly, there is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency for the same reason there is no place for the presidency of all those in Zanu (PF) who have cheered her on.
"Those outside of Zanu (PF) who cannot demonstrate, not through a political manifesto, but a clear business plan for the nation, how we can move back to a net skills inflow position from the current net outflow position which has resulted in 2 million skilled Zimbabweans, or 80% of the skilled labor population, being in the diaspora. There is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency and for anyone else inside or outside Zanu (PF) who does not clearly tell the nation how we can become a net producer of food commodities again, or how we are going to create the jobs our youths desperately need, or how we are going to tackle Bulawayo's chronic water problems or restore our health system," he said.
"There is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency and for her colleagues in Zanu (PF) because they all believe the leadership style and policies that brought our country to its knees are the best we can produce. They believe that being the loudest and most vicious Zanu (PF) loyalist rather than character, knowledge and competence are the most important qualities of a leader. To be sure, it is not just Zanu (PF) that can produce the Grace Mugabe kind of leader who insists they know what they don't know and are prepared to do anything to defend their ignorance and positions. Today most political formations reward tenure more than character, knowledge and competence. It is an open secret that to run for political office on their tickets, one must demonstrate that they have been "active in party structures" (in other words, prove their loyalty to the party) for a certain period of time."
Manyika said the Zimbabweans with global corporate experience who can bring best practices into how government is run but cannot become a minister because they have not been in the party structures for a sufficient length of time.
"The citizen running a top public institution somewhere in the world who could turn the fortunes of our parastatals around who cannot be used because they are not members of the national executive, central committee or politburo of a political party. The founder of a private equity firm who is left out because they never donated money to the party, and so on and so forth. We all know that Grace Mugabe is vicious, as the family of the late Amos Midzi, a Zanu (PF) loyalist who she harassed into committing suicide, knows. In many ways she is a product of the party she belongs to," he said.
"Zanu (PF)'s viciousness has been on full display of late and will become even more evident as we get closer to the 2018 election. We also know that Grace Mugabe's holdings in the Mazowe area are the result of dispossessing people and productive businesses like Interfresh of their land, and that this did not happen at the height of the land redistribution program, but as late as 2014. The fact that those in Zanu (PF) find her to be fit to be a leader in their party underscores why they must be resoundingly defeated in the next election."
He said there is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency because Zimbabwe does not have a shortage of people who can turn the fortunes of our country around, just as there is no shortage of competent people to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
The little known politician said it is their responsibility to identify such people, engage them and put them to work.
"Again, we also cannot afford to get it wrong as a nation by overlooking the deficiencies of the leaders the current opposition may decide to put forward in the next election. After 36 years of Zanu (PF) misrule, every political formation in Zimbabwe owes it to the people not to experiment with their future, but to put it in the sure hands of people of integrity who not only know what to do, but will do it well," he said.
He said in any other place besides Zimbabwe, the idea of a Grace Mugabe presidency would be a joke.
"Unfortunately, we have become known as a country and a people for the absurdities we tolerate. Only in Zimbabwe would cabinet ministers who were hoodwinked by a spirit medium into believing that all the country's economic problems were about to be solved by the discovery of refined diesel, Jet A1 fuel, petrol and kerosene flowing from a rock would still be serving in cabinet 9 years later," he said.
"And just to remind everyone, these were not low-level ministers either, but members of the country's Joint Operations Command which included the Minister of Defence, who happens to be a medical doctor by training, as well as the country's Minister of Home Affairs."
Manyika said in mid 2014, Grace Mugabe loudly entered the political fray, quickly becoming President Robert Mugabe's most ruthless weapon against those he accused of wanting to depose him.
"In short order she had dispensed with Joyce Mujuru, much to the delight of Emmerson Mnangagwa who was to replace her as Vice President. Intoxicated by the adulation of everyone in Zanu (PF), including doctors, lawyers, professors who began to chant "Munhu wese kunaAmai" and "Pamberi neMazoe Crush," she announced to all that the constitution of Zimbabwe did not apply to her, and that the two Vice Presidents of the country, including Emmerson Mnangagwa who she had now turned against, were her subordinates," he said.
"It should be noted that none of the people in Zanu (PF), including those who claim to be constitutional experts, challenged her claims even though they were as absurd as Rotina Mavhunga the diesel mystics claims. Somehow the idea of a Grace Mugabe presidency started gaining currency in Zanu (PF) not because she had shared with anyone how she would tackle Zimbabwe's 90% unemployment, or how she would address what has become one of the lowest Human Development Indices in the world, what her ideas were to address Zimbabwe's GDP per capita which is equivalent to 6% of the world's average, how she would improve Zimbabwe's corruption rank of 150 out of 175 countries, or move the nation up from its current competitiveness ranking of 125 out of 144 countries."
He said Frankly, there is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency for the same reason there is no place for the presidency of all those in Zanu (PF) who have cheered her on.
"Those outside of Zanu (PF) who cannot demonstrate, not through a political manifesto, but a clear business plan for the nation, how we can move back to a net skills inflow position from the current net outflow position which has resulted in 2 million skilled Zimbabweans, or 80% of the skilled labor population, being in the diaspora. There is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency and for anyone else inside or outside Zanu (PF) who does not clearly tell the nation how we can become a net producer of food commodities again, or how we are going to create the jobs our youths desperately need, or how we are going to tackle Bulawayo's chronic water problems or restore our health system," he said.
"There is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency and for her colleagues in Zanu (PF) because they all believe the leadership style and policies that brought our country to its knees are the best we can produce. They believe that being the loudest and most vicious Zanu (PF) loyalist rather than character, knowledge and competence are the most important qualities of a leader. To be sure, it is not just Zanu (PF) that can produce the Grace Mugabe kind of leader who insists they know what they don't know and are prepared to do anything to defend their ignorance and positions. Today most political formations reward tenure more than character, knowledge and competence. It is an open secret that to run for political office on their tickets, one must demonstrate that they have been "active in party structures" (in other words, prove their loyalty to the party) for a certain period of time."
Manyika said the Zimbabweans with global corporate experience who can bring best practices into how government is run but cannot become a minister because they have not been in the party structures for a sufficient length of time.
"The citizen running a top public institution somewhere in the world who could turn the fortunes of our parastatals around who cannot be used because they are not members of the national executive, central committee or politburo of a political party. The founder of a private equity firm who is left out because they never donated money to the party, and so on and so forth. We all know that Grace Mugabe is vicious, as the family of the late Amos Midzi, a Zanu (PF) loyalist who she harassed into committing suicide, knows. In many ways she is a product of the party she belongs to," he said.
"Zanu (PF)'s viciousness has been on full display of late and will become even more evident as we get closer to the 2018 election. We also know that Grace Mugabe's holdings in the Mazowe area are the result of dispossessing people and productive businesses like Interfresh of their land, and that this did not happen at the height of the land redistribution program, but as late as 2014. The fact that those in Zanu (PF) find her to be fit to be a leader in their party underscores why they must be resoundingly defeated in the next election."
He said there is no place for a Grace Mugabe presidency because Zimbabwe does not have a shortage of people who can turn the fortunes of our country around, just as there is no shortage of competent people to succeed President Robert Mugabe.
The little known politician said it is their responsibility to identify such people, engage them and put them to work.
"Again, we also cannot afford to get it wrong as a nation by overlooking the deficiencies of the leaders the current opposition may decide to put forward in the next election. After 36 years of Zanu (PF) misrule, every political formation in Zimbabwe owes it to the people not to experiment with their future, but to put it in the sure hands of people of integrity who not only know what to do, but will do it well," he said.
Source - Byo24News
