Opinion / Columnist
Zanu-PF Manifesto - 'a promise of future with more of the past'
12 Jul 2013 at 07:59hrs | Views
It should come as no surprise that Robert Mugabe decided to talk about Mbuya Nehanda at his "star" rally at Nzvimbo. If the paucity of ideas in the party's election manifesto is anything to go by then we must brace ourselves for more history lessons.
A political party's manifesto should be an unambiguous statement of intent, it must provide excitement and a clear picture of what direction the party intends to take the country. Having said that it must not be an excuse to be economical with the truth and distribute a package of wild figures marketed as a manifesto.
The Zanu-PF manifesto must have been written in record time, they couldn't wait to see if their figures passed a simple test, that of reasonableness.
I have chosen three sections in the document which prove that Zanu-PF was in a rush to produce a document irrespective of whether it makes sense or not.
Employment Creation
Looking at table 24 in the document one can see why Robert Mugabe, who is a thoroughly accomplished liar in his own right, will never make reference to the contents of the manifesto at any of his rallies.
People of Zimbabwe, you need to sit down and be calm before you read this.
Amongst the outlandish promises made by Zanu-PF with regards to the employment creation is that 1,181,200 jobs will be created in the first year, with 348 000 jobs being in the agricultural sector alone. Yes that's it, 1 million jobs by this time next year.
The document makes another astonishing claim that 1 million jobs have already been created as a result of the land reform programme and in the resettlement areas for good measure.
Who writes such rubbish? And do they expect anyone other than the authors themselves to believe it? Why are millions of Zimbabweans suffering in South Africa if jobs are so plentiful?
Indigenisation and "Unlocking Value"
It is some feat for Zanu-PF to outdo itself but it has managed just to do just that. According to the economists and policy experts in the party their intention is to "unlock value" in the economy and capacitate IDBZ, Agribank and Sedco. Remember Robert Mugabe is a man of many degrees and we have previously indicated that his greatest degree is a B Con. He is a con man with no equal.
How can the following figures be believed:-
• The indigenisation i.e. taking over of 51% of 1,138 companies will "create" value of US$7,3 billion
• There is US$7,681,078,582 worth of idle assets in the custody of parastatals.
• Local authorities currently sit on idle assets worth US$1,357,010,326
How does the Zanu-PF indigenisation malarkey create value? Does the transfer of 51% from someone who holds the passport of one country to someone who has a Zimbabwean passport create value?
Why would anyone be sitting on "idle assets" in this day and age? What would explain the sudden revelation of these assets, why has no one made an attempt to make use of these assets? Shake your head no more, even Zanu-PF themselves admit they don't know what they are talking about.
"There's therefore a need to find new and innovative ways of creating value from the idle assets held by parastatals to further capacitate or set up strategic banking institutions such as IDBZ" Page 98
Patronage Continued - Special Presidential Initiatives
One can consistently see an attempt to continue the politics of patronage in the document. According to their logic if one wants to be successful or get ahead in life then they must get themselves as close to Robert Mugabe as possible. No questions asked.
It is their intention to have schemes where only the elite benefit through what are called special presidential initiatives, for example, a Presidential Scholarship Programme, a Presidential Support Programme for Chiefs and National Presidential Youth Initiative.
The idea itself is wrong. The President of the country must focus his energy on making sure that all citizens have an equal opportunity engage in the pursuit of happiness and not focus on distributing largesse. This is precisely what makes judges engage in judicial activism and policemen are corrupted into appendages of a political party. What do you do when your son's fees are being paid for by the President?
It is clear from the Zanu-PF manifesto that it does not respect the people of Zimbabwe. No self respecting party would make such wild claims in a manifesto. It could also show that Zanu-PF have given up hope of willing the election, they know they will never be held to account on the outrageous promises they made.
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Kumbirai Muchemwa is the spokesperson of the MDC in South Africa and can be contacted on kmuchemwa@mdcsa.co.za
A political party's manifesto should be an unambiguous statement of intent, it must provide excitement and a clear picture of what direction the party intends to take the country. Having said that it must not be an excuse to be economical with the truth and distribute a package of wild figures marketed as a manifesto.
The Zanu-PF manifesto must have been written in record time, they couldn't wait to see if their figures passed a simple test, that of reasonableness.
I have chosen three sections in the document which prove that Zanu-PF was in a rush to produce a document irrespective of whether it makes sense or not.
Employment Creation
Looking at table 24 in the document one can see why Robert Mugabe, who is a thoroughly accomplished liar in his own right, will never make reference to the contents of the manifesto at any of his rallies.
People of Zimbabwe, you need to sit down and be calm before you read this.
Amongst the outlandish promises made by Zanu-PF with regards to the employment creation is that 1,181,200 jobs will be created in the first year, with 348 000 jobs being in the agricultural sector alone. Yes that's it, 1 million jobs by this time next year.
The document makes another astonishing claim that 1 million jobs have already been created as a result of the land reform programme and in the resettlement areas for good measure.
Who writes such rubbish? And do they expect anyone other than the authors themselves to believe it? Why are millions of Zimbabweans suffering in South Africa if jobs are so plentiful?
It is some feat for Zanu-PF to outdo itself but it has managed just to do just that. According to the economists and policy experts in the party their intention is to "unlock value" in the economy and capacitate IDBZ, Agribank and Sedco. Remember Robert Mugabe is a man of many degrees and we have previously indicated that his greatest degree is a B Con. He is a con man with no equal.
How can the following figures be believed:-
• The indigenisation i.e. taking over of 51% of 1,138 companies will "create" value of US$7,3 billion
• There is US$7,681,078,582 worth of idle assets in the custody of parastatals.
• Local authorities currently sit on idle assets worth US$1,357,010,326
How does the Zanu-PF indigenisation malarkey create value? Does the transfer of 51% from someone who holds the passport of one country to someone who has a Zimbabwean passport create value?
Why would anyone be sitting on "idle assets" in this day and age? What would explain the sudden revelation of these assets, why has no one made an attempt to make use of these assets? Shake your head no more, even Zanu-PF themselves admit they don't know what they are talking about.
"There's therefore a need to find new and innovative ways of creating value from the idle assets held by parastatals to further capacitate or set up strategic banking institutions such as IDBZ" Page 98
Patronage Continued - Special Presidential Initiatives
One can consistently see an attempt to continue the politics of patronage in the document. According to their logic if one wants to be successful or get ahead in life then they must get themselves as close to Robert Mugabe as possible. No questions asked.
It is their intention to have schemes where only the elite benefit through what are called special presidential initiatives, for example, a Presidential Scholarship Programme, a Presidential Support Programme for Chiefs and National Presidential Youth Initiative.
The idea itself is wrong. The President of the country must focus his energy on making sure that all citizens have an equal opportunity engage in the pursuit of happiness and not focus on distributing largesse. This is precisely what makes judges engage in judicial activism and policemen are corrupted into appendages of a political party. What do you do when your son's fees are being paid for by the President?
It is clear from the Zanu-PF manifesto that it does not respect the people of Zimbabwe. No self respecting party would make such wild claims in a manifesto. It could also show that Zanu-PF have given up hope of willing the election, they know they will never be held to account on the outrageous promises they made.
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Kumbirai Muchemwa is the spokesperson of the MDC in South Africa and can be contacted on kmuchemwa@mdcsa.co.za
Source - Kumbirai Muchemwa
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