Opinion / Columnist
Let us make ZIM ASSET work
29 Nov 2013 at 04:53hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIM ASSET) must not be one of those nice cover policy documents to gather dust in the bookshelves.
Government must live up to the great expectations of the nation of fulfilling the objectives of ZIM ASSET. When President R G Mugabe appointing his cabinet calling it a development cabinet he was serious as he has always been but later disappointed by Bureaucratic inefficiencies, inexactitudes and corruption.
ZIM ASSET is a well thought action oriented policy blueprint which must be taken seriously. It is an epitome of wealth creation and development based on the four strategic clusters which are: Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Eradication; Infrastructure and Utilities and value addition and Benefaction. It further provides for setting up targets for performance outcomes. Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes will be coordinated and overseen by the Office of the President and Cabinet which shows how serious and committed the President is. This is not an easy task, the President's Office and Cabinet will need all the support from committed competent citizens rather than have the wait and see attitude.
Evaluation instruments should be designed to determine not only the projected outcomes but also the quality of those outcomes based on judgmental matrix. There should be workshops for every Ministry to get new ideas for the implementation of the ZIM ASSET in the interest of socio-economic development. Cabinet papers must be thoroughly researched to show the perspicacity of developmental issues and policy direction.
As our Universities have strong research departments, there is need for using these research departments. They are Zimbabwean development oriented that is they are Zimcentric oriented and not Eurocentric oriented as they were before independence. Ministries should not only get accomplished researchers but should also take specialist students on attachment. National University of Science and Technology recently got and International Award for its research.
SOME OF THE IMPEDIMENTS TO GOVERNMENT PROGRESS ARE:
a) Delays in preparing cabinet papers: For Cabinet papers need to be prepared timeously for approval and onward transition to parliament for debate and enactments as bills for programme implantation after the Presidential assent. Delays should be reduced if progress has to be achieved on ZIM ASSET.
b) Funding from the Fiscas: ministries may promise mountains but if there is no money to finance the programmes there will be no progress in development. As the Minister of Finance is making consultations on the National Budget, Ministries should prioritize their programmes and submit their bids. There is no need to blame the Minister of Finance if bids submissions were not made. The people out there who supported the Party Manifesto will blame the whole government not one particular Minister and his/her Ministry for failing to deliver.
c) Bureaucratic Dramaturgy: According to Professor Thomson in his book on Government Bureaucracy, Bureaucratic Dramaturgy is the drama exhibited by civil servants in the performance of their duties. Some of the Senior Civil Servants are sometimes not available. When wanted they claim to be too busy when they are not doing anything. When one gets into their offices they will pick up a telephone hand set or cell phone and pretend to be talking to the President. After a long time you will be asked "What can I do for you" with a quivering voice such that you will be disarmed if you have come with a proposal or if you are a junior civil servant you will be told "get out don't you see, I am busy talking to the President on important matters" In actual fact the President would not be on the line. Some leave their jackets hanging on a coat hanger for the whole day when they are away at their farms or doing something else in town.
d) Corruption - This is a serious cancer which has metastasized in some areas and needs Chemo therapy. Pathological evaluation and analysis may help identify corruption in situ to make it easier to remove. There are people who enter politics and government in search of self enrichment or personal aggrandizement instead of being servants of the people. Ministry is from Latin Ministere meaning to serve. Minister or Ministry are servants of the people to serve them. Corruption must be taken seriously as it can bring government down. "Chiwoko muhomwe" or 'ukufumbathiswa' before project approval or before Investment approval is or in return for service are indeed a serious cancer which must be destroyed in the bud or in situ.
e) Bureaucratic Pathology - This refers to the sickness in bureaucracy which requires pathological analysis and diagnosis in order to administer a cure. The sickness can be wide ranging including dramaturgy. The pathological analysis may find laziness and incompetence and ignorance on government direction some may not even know what ZIM ASSET means.
f) Way Forward: The Honey moon is now over for government since the harmonized elections. This is time to deliver now. Unity of purpose is critical for ZIM ASSET to succeed. There is need to remove bureaucratic pathology which include dramaturgy and corruption. There is need to fund government programmes through the fiscas and foreign direct investment.
Some of us who are still alive having started nationalism during the 50's and the armed liberation struggle during the 60s until independence are still struggling and sacrificing to make our country one of the best on earth. Our hearts shudder to see and hear about corruption activities becoming part of bureau pathology in our government. Let us make ZIM ASSET work for the good of our country.
---------------------
Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu is:
ZANU-PF National Secretary for Education
Founder/Chief Executive Director of ZDECO Group of Colleges Nationwide
Former Cabinet Minister of Information and Publicity
Educationist cum Politician, Researcher and Evaluation Expert.
Government must live up to the great expectations of the nation of fulfilling the objectives of ZIM ASSET. When President R G Mugabe appointing his cabinet calling it a development cabinet he was serious as he has always been but later disappointed by Bureaucratic inefficiencies, inexactitudes and corruption.
ZIM ASSET is a well thought action oriented policy blueprint which must be taken seriously. It is an epitome of wealth creation and development based on the four strategic clusters which are: Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Eradication; Infrastructure and Utilities and value addition and Benefaction. It further provides for setting up targets for performance outcomes. Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes will be coordinated and overseen by the Office of the President and Cabinet which shows how serious and committed the President is. This is not an easy task, the President's Office and Cabinet will need all the support from committed competent citizens rather than have the wait and see attitude.
Evaluation instruments should be designed to determine not only the projected outcomes but also the quality of those outcomes based on judgmental matrix. There should be workshops for every Ministry to get new ideas for the implementation of the ZIM ASSET in the interest of socio-economic development. Cabinet papers must be thoroughly researched to show the perspicacity of developmental issues and policy direction.
As our Universities have strong research departments, there is need for using these research departments. They are Zimbabwean development oriented that is they are Zimcentric oriented and not Eurocentric oriented as they were before independence. Ministries should not only get accomplished researchers but should also take specialist students on attachment. National University of Science and Technology recently got and International Award for its research.
SOME OF THE IMPEDIMENTS TO GOVERNMENT PROGRESS ARE:
b) Funding from the Fiscas: ministries may promise mountains but if there is no money to finance the programmes there will be no progress in development. As the Minister of Finance is making consultations on the National Budget, Ministries should prioritize their programmes and submit their bids. There is no need to blame the Minister of Finance if bids submissions were not made. The people out there who supported the Party Manifesto will blame the whole government not one particular Minister and his/her Ministry for failing to deliver.
c) Bureaucratic Dramaturgy: According to Professor Thomson in his book on Government Bureaucracy, Bureaucratic Dramaturgy is the drama exhibited by civil servants in the performance of their duties. Some of the Senior Civil Servants are sometimes not available. When wanted they claim to be too busy when they are not doing anything. When one gets into their offices they will pick up a telephone hand set or cell phone and pretend to be talking to the President. After a long time you will be asked "What can I do for you" with a quivering voice such that you will be disarmed if you have come with a proposal or if you are a junior civil servant you will be told "get out don't you see, I am busy talking to the President on important matters" In actual fact the President would not be on the line. Some leave their jackets hanging on a coat hanger for the whole day when they are away at their farms or doing something else in town.
d) Corruption - This is a serious cancer which has metastasized in some areas and needs Chemo therapy. Pathological evaluation and analysis may help identify corruption in situ to make it easier to remove. There are people who enter politics and government in search of self enrichment or personal aggrandizement instead of being servants of the people. Ministry is from Latin Ministere meaning to serve. Minister or Ministry are servants of the people to serve them. Corruption must be taken seriously as it can bring government down. "Chiwoko muhomwe" or 'ukufumbathiswa' before project approval or before Investment approval is or in return for service are indeed a serious cancer which must be destroyed in the bud or in situ.
e) Bureaucratic Pathology - This refers to the sickness in bureaucracy which requires pathological analysis and diagnosis in order to administer a cure. The sickness can be wide ranging including dramaturgy. The pathological analysis may find laziness and incompetence and ignorance on government direction some may not even know what ZIM ASSET means.
f) Way Forward: The Honey moon is now over for government since the harmonized elections. This is time to deliver now. Unity of purpose is critical for ZIM ASSET to succeed. There is need to remove bureaucratic pathology which include dramaturgy and corruption. There is need to fund government programmes through the fiscas and foreign direct investment.
Some of us who are still alive having started nationalism during the 50's and the armed liberation struggle during the 60s until independence are still struggling and sacrificing to make our country one of the best on earth. Our hearts shudder to see and hear about corruption activities becoming part of bureau pathology in our government. Let us make ZIM ASSET work for the good of our country.
---------------------
Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu is:
ZANU-PF National Secretary for Education
Founder/Chief Executive Director of ZDECO Group of Colleges Nationwide
Former Cabinet Minister of Information and Publicity
Educationist cum Politician, Researcher and Evaluation Expert.
Source - zbc
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