Opinion / Columnist
Mzembi paints a rosy 2018 Zimbabwe, but..
07 Nov 2014 at 19:53hrs | Views
Minister Walter Mzembi is in UK to promote tourism in Zimbabwe. In an interview on the BBC Hardtalk programme the Minister talked of not just repairing and reconstructing Zimbabwe's collapsed infrastructure back to its pre-independence state but to do more. He talked of increased power generation to meet the nation's energy requirements, most of the nation's roads will be dual carriage way, build a new boom tourist town in Victoria Falls complete with casinos and Disney theme park, etc., etc. All these projects will be completed and fully operational by 2018.
"You make it sound so rosy, with everything fixed in a short space of time," remarked Stephen Sackur. "I wonder whether you and the Zimbabwe government live is an alternative parallel word!"
Stephen Sackur, the BBC interviewer, reminded the Minister of the economic reality that Zimbabwe has failed to attract any meaningful foreign direct investment for decades because of its objectionable indigenisation laws and lawlessness, could not borrow any money for IMF or any other institute because it already a $10 billion debt it was failing to service, etc.
Stephen Sackur's remarks had no effect on the Minister who continued in his artistic endeavour to paint a glorious bright future for all Zimbabweans! Of course there is no chance of any of the projects coming to fruition to have any meaningful impact of the lives of the long suffering people of Zimbabwe let alone restore their standard of living to what it was in 1980.
Yes the Minister and the Zanu-PF government live in their own world; like all politicians the world over they too have to promise the electorate a better life but unlike everyone else, they do not have to deliver any of their promises and hence can afford to make the most outlandish promises they can. The Zimbabwe economy is in total meltdown unemployment is Mount Everest high and millions are already living in abject poverty so it is important that the regime conjure a glorious bright future to count balance the crashing depths of misery and despair the nation has sunk into.
Zimbabweans have been conditioned to believe that the greater the suffering and misery today the brighter their tomorrow will be. Mugabe has told them, their tomorrow is always just behind the horizon. One thing is clear to all, except for the few ruling elite, their todays have been decidedly worse than their yesterdays and yesteryears.
Of course there is a limit to what the placebo of hope can do even with a naïve and gullible electorate – the Zimbabwe electorate is one of the most naïve and gullible in the world. Mugabe and Zanu-PF have managed to stay in power for over 34 years regardless of the regime's proven track record of never delivering on their promises; the regime promised mass prosperity but has delivered mass poverty and worse; because the regime is not accountable to the people. Indeed, if anything it is the people who are accountable to the regime.
Mugabe and Zanu-PF have made it clear that they will not tolerate any regime change. They have instituted a political system to safe guard their ‘no regime change' mantra; they lead the electorate by the nose like a bull and a savage yank on the nose-ring has had the electorate on its knees dazed from the excruciating pain.
As long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF can resist all attempt to have the democratic reforms, necessary for free, fair and credible elections, implemented then the party is assured of electoral victory in the next elections. The party will still have the nose-ring on the electorate and another savage yank will have the nation on its knees, bleeding and dazed.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends should have implemented the democratic reforms when they had the parliamentary majority, SADC backing and five-years of the GNU's life to do so. Zanu-PF now holds all the trump cards; forcing the tyrannical regime to accept implementing any reforms now is going to be a Herculean task.
The Zimbabwean electorate will have to first of all take their understanding of democratic change beyond the present superficial level of rally slogan of repeated chanting "Change! Change!" without knowing what exactly they wanted changed. Understanding the required changes for free, fair and credible elections is not rocket science although one has to put some effort.
The people of Zimbabwe expect that Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to arrest all those who disturb the peace, for example, because that is what the citizens the world over expect the Police to do. Yet in Zimbabwe Zanu-PF thugs have been allowed to intimidate, beat, rape and even murder people for no other reason than that they dared to belong to another political party other than Zanu-PF. The democratic reform required here is to ensure ZRP is independent to carry out of its duty to maintain peace and rule of law without the partisan bias.
At present it is the State President alone who has the say in the appointment and firing of Police Officers making the ZRP beholden to him/her, his/her whim and political party. Parliament must have the power hold senior Police Officers to account for the performance of their duties and block the appointment of those considered unsuitable and get those not up to scratch removed from office.
If the Zimbabwe electorate had understood the importance of the reforms then they would not have elected a bunch of individuals who are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent to carry out this important task, in the first place. Second, the electorate would have forced MDC, corrupt and incompetent as they are, to implement the reforms.
The Zimbabwean people must now understand the democratic reforms and force Mugabe and Zanu-PF to implement the reforms. If they fail to do so then the nose-ring will stay and they can be sure Zanu-PF will savagely yank it repeated just to remind the voters who is the boss. In between the elections Zanu-PF Ministers like Mzembi will talk of the extravagantly glorious and bright future just over the horizon; the placebo of grinding poverty and dashed hopes and dreams - a Mugabe speciality!
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Nomusa Garikai can be contacted at zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com
"You make it sound so rosy, with everything fixed in a short space of time," remarked Stephen Sackur. "I wonder whether you and the Zimbabwe government live is an alternative parallel word!"
Stephen Sackur, the BBC interviewer, reminded the Minister of the economic reality that Zimbabwe has failed to attract any meaningful foreign direct investment for decades because of its objectionable indigenisation laws and lawlessness, could not borrow any money for IMF or any other institute because it already a $10 billion debt it was failing to service, etc.
Stephen Sackur's remarks had no effect on the Minister who continued in his artistic endeavour to paint a glorious bright future for all Zimbabweans! Of course there is no chance of any of the projects coming to fruition to have any meaningful impact of the lives of the long suffering people of Zimbabwe let alone restore their standard of living to what it was in 1980.
Yes the Minister and the Zanu-PF government live in their own world; like all politicians the world over they too have to promise the electorate a better life but unlike everyone else, they do not have to deliver any of their promises and hence can afford to make the most outlandish promises they can. The Zimbabwe economy is in total meltdown unemployment is Mount Everest high and millions are already living in abject poverty so it is important that the regime conjure a glorious bright future to count balance the crashing depths of misery and despair the nation has sunk into.
Zimbabweans have been conditioned to believe that the greater the suffering and misery today the brighter their tomorrow will be. Mugabe has told them, their tomorrow is always just behind the horizon. One thing is clear to all, except for the few ruling elite, their todays have been decidedly worse than their yesterdays and yesteryears.
Of course there is a limit to what the placebo of hope can do even with a naïve and gullible electorate – the Zimbabwe electorate is one of the most naïve and gullible in the world. Mugabe and Zanu-PF have managed to stay in power for over 34 years regardless of the regime's proven track record of never delivering on their promises; the regime promised mass prosperity but has delivered mass poverty and worse; because the regime is not accountable to the people. Indeed, if anything it is the people who are accountable to the regime.
Mugabe and Zanu-PF have made it clear that they will not tolerate any regime change. They have instituted a political system to safe guard their ‘no regime change' mantra; they lead the electorate by the nose like a bull and a savage yank on the nose-ring has had the electorate on its knees dazed from the excruciating pain.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends should have implemented the democratic reforms when they had the parliamentary majority, SADC backing and five-years of the GNU's life to do so. Zanu-PF now holds all the trump cards; forcing the tyrannical regime to accept implementing any reforms now is going to be a Herculean task.
The Zimbabwean electorate will have to first of all take their understanding of democratic change beyond the present superficial level of rally slogan of repeated chanting "Change! Change!" without knowing what exactly they wanted changed. Understanding the required changes for free, fair and credible elections is not rocket science although one has to put some effort.
The people of Zimbabwe expect that Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to arrest all those who disturb the peace, for example, because that is what the citizens the world over expect the Police to do. Yet in Zimbabwe Zanu-PF thugs have been allowed to intimidate, beat, rape and even murder people for no other reason than that they dared to belong to another political party other than Zanu-PF. The democratic reform required here is to ensure ZRP is independent to carry out of its duty to maintain peace and rule of law without the partisan bias.
At present it is the State President alone who has the say in the appointment and firing of Police Officers making the ZRP beholden to him/her, his/her whim and political party. Parliament must have the power hold senior Police Officers to account for the performance of their duties and block the appointment of those considered unsuitable and get those not up to scratch removed from office.
If the Zimbabwe electorate had understood the importance of the reforms then they would not have elected a bunch of individuals who are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent to carry out this important task, in the first place. Second, the electorate would have forced MDC, corrupt and incompetent as they are, to implement the reforms.
The Zimbabwean people must now understand the democratic reforms and force Mugabe and Zanu-PF to implement the reforms. If they fail to do so then the nose-ring will stay and they can be sure Zanu-PF will savagely yank it repeated just to remind the voters who is the boss. In between the elections Zanu-PF Ministers like Mzembi will talk of the extravagantly glorious and bright future just over the horizon; the placebo of grinding poverty and dashed hopes and dreams - a Mugabe speciality!
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Nomusa Garikai can be contacted at zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com
Source - Nomusa Garikai
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