Opinion / Columnist
MDC MP critical of 'blotted' cabinet and yet said nothing during the GNU!
20 Jul 2015 at 10:44hrs | Views
MDC MP tells parliament that the Zimbabwe government and cabinet is far too big given the size of the country.
"Our Cabinet is so huge; a country of 13 million people has a Cabinet of 75 people and yet when you look at South Africa, a country with five times our population, a country with 52 million people has a Cabinet of 28," said the MDC MP for Mabvuku, James Maridadi.
Maridadi said Zimbabweans could not justify such a blotted government which far outstrips the United States, a country with 320 million people and a cabinet of 15 officials.
"What it means Mr. Speaker is that when Cabinet is appointed and reappointed, it makes it very difficult for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to plan," Maridadi said.
"When Ministers are appointed, each Minister must get an executive vehicle - a Mercedes Benz E300 - which, at ZIMOCO, is valued at US$120,000.
"Again, our Ministers are now getting Range Rover Vogue, the ones our Ministers are driving is worth $296,000.
"Not even the British Prime Minister David Cameron drives a vehicle of that expense and yet these vehicles are manufactured in the United Kingdom."
Maridadi is spot on, the only fly in this ointment is that during the GNU years when MDC leaders were is cabinet and had the majority in parliament and thus were in a position to get the size of cabinet and government reduced; Maridadi and his MDC friends said nothing on the matter. MDC then was not concerned about the blotted cabinet and government but only in securing as many MDC seats on the gravy train as possible.
During the GNU, James Maridadi was not an MP but was Chief Spokesperson& Deputy Director of Information Prime Minister's Office 2009 to 2011 and then promoted to Director of Protocol. He could have forced MDC to change its position on the blotted size of government is he really wanted.
Ever since the rigged July 2013 elections, that saw many MDC members booted off the gravy train; Comrade Maridadi and his MDC friend have once again reassumed their pre-GNU political role of pretending to care about the suffering masses of Zimbabwe. Of course they were pretending as they clearly showed during the GNU years when they not just forget the suffering masses but betrayed them by accepting the gravy train privileges in return for making sure none of the democratic reforms are implemented.
MDC leaders got themselves elected in the past by pretending to care and they are hoping the nation will be fooled again come the next elections. One only hopes that the people will not be so easily fooled again!
Zimbabweans must now look for competent leaders who will implement all the democratic reforms everyone had agreed back in 2008 when the GPA was sign are the pre-requisite for free and fair elections. The worsening economic meltdown is causing untold economic suffering but to implement the economic reforms necessary for economic recovery the nation must have regime change which is itself unthinkable without free and fair elections.
Maridadi and his fellow MDC friends are promising the nation that they will get Zanu PF to implement the reforms necessary for free and fair elections. One will have to be political naïve to believe MDC's promise because if they failed to get even one reform implemented when President Mugabe and Zanu PF was obliged to under the GPA and MDC had SADC's backing and support on this; what hope is there MDC will get this important task carried out now that the GPA has expired!
MDC leaders have already proven to be corrupt and incompetent; it would be foolish if the people were to entrust MDC to implement the reforms when they have already shown that they cannot be trusted!
Yes the Zanu PF government and cabinet are blotted but the only way the nation will ever address this problem and the ever worsen economic meltdown problems meaningfully is after holding free and fair elections. The people must concentrate on getting competent leaders who get all the democratic reforms implement; absolutely nothing of value will ever be accomplished until the reforms are implemented and MDC will never do it. Never!
"Our Cabinet is so huge; a country of 13 million people has a Cabinet of 75 people and yet when you look at South Africa, a country with five times our population, a country with 52 million people has a Cabinet of 28," said the MDC MP for Mabvuku, James Maridadi.
Maridadi said Zimbabweans could not justify such a blotted government which far outstrips the United States, a country with 320 million people and a cabinet of 15 officials.
"What it means Mr. Speaker is that when Cabinet is appointed and reappointed, it makes it very difficult for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to plan," Maridadi said.
"When Ministers are appointed, each Minister must get an executive vehicle - a Mercedes Benz E300 - which, at ZIMOCO, is valued at US$120,000.
"Again, our Ministers are now getting Range Rover Vogue, the ones our Ministers are driving is worth $296,000.
"Not even the British Prime Minister David Cameron drives a vehicle of that expense and yet these vehicles are manufactured in the United Kingdom."
During the GNU, James Maridadi was not an MP but was Chief Spokesperson& Deputy Director of Information Prime Minister's Office 2009 to 2011 and then promoted to Director of Protocol. He could have forced MDC to change its position on the blotted size of government is he really wanted.
Ever since the rigged July 2013 elections, that saw many MDC members booted off the gravy train; Comrade Maridadi and his MDC friend have once again reassumed their pre-GNU political role of pretending to care about the suffering masses of Zimbabwe. Of course they were pretending as they clearly showed during the GNU years when they not just forget the suffering masses but betrayed them by accepting the gravy train privileges in return for making sure none of the democratic reforms are implemented.
MDC leaders got themselves elected in the past by pretending to care and they are hoping the nation will be fooled again come the next elections. One only hopes that the people will not be so easily fooled again!
Zimbabweans must now look for competent leaders who will implement all the democratic reforms everyone had agreed back in 2008 when the GPA was sign are the pre-requisite for free and fair elections. The worsening economic meltdown is causing untold economic suffering but to implement the economic reforms necessary for economic recovery the nation must have regime change which is itself unthinkable without free and fair elections.
Maridadi and his fellow MDC friends are promising the nation that they will get Zanu PF to implement the reforms necessary for free and fair elections. One will have to be political naïve to believe MDC's promise because if they failed to get even one reform implemented when President Mugabe and Zanu PF was obliged to under the GPA and MDC had SADC's backing and support on this; what hope is there MDC will get this important task carried out now that the GPA has expired!
MDC leaders have already proven to be corrupt and incompetent; it would be foolish if the people were to entrust MDC to implement the reforms when they have already shown that they cannot be trusted!
Yes the Zanu PF government and cabinet are blotted but the only way the nation will ever address this problem and the ever worsen economic meltdown problems meaningfully is after holding free and fair elections. The people must concentrate on getting competent leaders who get all the democratic reforms implement; absolutely nothing of value will ever be accomplished until the reforms are implemented and MDC will never do it. Never!
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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