Nothing wrong with foreign trips

It is very mischievous for the former Finance minister, Tendai Biti, to say that President Robert Mugabe has this year alone blown almost $20 million on foreign trips. There is nothing wrong for the Head of State and government to visit other countries as this improves international relations. People who are not patriotic and lack in the national vision criticize these crucial trips as a sanction busting measure.

The foreign trips has helped a lot in trying to improve Zimbabwe's tainted and demonized image as mega deals have been made with a number of countries. Landmark deals worth $4 billion dollars signed between Zimbabwe and China will convert provisions of the government's economic blueprint, ZimAsset, into programmes of action.

The two nations signed 12 investment agreements covering different sectors of the economy. The deals include financing for the expansion of Hwange Power Station, construction of a new parliament building and a pharmaceutical warehouse, expansion of a national optic broadband project and provision of wildlife mining equipment.

Deals were also made with Russia which included the hydro-power plant deal. Russia is part of a group of the world's fastest growing economy that includes Brazil, India, China and South Africa going by the acronym Brics. It is a known fact that Zimbabwe has for the past 15 years, been unable to secure long-term loans to fund infrastructure because it has been in arrears with global lenders IMF and the World Bank.

President Mugabe's trips abroad are meant to help the country to come out of the economic quagmire it is in because of the economic sanctions imposed by the West. He is penetrating the international markets, thereby retaining faith in a country under economic and trade sanctions. Taking into cognizance the amount of mega deals made, the alleged $20 million spent is just a drop in the ocean. Moreover, international trips help to improve the country's image and in diplomatic cycles we say that no country can stay in isolation.

Biti's efforts to blame President Mugabe's decision making on economic matters is both importune and unfortunate and leads to the conclusion that the leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is a lightweight on issues of economic importance. It seems that he believes that Zimbabwe's economic woes, past and current should be solely laid at the door of one man and his party. He is in a desperate mode to raise his political profile.

Biti and the PDP on their own are insignificant coterie of individuals politically; it is who they represent that is a great threat, which is White Western capital. During his hay days in the Inclusive Government as the Finance Minister he used to sanction these trips; and now the grapes are sour. The truth is that this man suffers from an extreme case of premature self-congratulation.

It is a shame that Biti and his British counterpart, John Longworth have likened President Mugabe to the embattled British Prime Minister David Cameroon, after his government has been accused of spending 9.3 million pounds of taxpayers' money on a pro-EU mailshot. It is the anti-thesis of reality as the Zimbabwean government does not abuse public money as alleged. In fact the President should try by all means necessary try to lure many investors in order to make Zim Asset a reality.

A close analysis of the President's trips abroad shows that these trips have a lot to do with bilateral relations and investments. In fact the trips have helped a lot in terms of maintaining stability in the country.

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Stewart Murewa <stewartmurewa@gmail.com