“I was disappointed myself when sanctions are levied against
Zimbabwe, it is the people who suffer. Those in position of political power never
suffer when there are sanctions,” argued Professor P L O Lumumba in recent
video.
“I would have expected SADC to rally around Zimbabwe to
cushion Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans against the pain that was visited against them
through the sanctions. I would have expected the African Union to do the same.
“But what did we see? Tail between our legs and we leave
Zimbabwe to the vagaries and manipulations and of foreign countries.”
I have always regarded Professor Lumumba as one of Africa’s
intellectuals. Now I know better, he is just als aaAwaays
If people start attributing this problem to the wrong area
then you come up with the wrong solution. The Zimbabwe economy was already in
serious trouble long before the Western sanctions were imposed in 2001. This is
well documented.
Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown started soon after the country’s
independence in 1980. By 1990, just ten years after independence, the country
accepted the first of the five-year Economic Structural Adjustment Programme
(ESAP). The regime introduced savage social welfare cuts. “People must tighten
their belts!” argued the then Minister of Finance, Dr Bernard Chidzero.
ESAP did not revive the Zimbabwe economy largely because the
regime did not implement the measures to end the gross mismanagement and the rampant
corruption – the real causes of the economic meltdown. In 1995 to 1999, Zanu PF
signed ESAP 2. Once again the ordinary people were asked to tighten their belts
whilst the ruling elite did the exact opposite – loosened their belts to accommodate
the ever growing waist line!
In a interview with Travor Ncube, Dr Simba Makoni, Secretary
General of SADC and Minister of Finance, revealed how Prime Minister Robert
Mugabe replaced the Peugeot ministerial cars inherited from Ian Smith with
Mercedes Benz. The limos were not budgeted for and Mugabe did not even bother to
get cabinet approval.
The message to his fellow Zanu PF leaders was crystal clear;
you stick with me and you will have all your heart’s desires – wealth,
political power and influence. Mugabe had fired the starting gun to the Zanu PF
political patronage system – the root cause of the mismanagement and
corruption. Zanu PF has refused to admit mismanagement and corruption are the
root causes of the country’s economic meltdown. The regime has blamed the sanctions
imposed by the West and the root cause of the economic meltdown and the tragic human
suffering it has brought.
The solution to Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown will come from
addressing the country’s teething problems of mismanagement and corruption.
Sanctions is just a red herring.
To deal with the mismanagement and corruption the country
must first implement the democratic reform designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the
elections. If Zimbabwe was a healthy and functioning democracy, the people
would have voted Zanu PF out of office a long time ago. Alas, Zimbabwe is not a
democracy, Zanu PF’s four decades in power is because the party rigged the elections.
It is most disheartening that someone like Professor Lumumba
fell for Zanu PF’s sanctions propaganda. Now I know, he is just a Zanu PF apologist
masquerading as an intellectual!
5 comments:
Professor Lumumba is asking SADC and the AU to rally together to buy food and medicine for Zimbabweans. Meanwhile the Zanu PF ruling elite continues to cream off billions of dollars of the nation’s wealth to build mansions, buy posh cars and live their Holy Wood lifestyle. Only an idiot would see this as solution!
Mugabe squander US$2 to 4 billion building his Blue Roof mansion money that could have been spend building Batoka Gorge Hydro, for example, increasing the country’s electricity supply by a second Kariba Dam. Mugabe used to spend a staggering US$24 million a year flying to the far East for his medical attention and meanwhile even the country’s referral hospitals were running out of even the basic drugs like pain killer!
It is a crying shame that anyone, would still fall for Zanu PF cheap propaganda of blaming sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown in the face of the criminal waste of human and material resources by the Zanu PF ruling elite who believe they have the right to rule the country and to loot!
CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) vice-chairman Job Sikhala wept in court yesterday after he saw journalist Hopewell Chin'ono in the gallery.
CCC party president Nelson Chamisa also attended the court sitting.
Sikhala and Chin'ono once spent time together at Harare's Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison after they were accused of inciting public violence.
They were caged for over 40 days while being denied bail. Sikhala said he and Chin'ono were being persecuted by Zanu-PF.
Sikhala has been arrested a record 67 times without conviction. His lawyers Alec Muchadehama and Jeremiah Bhamu insist that his arrests are politically-motivated.
The country would not be stuck in this political nightmare if MDC leaders had implemented the democratic reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the golden opportunity to do so. They did not because they don’t believe in the rule of law, in their hearts of hearts they believe they can win rigged elections.
People like Job Sikhala will never see the need to implement democratic reforms and hold free and fair elections. They view the interparty violence, the harassment and arrest by the Police, etc. as normal. Job Sikhala wears the “arrested 67 times”, “caged in Chikurumbi Mximum Security Prison for 40 days” as badges of honour!
Naturally Zanu PF would rather have Job Sikhala and his like as the opposition, they would happily play this cat and mouse political game than have any opposition that will demand reforms and put any end to this madness of participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy.
Prosecutors allege Sikhala posted videos encouraging public violence following the recovery of Ali's dismembered, decomposing body.
Sithole is accused of acting in connivance with Sikhala by reportedly organising transport which ferried mourners to Ali's homestead in Nyatsime.
The truth is this cat and mouse political game will never end because people like Job Sikhala view the political violence as normal cut and thrust of politics. He considers the arrest as a badge of honour. Zanu PF, for their part, would rather have this chaos and violence continue than give in to the demands of reforms to ensure free and fair elections.
By participating in these flawed elections CCC are giving Zanu PF legitimacy and that is all that matters to the regime. We need to denounce the opposition for their part in perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship. We want free and fair elections and not Job Sikhala’s silverback gorilla posturing!
The people must understand that this game of mindless political violence and chaos could and should have ended decades ago if the opposition had implemented the democratic reforms. There is no chance of the reforms being implemented whilst opposition leaders like Job Sikhala view the political violence as normal cut and thrust of politics. He considers his arrest as a badge of honour.
Zanu PF, for their part, would rather have this chaos and violence continue anything to avoid having to deal with the thorny issue of implementing reforms and holding free and fair elections.
By participating in these flawed elections CCC are giving Zanu PF legitimacy and that is all that matters to the regime. We need to denounce the opposition for their part in perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship. We want free and fair elections and not any of this Job Sikhala’s silverback gorilla posturing!
"The citizens government will come up with a policy framework and turnaround strategy, which among others includes the following, develop demand driven policies informed by inclusive policies and inclusive politics anchored upon an inclusive dialogue with all political actors, economic players, labour, business, civil society and academia with a view to build a new consensus by-in," Chamisa tweeted.
"Our policies will be predictable, consistent and guarantee certainty — this will help citizens, economic agents, workers, business and investors to plan with certainty.
"The corrupt will be an endangered species & extinct. We will eliminate corruption, enforce rule of law, foster political tolerance, constitutionalism and respect of property rights, which, combined, are critical ingredients required to attract investment, savings and production," he said.
In his desperate bid to win power Chamisa has been going the extra mile to assure the Zanu PF ruling elite that their will not only retain their looted wealth but better still they will also retain their carte blanche powers to loot if they switched their political allegiance to him. If they did, they have the political clout to force him to honour his promise!
Mnangagwa promised to stamp out corruption but has since learned it was easier said than done. Chamisa will do no better!
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