A GDP growth rate of 3.7 to 4.7% for 2009 compared to -10.9% last year is certainly a great achievement. And if next year the country can achieve 7% growth then that is great. But before you open the champagne and start the celebrations; we must ask ourselves what GDP growth rates could we have achieved if Zimbabwe was firing on all cylinders? Minister Biti admitted that the mining sector had failed to perform. We all know Zimbabwe is exporting, mostly illegally of course, tonnes of diamonds every week. The forced villagers doing the dirty work are paid pittance, the smugglers and their handlers are paid US$ x by the foreigner dealers who are then paid 500 to 1000 times as much by those processing the diamonds. The Zimbabwe governments get nothing out of all this.
Minister Biti said nothing about agricultural sector’s performance but it is generally agreed that the continued farm invasions have completely disrupted farming. The country will have to spend millions buying food or else depend on Donors to feed the nation. Agriculture used to be the engine of Zimbabwe’s economy.
Minister Biti also admitted that the West have largely refused to give Zimbabwe any financial assistance. They told Tsvangirai to his face in June; not as long as Mugabe remains in charge. This GNU is nothing but a Mugabe dictatorship by another name only MDC pretends not to see it.
So if there rampant corruption in the Mining Sector stopped, the seized farms were taken away from Mugabe and his cronies and given to those able to put them back into full production and the West gave the financial assistance required to repair and or replace plant and equipment Zimbabwe would be enjoying GDP growth rates on 20% to 30%. China and India have been enjoying 10 to15% growth rates and they have had to build new factories, buy machinery, train the workers, etc. Zimbabwe has all the factories, machinery, skilled workers, etc.; all the country needed is political stability and a little financial help to kick start their production.
MDC will pretend the GNU is working and give the stunted GDP growth rates as proof. The truth is whatever economic growth they achieve; they know the country could have done even better if the country had a decisive and effective government.
On the political front this GNU will never deliver a new democratic constitution and there will never be free and fair elections not as long as Mugabe remains in charge. He will never allow that to happen. Last year he graphically showed the shocking and murderous lengths he was prepared to go to retain political power. Only the very naïve would expect him to just give up all his dictatorial powers now!
Tsvangirai, the blithering idiot, started by giving Mugabe all the dictatorial powers in the GPA and is now banking on slowly eroding these powers under Mugabe’s very nose! The reality on the ground is of course different. Mugabe the megalomania is in fact refusing to give up even the little power he had conceded to MDC in the GPA.
Zimbabweans are certainly beginning to question things and it will not be long before they realise that Tsvangirai is leading them up the garden path. The people have rejected Mugabe already and it is by hiding behind Tsvangirai that he continues to rule. The people soon reject Tsvangirai and Mugabe will go with him.
Zimbabwe will never ever realise its full economic potential until the country has leaders who are democratically accountable to the people. What Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti and Mugabe himself are hoping is that the improved (stunted and yet still improved compared to 2008) economic performance will make the people forget that they are still being denied their basic and fundamental rights and freedoms; freedom of expression, meaningful vote and even the right to life. This is the equivalent of the slave master offering the slave a packet of Demerara sugar and hope the slave will forget to demand his/her freedom and the dignity of being a free man!
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