“My first call on my bucket list for Zimbabwe was fiscal stability and
discipline, the second was monetary stability and predictability. This week on
Monday the informal rate of exchange for the RTGS dollar was 1.90 to 1. That is
an effective devaluation of 12 percent in a week,” wrote former MDC MP, Eddie
Cross, in Nehanda Radio.
“Two to one looks as if it’s just around the corner. Inflation will
follow – that is why these fundamental macro-economic issues are so important to
everyone. In fact, I will be blunt – unless you get these right, nothing else
works.”
Yes, “fiscal stability and discipline, the second was monetary stability
and predictability” are very important but they are not the most important
challenge in Zimbabwe. Dismantling the Zanu PF dictatorship to create an open
dynamic and democratic system of government is the number one priority.
Mr Cross and his fellow MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to
implement the democratic reforms which would have completely dismantled the
Zanu PF dictatorship. They five years in the GNU and yet failed to get even one
reform implemented.
Yes, MDC’s presence in the GNU did bring some much needed fiscal and
monetary stability but with even that was only to a very limited extend because
there was very little foreign investment. With no meaningful political reforms
on the ground, every could see that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was
nothing more than a glorified Office Messenger with a fancy title and so too
were the other MDC ministers. Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies had all the
political power.
With no reforms in place, Zanu PF went on to rig the 2013 elections and
restore its iron grip on power. The very day the elections results were
announce the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange index tumble by a warping 35%, everyone
was fearful of the economic chaos that was certain to follow.
Whatever economic gains Zimbabwe had made during the GNU they were lost as
soon as Zanu PF returned to power.
“Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added unto you,” said Dr Kwame
Nkrumah, first President of post-independent Ghana.
Mr Eddie Cross and his fellow MDC friends failed to understand the
essence of Dr Nkrumah’s message. SADC leaders tried their best to remind the
MDC leaders of the need to implement the democratic reforms but their advice
fell on deaf ears.
“I will be blunt – unless you get these right (fiscal and monetary
stability), nothing else works!” Even with the benefit of hindsight, he still
does not get it – without political stability nothing else matters!
3 comments:
Fiscal and monetary stability are important but nothing compared to the need for political stability. During the GNU MDC did bring some fiscal and monetary stability but failed to implement even one democratic reform and thus failed to bring political stability. The little economic gains of the GNU quickly evaporated in 2013 after Zanu PF rigged the elections.
Even now with the benefit of hindsight MDC leaders still fail to understand the importance of political stability and hence the seriousness of their failure to implement the reforms. It is MDC leaders' fault Zimbabwe is still stuck in this economic and political mess.
@ Gava Mufambi
Any analysis that fails to acknowledge that Zanu PF is rigging these elections is not even worth a minute of anyone with half a brain's time. There is a mountain of evidence to prove these elections are being rigged - the lack of a free public media, no clean and verified voters' roll, Zanu PF having billions of dollars from looted public resources to bankroll its vote rigging machine, etc. - only an idiot would ignore the evidence and pretend these are normal elections.
No doubt the day after the voting is done, the village idiot will finally acknowledge the elections were rigged!
Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged elections much less allow Zanu PF to get away with it. By pretending these are normal elections these village idiots are giving these flawed elections some modicum of credibility and the smoke screen Zanu PF needs to hide the vote rigging.
"To explain the above I will use the ‘in-house enemy theory’ whereby the perceived enemies who are likely to threaten your campaign are your erstwhile Comrades!"
What in-house enemy theory, are you prattling about when you do not even have the common sense to see what is before your nose!
This is it! This is the game changer! This is the point of no return!
When SADC leaders told Morgan Tsvangirai and his minion MDC friends in Maputa that they must not take part in the 2013 elections because the "elections are done!" Very few ordinary Zimbabweans heard about the warning. The few who did, they did not believe Zanu PF would rig the elections as they were convinced the new constitution would deliver free, fair and credible elections!
To say many Zimbabweans were speech, angry and confused at the easy with which Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2013 elections is an understatement. Many people still do not understand how Zanu PF rigs the elections but at least they now know that Zanu PF rigs elections.
Getting the people to demand the implementation of the reform was mission impossible because these are people who have never believed they can get these Zanu PF thugs to listen to them particularly when MDC MPs, ministers and Prime Minister had failed to get the thugs to listen.
What the people have failed to understand was that the MDC leaders had not even tried to get the reforms implemented because they had sold-out on reforms. Mugabe bribed Tsvangirai and company with the trappings of high office, ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, $4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. With their snouts buried in the feeding trough, not even SADC leaders' constant nagging would get the MDC leaders to implement even one reform.
Still many people have remained ambivalent about taking part in this year's elections knowing the elections would be rigged and yet at a loss as to how they could stop the vote rigging.
Chamisa's prattle about MDC "has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections" has assumed the status of the Emperor's invisible golden robe. President Mnangagwa had stubbornly refused to implement even one reform. Meanwhile MDC made it usual demands and drawing red lines which Zanu PF completely ignored, leaving anyone with half a brain questioning where these stringent measure were for real!
What ZCTU has done is tell Emperor Nero that he was naked, these elections are being rigged. ZCTU said something everybody has known for a long time was true but did not dare admit, these people do not need convincing they already know, that is why it has hit Emperor Nero hard!
Emperor Nero can still go ahead and participate in these flawed elections but he will be nothing more than the stack naked Emperor marching along pretending he is wearing his gold robe with the crowd mocking at his foolishness!
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