“I thought we had seen everything that this country of ours could throw at us, but the situation right now looks like nothing we have seen before. Prices have quadrupled and continue to rise inexorably, incomes remain fixed or at least only 15 to 30 per cent higher for people in paid employment, fuel is still short or expensive and now massive electricity cuts. At my place in Harare we are out of electricity for 15 to 18 hours a day, every day,” started off Eddie Cross.
He went on to admit that he is receiving RTGS$ 94.00 (US$10 today and tomorrow will be less than that guaranteed) from a pension scheme he started when he was 17 years and paid “well over a million US dollars”.
He went on to admit that he is receiving RTGS$ 94.00 (US$10 today and tomorrow will be less than that guaranteed) from a pension scheme he started when he was 17 years and paid “well over a million US dollars”.
“If you cannot provide food and fuel to your people, we are, as far as many people are concerned a 'failed State'. How else do you describe what is happening?” continued Eddie. Asking what should have been a rhetorical question but, of course, not to him.
“But the reality is that we are far from a failed State, our fiscal surplus in the first quarter was $500 million, we are accumulating hard currency in our banks, for the first time ever, the balance of payments is strong, so why the crisis? Let's look at each problem one by one.
“Firstly, food: 20 years after the Government launched the 'Fast Track Land Reform Program' and three years after 'Command Agriculture' we are still importing the great majority of our food, food prices are high by regional standards and our poorest people (who are 70 per cent of the entire population) cannot afford to buy their essentials for daily life. Why? We have plenty of land, water to irrigate a million hectares of crops, we have the expertise and most of the equipment needed - what's missing? Two words - real farmers.”
“But the reality is that we are far from a failed State, our fiscal surplus in the first quarter was $500 million, we are accumulating hard currency in our banks, for the first time ever, the balance of payments is strong, so why the crisis? Let's look at each problem one by one.
“Firstly, food: 20 years after the Government launched the 'Fast Track Land Reform Program' and three years after 'Command Agriculture' we are still importing the great majority of our food, food prices are high by regional standards and our poorest people (who are 70 per cent of the entire population) cannot afford to buy their essentials for daily life. Why? We have plenty of land, water to irrigate a million hectares of crops, we have the expertise and most of the equipment needed - what's missing? Two words - real farmers.”
He went on to give other examples fuel shortage because of “State controls and State intervention”; the crippling power cuts because the “sector is an unholy mess”; etc.
Eddie Cross showed how some of the nation’s problems had considerably eased during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when MDC and Zanu PF shared power only to see the problems resurface again after Zanu PF retained to power in 2013. Proof that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic problems is bad governance.
Eddie Cross is bending over backwards not to admit Zimbabwe is a failed state, failed governance, because he cannot bear to admit the elephant in the room – the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship and MDC’s role in helping keep the regime in power.
Zimbabwe is not the only country to suffer from having corrupt and incompetent leaders what has made our situation unbearable is that we are stuck with the same corrupt and incompetent leaders for 39 years and counting. Zanu PF has rigged elections denying the populous the opportunity to remove the regime from office. Secure in their post, Zanu PF has done as it pleased. The state controls and interventions which have destroyed the economy have made the ruling elite filthy rich. It is foolish to keep wittering to these Zanu PF thugs that they need to change these economic policies when they know the same policies are making them rich!
During the GNU the primary task for Eddie Cross and his MDC friends were to implement the democratic reforms and thus dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and end the curse of rigged elections. They failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Not one!
“We are a failed state!” Of course, we are a failed state; we have bad governance in the form of a corrupt and tyrannical and vote rigging ruling party and a corrupt and incompetent opposition with its head buried in the sand, it does not want to even admit it!
2 comments:
It is little wonder that Zimbabwe is stuck! We have this Zanu PF regime that has corrupted the nation’s democratic institution so that it has carte blanche dictatorial powers to deny the people their basic freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The end result is the nation is stuck with this incompetent and corrupt regime for 39 years and it has completely destroyed the nation’s once promising economy.
Stuart Duran has said Zanu PF would rather “see Zimbabwe ‘totally’ demolished if that was the price to be paid for preventing others from ruling it.” Sadly, that is exactly what the regime has done.
In the last 39 years, the country has had many golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms and thus end the Zanu PF dictatorship but all these have been wasted. The people risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on the ticket the party will bring about the desperately need democratic changes, as the party’s own name implied. Sadly MDC has failed to implement even one reform in 19 years on the political stage. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office, made them members of the ruling elite or be it not exactly on par with the Zanu PF members, and MDC leaders forgot about implementing reforms.
Whilst MDC members has continued to pay lip service to reforms, their hearts and spirit are not in it. MDC leaders have accept the Zanu PF dictatorship and are now interested in making themselves indispensable to the regime as the ones who help the dictatorship achieve some economic recovery.
So we are stuck with a corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF dictatorship and an opposition keen as mustard to keep the dictatorship to secure their own position as members of the country’s ruling elite.
Dube said the President must declare Zimbabwe a tax haven so that he can court investors all over the world.
"He must declare Zimbabwe a semi-tax haven. Allowing companies from around the world to incorporate in Zimbabwe, without necessarily having to be operational in Zimbabwe. He must charge a flat annual fee for maintenance and have 0% Corporate Tax. For companies operating in Zimbabwe, charge less than 3% corporate tax.
"He can there declare Zimbabwe a safe haven. He must sell Zimbabwean citizenship and revise all extradition treaties with all developed countries. Only extradite people charged with Violent Crimes. The President must also deconstruct and liberalize all state monopolies and Privatise all Parastatals."
Zimbabwe has been experiencing an economic decline since the bloody coup that ended 37 years of Robert Mugabe's bloody rule.
Good one Dube, so how many big corporate company do you think will take advantage of Zimbabwe’s safe tax haven to deposit foreign currency only to be told they can withdraw RGTS$. Of course, it is another matter if the money is counterfeit or otherwise dirty money and Zimbabwe is providing the cleaning services.
Still Mnangagwa is very delighted to with your advice, especially the President for life bit! Mnangagwa has a 24 member President Advisory Council that has been giving him some stupid advice, there is clearly room for one more. Sit tight, the men and women in dark glasses give you your invitation to join the Council!
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