via Biti: Zim heads for economic lockdown 03 October 2014
FORMER finance minister and MDC Renewal leader, Tendai Biti, has warned that Zimbabwe is heading towards a virtual economic lockdown.
Biti made the chilling warning while addressing a Southern African Political and Economic Series (SAPES) discussion on Thursday.
“Zimbabwe can only come out of its current disastrous economic state by having a national dialogue, which will ensure that a new people-centred economic blueprint is drafted.
“I am not pitching for the return of the inclusive government but let’s find some convergence and write a proper economic document not the ZimAsset political document.”
ZimAsset is a policy document crafted by President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF party in the run-up to last year’s elections.
Zanu PF said under the programme the government would reverse Zimbabwe’s economic slide and create 2.2 million jobs for the thousands of unemployed people.
But a year after the election, Zimbabwe is in a free-fall with thousands of companies being forced to shut down. The banking sector is also in crisis as demonstrated by a fresh liquidity crunch.
The government last month said recent deals it signed with China and Russia would help breathe life into the comatose economy.
Biti however poked holes into the much-vaunted mega-deals arguing the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed by Mugabe and his government will not help turn the country’s economy around because they “are not bankable”.
“These shouts by Zanu PF of mega deals from China are mega lies as the MoUs are not bankable. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa brought a suitcase full of MoUs but they are useless.
“We need a new narrative in this country. We need broad-based empowerment that is inclusive as the current one is exclusive” Biti said.
Zanu PF is battling serious internal divisions. Two rival factions led by Vice-President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa are at each other’s throats as they fight to position themselves for a strike at the country’s top job.
The differences have of late burst into open warfare as the party heads towards a key elective congress in December.
Critics say the infighting has stalled efforts to deal with challenges on the economic front as leaders battle to outdo each in the succession fight.
“We are already in the middle of an economic crisis and the government is very weak at the moment, lacerated by infighting in Zanu PF.
“There is no revenue flowing in so we are a State that is in a crisis but the biggest crisis is the economy that is caused by leadership infighting in Zanu PF,” Biti said to applause.
The Harare East lawmaker said he feared a return to the near implosion of 2008 given “Zanu PF’s predatory response to the current socio-economic crisis”.
Biti’s assertions were supported by economist and labour expert Godfrey Kanyenze.
“There is no coherence in the country and reengagement is critical. What is happening in Zanu PF does not bode well for economic development. There is need for social cohesion,” Kanyenze said.
COMMENTS
Tendai Biti, tell us something that we don’t know already. Better yet, rather than telling us do something. You are a leader aren’t you? Stop yapping and act. This talking and eloquent writing does not and will not get us anywhere. You have been doing that long enough and there is no dialogue you are going to get from ZANU PF. This is an opportunity for you to show your leadership qualities and galvanize people to take a stand. You have the name recognition and if you have any real leadership qualities, this crisis should not be wasted by you, Tsvangirai and Ncube and Dabengwa. Let me suggest something to you. If you want any dialogue, start with your former allies Dabengwa and Makoni and get to the realisation that your splintering will not serve anyone, even you. If you can’t bring yourselves to realize that, then how in the world will you be able to bring a country of 13 million people together. Grow up, lose your arrogance and learn what leadership is all about from the capable. You do that, then you will succeed.
Agreed Pati, the guy is just arrogant beyond his ignorance. Mistakes his arrogance for intelligence. Economic meltdown, dialogue, technocrats, etc, are just but stale opinions. The questioning has progressed from what, when, why, how it happened to how do we regroup, reconstruct the political scenario for the benefit of any ordinary Zimbabwean cognisant that the nation’s wealth has been heaped on few individuals. How do we recover from the destructive looting that occured in the era of GNU and beyond. The ball is in our court or is it the elephant is in our room.