via Zimbabweans miss unity govt – DailyNews Live 31 August 2015 by Bridget Mananavire
HARARE – A new survey released by a local think-tank has shown the majority of Zimbabweans miss the inclusive government which they credited with stabilising the economy.
According to the post-elections survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (Mpoi), Zimbabweans blamed President Robert Mugabe’s government for taking the country in a wrong direction.
The survey was conducted in September last year but its findings have just been released, coinciding, with the economic troubles which have raised fears of unrest.
“Almost half of adult Zimbabweans felt the country was going in the wrong direction. Zimbabweans had a gloomy assessment of their present personal and country economic conditions,” the report said.
Forty-two percent believed the country was in a much worse economic situation than was being experienced during the inclusive government in which Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai shared power following the signing of the Global Political Agreement.
The inclusive government stabilised the economy as Zimbabwe ditched its worthless currency to adopt a multi currency system, credited with wiping off runaway inflation and returning goods into the supermarkets.
Two years after its expiry, the gains made at its consummation have been reversed — leading to genuine fears that the current meltdown could lead to collapse of government business.
According to the Mpoi report, 47 percent of the people interviewed believed that the country was going in the wrong direction, while 32 percent believed the country was on the right path.
The Mpoi report said some Zimbabweans also reported deprivations in respect of other basic needs such as clean water, medicine, food, and fuel to cook food.
“Matabeleland North and South provinces were the two most affected by food shortages. Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces faced serious challenges in terms of access to clean water and fuel to cooking food. Farming came first as the main source of food for many Zimbabweans; in second place was the use of a salary; in third place was project income. Remittances from relatives also played a critical role,” the report read.
“Government received worst rating in terms of job creation and most positive rating in terms of addressing educational needs. By far, unemployment ranked as the most important problem that confronts the current Government. A plurality felt the Government had not done anything important to them.”
Government’s much-maligned blueprint — Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) — was not known by 56 percent of people interviewed.
“Of those who had heard about this economic blueprint (i.e. the 43 percent of the survey respondents), a plurality of 42 percent held the view that the plan is not a remedy to Zimbabwe’s development challenges; another 31 percent felt it was a remedy to a ‘moderate’ or ‘large extent’,” the report read.
COMMENTS
what was so wrong with a unity government? what is so wrong with the idea of unity? unity is required in difficult times. yet the only unity mugabe accepts is the forced marriage between zapu and zanu pf. that is now our national unity day. yet the name of the party zanu pf never changed at all. mugabe is against unity and for only himself. he must go now.
Lets be serious guys- dont say a survey no. Say this is my or our wish or thinking that Zimbabweans must be missing that kind of govt. Tsvangirai stands out as one of the greatest politicians of his generation, with possible exception of today.
LET THEM EAT CAKE!:THEY VOTED FOR THE MONSTER PARTY!
From what I read recently Mugabe is on his last legs. My father died at the age of 31 and he was in his last month losing his mind and memory as well – so even if Mugabe lives longer – it is unlikely that he is aware of what is going on around him.
The problem was that what is going to happen after he is out of the office. Grace is a stupid hyena – a hugely stupid woman unable to run the country without being dishonest. The latest one is the stealing of the second hand clothing from the poor street traders by the Police and her dishing it out as present to the rural poor. Dishonest and she will steal all she can lay her hands on.
Neither of the VP’s have the ability and following to run the country and the younger ZANU-PF members has a spotty record of looting as well. So if Mugabe is gone – what then?
I think the only way forward would be for the forming of a Unity Government with Mujuru and Tsvangirai as the leaders until a reliable and free and fair election is possible – maybe in 2018. That would be the only way to put the economy back on track and get rid of the present dictatorship. The system could be Mujuru for President the first year and Tsvangirai as President the next year – whereafter an election could be held.