via Fired up Biti blasts absentee CEO Mugabe 05/06/2014 NewZimbabwe
FORMER Finance Minister Tendai Biti hit out at a clueless and mediocre Zanu PF government on Thursday, saying the economy was tanking while a seemingly indifferent CEO (President Robert Mugabe) nonchalantly spends his time abroad with struggling Zimbabweans picking up the tab.
The 90 year-old Mugabe, who insists on regularly travelling to far-away Singapore for what aides downplay as “routine eye check-ups”, spent US$2 million while holidaying there in January and another US$3 million when he went back in February to have his eyes looked at, said Biti.
The MDC secretary general, who is part of an effort to force leadership renewal in the beleaguered opposition party, was speaking in Harare Thursday at a press briefing on the state of the economy.
“The economic figures are not looking good. What is worrying is the gross lack of leadership. The current Zanu PF government is clueless and mediocre. It is arrested by inertia and they do not care.
“The Zanu PF government has become a robber economy and it is not sustainable. The biggest crime that this government of the day is doing is failing to pay civil servants their monthly salaries on time.”
“The government payday is now fluctuating and the government is failing to honour civil servants’ deductions. It is not coping. We are seeing the government’s desperation in the increases in health fees and toll gate charges.”
Biti, treasury head in the last coalition government, said the country was effectively in “shut down” mode, a problem worsened by divisions in Mugabe’s government and Zanu PF party.
Pay days regularly shifted … The government is struggling to find money for salaries
Discord in the government and ruling party was now affecting the day to day lives of the people with the informal sector now becoming the biggest employer.
“Zanu PF should agree that it has failed and apologise to the people of Zimbabwe. The country is now as bad as it was in 1950,” said Biti.
“It cannot be business as usual and we need a national dialogue because Zanu PF is there only for the purpose of violence. We need to address the suffering of the people.”
The government admits the economy is not performing to its own expectations but insists its ZimAsset blueprint should be given time to right the many challenges.
However Biti said, ten months after last year’s elections, ZimAsset had failed to force any meaningful development in the economy.
Instead, thousands of people are losing their jobs every month as companies close down and “there is no foreign direct investment coming into Zimbabwe”.
“ZimAssest is a total waste of time. It is taking us nowhere and is the worst economic document that has been drafted since independence,” he said.
Biti proposed a National Technical Transition Council (TTC) as an urgent solution to ” the national crisis the country is facing”.
The TTC would be mandated with turning around the economy over the next five years and carrying out political reforms that would help Zimbabwe return to legitimacy.
“The TTC has to be made up of capable Zimbabwean technocrats who are not necessarily interested political players and who have no interest in seeking public office at the next election.
“This is not something new. Technocratic governments have helped countries like Italy and Greece to weather the Eurozone crisis,” said Biti.
“We firmly believe that the government, business and labour must come back to the negotiating table in the spirit of the Kadoma Declaration to work towards the establishment of a lasting social contract that benefits everyone,” he said.
He said the MDC Renewal Team strongly believed that Zimbabwe needs a grand coalition of democrats who will create space for redistributive approaches and bringing about equality of opportunities for all Zimbabweans.
“As the MDC Renewal Team, we believe that as part of the completion of the ideals of the liberation struggle, a redistributive policy of the country’s wealth to the majority is now long overdue.
“However, it has now dawned that a few petty bourgeoisies in Zanu PF have sought to replace a monopoly capitalist through the patronage system, clientelism and corruption, excluding the majority who continue to wallow in poverty.
“As a result, the Community Share Ownership Schemes that were lauded by Zanu PF as symbols of community empowerment have turned out to be nothing but a grand political con to lure voters ahead of the July 2013 elections.”
COMMENTS
The Rhodesians are being proved to be right in their prophecy of the future of Zimbabwe under the rule of Charlie Tango.
Just talking for donors funds ,who doesnt know all that ? Its hw you are going to change that, we are waiting for that may b we can support you.be practical ,stop the Rhetoric ,hit the Target,we want action Please!!
Pasi zanupf
If Zanu bites into this, I see it as the only viable solution to the current crisis. We definitely need a transitional government preferably headed by an outsider[kofi Anan] of international repute. Thi should be for 5 years extendable if need be. this will help in putting in the required reforms and levelling the playing field. the current crop of politicians leave a lot to be desired.
Zanu is so much in the looting business I will be surprised if they throw in the towel.
the british should be the caretaker.the queen should select one of the the lords to run this country for @least 5 years.commonwealth membership automatic.they owe us a lot guys.all the minerals they dug since cecil rhodes.besides they designed this country and they obviously know how its supposed to be run .and we are speaking their goddamm language.anyway we have failed and its time to seek outside help
Britain owes you absolutely nothing and owes Zimbabwe even less. Do you know why there is a Beit bridge over some of the major rivers in Zimbabwe and a Beit Hall at many of the older schools? Because dimwit they were paid for by Alfred Beit a South African diamond magnate of German origin. Who paid for the railway lines? The shareholders of the Charter Company. These were built long before any significant minerals were removed from Zimbabwe. Do you know why the Charter Company gave up its charter over Zimbabwe in 1922 dimwit, because the minerals in the country weren’t paying enough to run the country! When that happened Britain did not want another colony in Africa as they were a drain on it resources, so they let the settlers chose between running their own affairs or joining South Africa. The settlers without reference to the approximate 600 000 indigenous people decided against joining South Africa and chose to run the country themselves. What did Britain take out of the country idiot? After 1922 most of the whites who settled in Zimbabwe had to bring in money to invest in creating factories for the benefit of all Zimbabweans. Examples of this were the Treger family, the Sensky family (Merlin), the Lobel family, the Abrahamson family (Matabeleland Clothing). What happened when these entrepreneurial families packed up and left these successful businesses behind? They fell into the hands of indigenous businessmen or ZANU PF who did not have a clue as to how to run them so they were looted and have collapsed. The only people who remained behind were the large South African companies such as Tongaat, Anglo American and Implats as well as the farmers. When Zanu PF stole the farms the economy collapsed and now with the indigenization laws they are driving the nails into the coffin. Get an education dimwit, Britain owes you less than nothing.
At last Kevin. You do have a tongue after all.
Kofi Anaan is trying his luck like Thabo Mbeki at being an ambassador for Africa to wiin Mo Ibrahims Money -why on earth did he not do things when he was Secretary General for the UN? only thing he achieved was for his son from his first marriage to steal Food Aid for the Iraqi people and live a life of luxury in switzerland and he has never been prosecuted – presumbably his Kofi jumped to his aid and bailed him out!- he is a non starter including Thabo
thanks Petal, I put it in brackets so you realise its an example. There is a lot of able internationally recognised leaders that we can select from.
Biti, the guy who was the principal architect in destroying the Zim$ is the man that pays you for a living. Right now I would much rather support Jonathan Moyo than you. Remember how you used to shun MDC US meeting claiming you were on government business while failing to recognize you got the job through the party and behaving like Mugabe would never use you and discard you? You people Singapore. You people are so miopic!
Something got onto my hands…..
How can you honestly say the economy is on free fall when your “father leader” can afford to attend church in Rome or have an eye check in Singapore?
The difference between Tendai Biti and Jonathan Moyo is that Jonathan Moyo is wanted for fraud in two countries (Kenya & South Africa). Tendai Biti is at least honest. If you think that supporting a fraudster is better than supporting an honest man then you are a stupid criminal.
If the nutty professor is wanted for fraud in two african countries why have they not extradited him? Don’t these african have extradition treaties among themselves- ie. the SADC and AU – doubt it very much because all the leader the thieves
Correction. doubt it very much because all the african leaders have stolen from the coffers
BACK TO ZANUPF! SHUT UP!
but will civic society show the b#ll@ to participate, there always seems to be criticism but this would be the chance to be proactive…
Biti your nonsense is beyond me. What do you want. The AU in all its grandiosement is the body you should be pushing for change. BUT YOU ARE SIMPLY BIDING FOR TIME. You and co are not fooling anyone comrade. Your jinx is not our foolishness. Talk to the people first and take their advice. Instead you choose to harp on as if you are the chosen leader already. Well sekuru you must first work for it you sell out.
You are as illiterate as the average Zanu PF thief. The AU is a hot air factory for the self aggrandisement of a lot of good for nothing African despots. No one any where in the world gives a damn about the AU and any thing that comes out of it. Biti is right the opposition in Zimbabwe needs a cracker up its behind. In South Africa all the intelligent commentators have written Tsvangirai and the MDC and all its variants off. No intelligent person believes that any one could have been so stupid as to participate in an election before the terms the agreement that gave rise to the GNU had been implemented.
No to a gentlemens’ government. We cannot continue doing things the same way and expect a change in result. Biti is seeking relevance till 2018. The past GNU came to life as a result of the failure by the electoral process to bring out a clear winner. Zanu pf would not want to confirm that the July 2013 elections were rigged by joining hands once again with their foes. New ideas please. Its either we perish or fight or both.
You all need to thank the “african intelectual” idiot from south africa thabo mbeki for this mess in zims.
hear hear hear and the Ghanaian intellectual (who got the post of Secretary General because the African Countries were calling for an african )Kofi Anaan and did absoluteley nothing most people around the world were not happy with him
Everyone is missing the point with Kofi and Thabo all they want is Mo Imbrahims money they do not give a stuff about anyone!
Kelvin Watson, if you are Biti say so so that we can engage you properly.
Wilbert Mukori wrote his article and stood up to comments. So man up. We have real questions for you.
Watson, as usual you fail to put your so called intelligence forward because you are an angry man that normally just says one or two words which we don’t make sense of. I am not going to tell you what to do.I think you know. I don’t care who you are, I do care what might have been done to you. Get over it and get on the program. If you stunned and don’t know what it is about is to stop calling others illiterate as the fingers now seem to point to you.
In your own words Doc.. What an inappropriate name WATSON…He needs a Holmes to guide him..
Not in a million years will the Zanu mafia step aside and let someone else run the place.And lose the 2 things they value most:Power and looting opportunities?NOT going to happen!Mugabe would rather burn the place down than step aside
The political situation in Zimbabwe has been stagnant. MDC has been a pseudo opposition working tirelessly to keep ZANU in power. Biti. has just shaken the stale rotten. political scene. Thank God even Tsvangirai is running around aimlessly.Biti to me is a hero for shaking. things up.May be change. is near now
guys right now its not about who we think should lead it shld be about how we can work together to get rid of these monsters in government