Mugabe should initiate dialogue with MDC, international community to save Zim

He described the Zanu (PF) administration as a non-government which was sterile, clueless, impotent, idea free and indifferent.

“If MDC and the international community let Zanu (PF) continue going it alone, Zimbabwe would continue to be led in a wrong and fatal economic direction,” Biti said.

A $4 billion stimulus package, according to Biti, would be needed to revive the country’s infrastructure including productive sectors.

Part of the money would be channelled towards operations of the country’s lender of last resort, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

Among suggested remedies for Zimbabwe to get back on its feet, were resuscitation of infrastructure such as the railway network, implementation of the IMF Staff Monitoring Programme, attraction of direct foreign investment and industrialisation of the economy among other requirements.

Zanu (PF) was advised not to celebrate deindustrialisation “since no economy would grow out of informal activities.”

Biti suggested that government should come up with a grant to make up for the gap created by its 2013 populist decision which resulted in the cancellation of bills ratepayers owed local authorities.

Government’s failure to fund BEAM, said Biti, was a criminal conduct and against provisions of the constitution.

“The fact that government no longer carried out its responsibilities showed that the Zanu (PF) administration was paralysed, crippled and had abandoned its obligation to run the country,” said Biti, who was finance minister in the expired GNU.

Biti warned that the Zimbabwe dollar would be reintroduced since the liquidity crunch facing the country could not be solved by the additional foreign currencies adopted recently.

Commenting on corruption riddling the country, Biti said that suspending corrupt officials was not the solution, since the whole Zimbabwe system was ‘rotten’ to the core and needed urgent overhaul.

He suggested that a commission of enquiry led by a retired judge be commissioned to professionally investigate corruption in all sectors of the economy.

The judiciary commission would carry out a forensic audit of all government institutions and flush out the dirt.

It was recommended that institutions such as PSMAS which drew membership from civil servants numbering over 250, 000, be governed by an Act of Parliament to help curb corruption.

Biti said MDC-T was the alternative government and was ready to take over from Zanu (PF).

He likened the current state of government to that of shutdown industries.