via Are the new VPs prepared to serve? 17 December 2014
I must first congratulate the two gentlemen who have been appointed as vice presidents, but I do so with serious reservations about their ability to change our politics from those of exclusion and non-accountability to the politics of inclusion, consensus building and service.
My first worry is VP Mnangagwa’s statement that he will hold the party line that has been in place for the last 52 years. That is a preposterous proposition given that this party line of racism, non-accountability, violence and rule by fear and stealth has created the very circumstances that we now face. The narrative on Zimbabwe must change and if his approach is that our future will be guided by the past, then I doubt very much whether we shall see the change we want to see from him.
Secondly I don’t know whether VP Mphoko, who claimed that he would meet our expectations, really understands our expectations and whether he will have the power to act outside President Mugabe’s narrative that sees the West as the enemy and anyone who dares oppose his views as an agent of the West. His narrative sees the masses as simple-minded and he feels entitled to power because of the past. That is totally unacceptable.
If our VPs truly seek to make a difference, these are the issues they must tackle as a matter of urgency:
First, wherever there is exclusion on any basis, a country will never live up to its full potential because it minimises the talents it can apply to its development. Zimbabweans, black and white, are a talented lot. It’s time we stopped any form of discrimination and valued our human capital as an asset.
A partisan approach to development has left our economy in tatters characterised by patronage, inefficient management and allocation of resources, abuse of state resources, state capitalism and severe revenue leakages.
The idea that it is only those in the politburo that have all the wisdom is dangerous. The idea that it is only Zanu (PF) members who are entitled leadership positions in the public sector is wrong and limits our growth while creating a culture of entitlement and non-performance. There is loads of talent outside the party and the sooner we stop using political criteria when it comes to economic management and development, the better for everyone.
Second, I think is the issue of private property rights is critical. In any country where citizens do not have the confidence that their sweat and blood expended to build personal wealth will be protected by law, that country will be poor. We must remove from our minds any notion that this government has the right to dispossess citizens of any assets, particularly land assets, at whim. Until we build confidence in our citizens we cannot expect foreigners to invest in our country.
We must hurry to address the conflict in agricultural properties and the lack of full ownership of land by new black farmers. In order for us to unlock the value of our land assets, we must monetise these through the issue of title deeds or bankable leases. But more important, we must resolve the land conflict so that we can create employment, achieve food security and also revive local industry. In my opinion, any government that ignores this and uses racist rhetoric to protect the occupation by party officials and hangers of multiple unproductive farms is really not serious.
Third is the issue of widespread corruption. This can only be addressed by our leaders leading by example and ensuring that those found to be corrupt are brought to book. Zimbabwe continues to bleed its resources through this scourge. Unless we see our VPs attending ruthlessly to this matter, we shall not see any economic turnaround. This applies particularly to state enterprises where deployment for purposes of patronage continues to arrest performance. The cost of inefficiency and top-heavy structures within state enterprises is unimaginable and will continue to hold us back.
Fourth is investment. Zimbabwe can never attract foreign investment while we do not have a successful and vibrant business sector that is left alone to flourish. State capitalism will not deliver the economic growth that we seek. Indigenisation that is to be applied at the discretion of Zanu (PF) ministers will not be based on objective economic criteria and creates a door for political manipulation and corruption.
I doubt very much whether Mugabe will give these two gentlemen the tools of the space to create a new paradigm. I suspect that we are not going to get any substantive changes in policy approach and do not therefore expect any miracles from the two VPs.
He has successfully secured his hold on power and the new VP’s will be expected to protect that. They are therefore most unlikely to meet our expectations and will be lame ducks waiting for him to retire.
It is only when Mugabe goes that we can truly begin to build a non-racial nation that is united and acknowledges that Zanu (PF) has made monumental mistakes that must be reversed. Zimbabwe will never live up to its full potential until the person in state house begins to represent the future and makes a clean break with the past
– Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You can contact him at vtmusewe@gmail.com
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