via Corruption: Let’s be ruthless like China 14/09/2014
FINANCE Minister Patrick Chinamasa has said if the fight against corruption is to be successful, Zimbabwe must be prepared to be ruthless like China where no one is untouchable and top politicians and business executives have been jailed over graft.
Corruption is cited as one of Zimbabwe’s major problems but a government campaign this year which saw top executives at parastatals exposed for earning massive salaries while the companies teetered on the brink of collapse lost steam after it got caught up in Zanu PF’s succession fights.
Vice President Joice Mujuru attacked the anti-graft campaign claiming it was the work of infiltrators trying to destroy Zanu PF from within.
However, addressing a breakfast meeting in Harare last week, Chinamasa, who recently returned from China where he accompanied President Robert Mugabe to seek financial support for the economy, said Zimbabwe could learn from China’s ruthless methods.
Early this year Chinese President Xi Jinping described corruption as a “disease that calls for powerful drugs” and announced even stronger measures against graft which have seen top members of the Communist Party elite thrown into jail.
Said Chinamasa: “What l learnt from the Chinese basically is that they are a very efficient people and ruthless in achieving goals.
“l mean, they are ruthless, whether in terms of stamping out corruption, whether in removing deadwood in management, they are very ruthless and as a result their parastatals are among the top 500 companies worldwide.
“When we compare to ours it was very clear that when we come to parastatal reform, we have not scratched the surface; if we can have the ruthlessness that the Chinese have, the better.”
Chinamasa said Zimbabwe could also learn from the work ethic of the Chinese who, through sheer hard work, have seen their economy grow to become the second biggest in the world after the United States.
He said, unlike Zimbabweans, the Chinese were not an “8 to 5pm” people but they work until tasks are complete without even demanding extra in terms of overtime.
“In fact, their impatience when they come to some countries is that they can’t drive local labour with the speed and efficiency that they are used to in China,” he said.
Zimbabwe has in the past 15 years cultivated closer ties with China after Western governments imposed targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his lieutenants for human rights violations and failure to uphold democracy.
But the Look-East policy has yielded very little in terms of rewards with critics saying Mugabe’s desperation has invariably opened up his mineral rich country to daylight plunder by the Chinese.
Chinamasa was however, adamant Harare has engaged Beijing on an equal footing in attempts to dispel assertions Zimbabwe had virtually turned into a Chinese colony.
The outspoken government official took issue with local journalists who have dismissed his so-called mega deals with the Chinese as “a pie in the sky”.
“What l expect, especially from business reporters, is constructive engagement,” he said, adding that he has remained very accessible to everybody who wished to seek clarification on Zimbabwe’s highly contentious Chinese dealings.
“So let’s not be abusive of each other. If you have any serious comment or advice, write it and we will consider it…but when you abuse you are just dispiriting, just discouraging information which does not do any good to the person saying it or to the country.”
COMMENTS
Lead by example on both corruption and work ethic you fool
The salary gate is a typical example of government failure to stamp down corruption.They have proved beyond any shed of doubt that they are an absolute total failure.Even Jonathan Moyo who started the fire has been told to shut up lest he exposes the teem.
I challenge the minister responsible to issue an official statement that rests the cases.
Yebo! Lead by example! Do you think he is capable of that?
The salarygate is a tipical example of government failure .they have proved beyond any shed of doubt that they are a total total absolute failure.Even J
Yes yes, let’s see the action to back these words
I may not be a minister of finance or educated but i do not need to go to china to know that other governments are efficient but i suppose it takes a law degree n doctorate for some to realise their inefficiency.
Please this will never happen in Zimbabwe as most of ZANU PF would have to be locked away!ZANU are untouchable they are the law!
Oooooohhhh Zanu!!!
Je is even justifying the need for the Chinese to bring their own labour. We will never be a colony again,Mugabe says
.
If you let your cows out with an idiot like Mugabe and Co you only celebrate when all your cows are back in the kraal at night.
We will see the dodo trotting about before these idiots arrest themselves or their peers for corruption
IF YOU DID LIKE CHINA, YOU WILL EXCECUTE ALL TOP OFFICIALS! INCLUDING…. YOUR PARTY IS CORRUPT TO THE BONE!
THE JOKE OF THE DAY . Zanu persecute its own. Imagine the suicides and all. We can’t see that happening very soon.
Chinese dilligence and work ethic along with intolerance of graft, corruption, looting, and incompetence, in Africa? Relax everyone, it will never happen! The people want very much to have the material things of the world, but they prefer to steal them or take them by force. Even in the Carribean and North America amongst the decendents of Africans, this is the reality. Bob and his splendid trophy wife would not enjoy living in a jail; not to mention the finance minister.
Is the amateur minister suggesting that the west is more corrupt than the look east ?? Is this bafoon one of the zpf idiots lining up for instant PhD ?????
Those who have worked with the Chinese locally will no that these people are equally corrupt. ZIMRA has lost millions because Chinese smuggled goods and the highly inflated prices of Harare Water project is testimony to corruption by these people. So Chinamssa don’t fool us with your propaganda.
Do those chinese working in zimbabwe have work permits?
It’s interesting to note the comments pertaining to corruption. First the Minister notices that China is second to USA. Why deal with the second economy when the first is there and willing to work with you. The answer is simple and it is because the Chinese bribe and pay government leaders they deal with under the table , and America’s deals are overboard and transparent. When it comes to labor, we are losing a lot of money in Chiadzwa because diamonds are going out through Chinese hands without Zims not even touching it. Zimbabweans are very hard working people. It was so with the British. Chinese are taking the money out and every development coming in( without bids) is done underhanded and will hold Zimbabwe for decades committed to China. Actually the second colonization of Zimbabwe is by the Chinese. I hope the Minister realizes his statements and hope he really means to root out corruption and not at the expense of the regular Zimbabwean. Rich Zimbabweans are profiting from the deals under the table and there enough evidence. God bless Zimbabwe.
Now after 34yrs of hard work, there is nothing even one thing that the government can convince its populace besides looting, corruption, closure of companies, creating ministries, shuffling dead policies and nikuving elections, someone wakes up today and say corruption cripples development — I think that an insult to the citizen
“Let’s be ruthless, like China”. A good statement, but there is a guy who, in the 1990s was convicted of a corruption related crime, jailed and freed the following day through a presidentail pardon. Ironically, he is our present ambassador to China.
Nyagumbo must be turning in his grave, after corruption he never thought there would be unpunishable looting or scandals, after the Cressida he would never have imagined of a Jeep Cheroke and the calibre of politicians behind the wheels, after his book With The People, he would never thought people would take eight years but still fail an attempt at completing a basic degree only to obtain a locally made Doctrate but fail to pen a speech. Those supposedly to be with the people are against them. ‘Why did i take my life?’ he must be asking himself.
Corruption, a new form of entrepreneurship. Look into the mirror and tell yourself you are free from corrupt deals cde Chinamasa and see who is a liar yourself or your image.
Instead we fear whether our prison walls are concreted enough to hold these violent politicians, corrupt govt officials and parastatal bosses if we were to walk the talk.
OOOh look who is talking the very same corrupt thieving scumbags the problem on this continent the people in power are worshiped like Gods they are not Gods just thieving corrupt scumbags who have looted from coffers and try to cover their tracks there is no Court on the african continent to bring these scumbags to book someone should just tell him to paint butterflies on his bald head!!
Once again it’s talk, talk, talk but not a single step i.e.no walk.
Your record as ZPF in arresting corruption is so poor that we simply don’t believe you Patrick. You & I both know that unless Robert agrees nothing will be done so what’s the point of making these statements.