Time for a rebirth of Zimbabwean politics – New Zimbabwe.com

THE current crisis arresting the country revolves around the leadership question especially the failure to respond to problems including those of the states making, it is a clear sign of the broken politics of Jongwe and Munhumutapa buildings.

For close to four decades, Zimbabwe has been dominated by mediocrity, false and corrupt personalities, huge egos, hubris, arrogance, individualism, selfishness and crony capitalism.

It is the Peoples Democratic Partys view that the way we do politics must change; only proper leadership can solve the problems we are facing.

Our state is engulfed in a serious socio-economic crisis causing unpalatable suffering to the Zimbabwean people.

The fact of the matter is that Zimbabwe is in the fourth year of a structural economic recession which the authorities do not understand and are incapable of offering sustainable solutions to stem the same.

The economy is continuously shrinking, predatory fiscal policies have created a huge budget deficit, there is weak export performance, corruption and leakages, lack of competitiveness, lack of meaningful FDI, shrinking diaspora remittances and low levels of capital formation, persistent levels of disserving, have contributed to the crisis.

Our independent calculations reflect that actual GDP for 2015 was -1.8%, -3.8% for 2016 and a projection of -4.8 in 2017.

The state has so far issued out toxic treasury bills to finance the budget deficit which is over 42%.Government has also raided RTGS and NOSTRO accounts at the RBZ as a result a crippling cash crisis has hit the economy.

Long bank queues are now the order of the day, the only attempt by government to deal with the matter was through dubious measures pronounced by the RBZ including a low ceiling on maximum withdrawals and the insanity of introducing the bond note.

In the midst of an amalgamated crisis in Zimbabwe, the situation is compounded by sterile leadership with no ability to provide solutions; the balance sheet of failure is there for everyone to see.

The incompetence of ZANUPF is coupled with the legitimacy question which is born out of ZANUPFs record of electoral fraud including in 2013.The people of Zimbabwe do not trust the ZANUPF government at the same time state officials do not feel compelled to account since they do not draw the mandate from the people but from the rigging machinery.

We also note that the ZANUPF government is further crippled by age which is catching up with most senior individuals in the regime.

Mugabe who is still the President at 93 he recently got a wheel chair as a present from his party members who seem to admit that he is too old to walk around his office space.

The rest of his friends are also very old including the ones who are dying to succeed him. A quick look at their ages of a few examples tells the story; Phelekezela Mpoko 77, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa 75, Simon Khaya Moyo 72, Mahofa Mahofa 76, Sydney Sekeramayi 73, Simbarashe Mbengegwi 72, Patrick Chinamasa 70, David Parirenyatwa 67, Ignatious Chombo 65, Kembo Mohadi 68. Most of these have been in government since 1980, they no longer have anything new to offer. We therefore call for a rebirth of Zimbabwean politics to save the nation from a total collapse. There must be a significant generational change in leadership; even judges are required to retire at the age 70 the same principle must be applied to the executive.

We state in the Agenda for Restoration and Rehabilitation of Electoral Sustainability that there must be a generational coalition in which components from the old movement coalesce with the younger post liberation generations.

Equally important is the fact that the generational equation should be based on the terms and aspirations of the younger generation.

The aim is not to create a modern refined liberation movement but rather a modern democratic entity that will finish the unfinished business of the liberation struggle.

We therefore encourage mobilisation of social movements which as seen in 2016 were driven by young people, networking and collaboration of progressive political and social movements against dictatorship.

There must be national dialogue of stakeholders and the consummation of the social contract, social movements must be involved in resolving the political challenges the country is facing through sustainable policy formulation.

Jacob Mafume is national spokesman of the oppostion PDP party

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Time for a rebirth of Zimbabwean politics - New Zimbabwe.com