Reports that President Robert Mugabe has warned ministers in his new Cabinet that he will not hesitate to fire those he finds to be incompetent are a welcome development, if only he would carry out his threats.
NewsDay Editorial
We believe the responsibility of being a minister of government is an onerous one requiring one to apply him or herself fully as they serve their country. It does not matter which political outfit one purports to represent in the House of Assembly or Senate, but just the fact that one has been appointed a minister follows that he should deliver regardless.
For a government minister, true patriotism is being able to diligently and honestly serve their nation. Hence, Mugabe’s warning comes right on time to ensure these men and women that have been appointed to serve the nation at this crucial period should know exactly that the expectations of the nations are very high for them to deliver.
The President’s warning should jolt ministers who might be tempted to spend time in the comforts of their political office knowing all too well that they have been appointed to serve the nation regardless of differences in political opinion.
The failure of this new Cabinet to deliver, however, does not absolve Mugabe as the chief executive of the country and urge him to implement a performance appraisal system for his ministers. As he rightly observed, the contrast between Indigenisation minister Francis Nhema and his Climate Change counterpart Saviour Kasukuwere — that one is an introvert and the other an extrovert — cheap politicking in the name of their portfolios does not mean they are working. The people need delivery.
Mugabe has in the past threatened ministers for non-delivery and corruption, but still has failed in the past to carry out his word. We hope this time around seeing that the stakes are high, he will have a performance appraisal system for his ministers to ensure they do what is expected of them to ensure service delivery.
It is our hope, therefore, that to show that he is not politicking, Mugabe will introduce a balanced scorecard to assess the performance of his ministers.
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No doubt Mugabe is at the moment a captain of a ship in stormy waters, hence the need for his crew to hit the ground running instead of celebrating their appointment. People expect Mugabe and his government to fulfil their election promises such as employment creation, food security, normalising relations with the West and the need for efficient service delivery such as provision of water and electricity for both domestic and commercial use and ensuring certainty in the country’s policies.
Policies relating to the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme should be clearly articulated so that prospective investors know exactly what to expect. We mean serious business this time.
Whether the Cabinet is not full of weary deadwood timeservers, only time will tell. What we do know is that Mugabe should stand up to mediocrity this time around.
