POLICY discord and inconsistencies have been the hall-mark of President Robert Mugabe’s government in the last 37 years. This has often worked to his advantage in outwitting his opponents in both Zanu PF and the opposition, but Zimbabweans must demand an end to this charade now.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
The infighting among government ministers has reached an unacceptable level and while Mugabe is free to allow such nonsense to continue in his party, Zimbabwe is not private property and the President must understand that his policy pronouncements affect in one way all the other 14 odd-million of us.
We are astounded that Mugabe continues to snore, while his ministers heckle over his flagship Command Agriculture meant to redress rampant food shortages. Mugabe has also allowed the divisions in his party to spill into government, leaving the economy in tatters. It is most regrettable that Mugabe seems to believe that the country is on the “rebound” when we are sinking.
If our captain cannot realise we are sinking, then this country is in much deeper trouble than all of us think. If our pilot has abandoned his post and leaves the country on auto-pilot, then calls for leadership renewal at the top are not misplaced. We will care less if Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa heckle over Zanu PF positions and policies. Mr President, we will not blink twice if Information, Media and Broadcasting Services minister Christopher Mushowe describes his colleagues as mad people as members of Zanu PF. It is none of our business.
But it becomes our business if ministers on duty for our country resort to name-calling as a way of resolving the policy discord in the Zanu PF administration. Zanu PF campaigned on a promise to provide 2,2 million jobs over five years from 2013, but since then none have been created. Instead of delivering jobs, the government has spawned potholes and economic haemorrhage. If anything, the government has continued to fiddle while the country burns.
There is need, Mr President, to call your lieutenants to order. It becomes our business if Moyo chooses to trash a government programme in the name of fighting factional rivals in your political party. Remember the Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister Patrick Zhuwao/Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa debacle over the indigenisation policy? It needed Mugabe’s intervention to shut them up, but more worryingly, the President waited until the very end. Why? Now does Mugabe really need Zimbabweans to come to his doorstep to tell him that Cabinet has been dislocated by his party’s petty political fights for power?
Given our economic, social and political problems, Zimbabwe does not need heckling and yelling by government ministers to scare off any would-be investors. We demand some action and a semblance of stability as well as order in the government.
