WHEN a government of the people, by the people and with the people begins to issue threat after threat on issues of social accountability, the truth is that government has lost the trust of the people it purports to represent.
By Precious Shumba, Our Reader
One mistake Zanu PF has made in its governance is to pursue a one-party State agenda that seeks to exclude citizens not known to belong to Zanu PF in its programming. Urban local authorities have failed to adequately respond to the COVID-19 outbreak because the government has centralised everything around the First Lady, Health and Child Care and Finance and Economic Development ministries.
As long as everything in our governance system is centralised, there is going to be increased resentment towards the government.
The First Lady, while playing her role as a health ambassador, should not be the focal person in COVID-19 interventions within rural district councils.
There are health experts at district and provincial levels and their different council committees who should be given the mandate to fundraise and make substantive COVID-19 interventions.
Interventions should be about the closest structure to the people to make informed decisions.
Local health facilities should be capacitated with everything needed.
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Democracy, controversial as it is, needs to be relevant to our context as a nation.
The July 30 2018 electoral victory for Zanu PF did not mean that the ruling party alone would be involved in the governance of the country.
A significant chunk of the population voted for other political parties than the ruling party.
Urban local authorities are being run by elected councillors, largely drawn from the opposition, while rural district councils are largely run by elected councillors drawn from the ruling party.
Central government is constituted by a Cabinet of Zanu PF loyalists. Leadership of State institutions is to a greater extent closer to the ruling elite.
The majority of the civil servants are a mixed bag with some belonging to the opposition and others to the ruling party, while others are professionals seeking to make a difference in the nation.
The President needs to realise that his success and failure is dependent upon meeting the needs of the citizens of Zimbabwe more than he has to satisfy and please his close family and political allies. Concentrating government efforts on pleasing your tribe, family and close political allies is a sure road to failure.
A government of the people, by the people and for the people should be driven by its institutional framework that respects the rights and capabilities of all citizens irrespective of who they are in relation to the President and the ruling party.
Zanu PF can redeem itself if it becomes more inclusive in its government programmes.
Tenders are not only for Zanu PF-linked companies, or family and business associates, but they should be open and accessible to all Zimbabweans.
Keeping the resources among companies linked to families, businesses of known Zanu PF leaders is what breeds hatred towards the government. A government must be seen and felt to be transparent, accountable, fair and just to its people.
