Good day Mr President:Paul Kaseke
I TRUST that my letter finds you well. I must admit that I am a bit hurt that you could not respond to my first letter, but I understand that you are a busy man and had more important things to do than respond to my ramblings. Here is my second attempt at this open letter concept and I hope that somewhere, somehow this one reaches you.
I learned from the Press that your birthday was this week. Let me start then by wishing you a happy belated birthday and many more years of good health ahead. I seriously mean that.
My hope and prayer, however, is that you will live to see a prosperous, constitutional and democratic Zimbabwe that is at peace with itself.
This takes me to the gist of my letter this time around — will you be the reason for that prosperous, democratic Zimbabwe we all aspire to see? I sincerely hope that you will be because it would be consistent with your mantra of a new dispensation and quite frankly, it is time that Zimbabweans have a break after many years of suffering.
Mr President, I know you want to leave a legacy, but as I asked in my first letter, the question is what kind of a legacy you want it to be. It can be a positive legacy that future generations remember you fondly for or one which is negative. The choice is yours. You have the power to change what Zimbabweans would remember you for.
As you celebrate your birthday, what gift do you want to give Zimbabweans? For the 2018 election, it is alleged that you made use of a public relations (PR) team to manage your image and there is nothing wrong with this, if it is true. Most presidential candidates around the world do the same but the best PR in my experience, is not to present an image to the public, but to live out that image. In other words, instead of creating a certain narrative around reforms, walk the talk and see these reforms through. There is no better PR strategy than to practise ideals you presented as your campaign points.
Mr President Sir, it is unfortunate that you are surrounded by bad advisers who are leading you down the path of no return, but if you are a listening President then perhaps you can avoid that path and navigate your way back to the correct path.
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It is not the cheerleaders around you that you must listen to, but those that are courageous enough to critique your performance as President. Understandably, nobody wants to be on the receiving end of criticism, but if one is to gain new insights and serve effectively, then criticism no matter how hurtful, should always be welcome. The cheerleaders around the late former President Robert Mugabe created the impression that all was well in the country, yet the train had left the track many years before and I fear that this too will be your fate.
I have a few thoughts to share with you today and I hope you will be the listening President you promised to be. All this comes from a good place and is done in good faith so that our nation moves forward, and all our people enjoy the gains of the liberation war you and your comrades selflessly participated in.
Firstly, with respect to policy inconsistencies, I need to point out that your administration has a regrettably poor track record in this regard.
It is, therefore, difficult to advise with certainty, how certain things are to be done in Zimbabwe. I am often asked to provide opinions on basics like opening a company and compliance with Zimbabwean laws, but this is a taxing exercise because the policies keep changing and sometimes without adequate publicity. Take for example, the process for one to obtain a mining permit.
There are at least three major policy shifts by your administration which make it difficult if not impossible for one to plan around this. This is going to undermine your efforts to promote Zimbabwe as a country that is open for business. There must be consistency of policy by your government because our Constitution demands it.
There is also a need for quality policymakers to assist your administration in formulating policy. The quality of policies we have seen in some sectors lately, is appalling. Some of the policies are outdated, others are a copy and paste exercise and the rest are vague and hardly instructive.
Do not be afraid to tap into the young minds of this country. When I refer to young minds, I am not talking about young Zanu PF minds only, but across the political divide.
When it comes to national matters, you must resist the urge to exclusively appoint party officials to positions that require technical expertise.
What happens if the party has no expertise? Should we allow comrade-deployment ahead of merit-based appointments? If you want to ruin a country quickly then yes, that policy works, but if you want to leave a lasting legacy of a better Zimbabwe then you need to engage people that may not necessarily be Zanu PF supporters. There is a wide knowledge base to tap into both internally and externally. I am sure many would want to contribute to their country by utilising their skill sets, but at the moment the door appears closed to anyone who is not Zanu PF and that Mr President, is partially the reason why we find ourselves in the mess we are in. All it takes to change this is a willingness on your part, Sir.
Mr President, it is time that you replace non-performing members of your Cabinet and government with people that can get the job done. As a politically neutral Zimbabwean, I personally have no interest in examining what political party one supports and it certainly is not of concern to me. I just want a Zimbabwe that works for everyone regardless of race, religion, party, ethnicity or gender.
I want a Zimbabwe where I can be considered for a position without knowing anyone in the system.
I want a Zimbabwe where water and electricity are not gifts from the State but are fundamental entitlements.
I want a Zimbabwe where my salary doesn’t just enable me to survive but allows me to invest for the future.
I want a Zimbabwe where my children can receive quality education and can compete with others at an international level.
I want a Zimbabwe where the security services serve and protect the people and do not do the bidding for a particular party. I want a Zimbabwe that can feed its own people.
I want a Zimbabwe that accords every member of society with the dignity and respect they are constitutionally entitled to.
Mr President, Sir, when one looks at your permanent secretaries, it can be seen that very few of them are technical experts in their fields. This is problematic because while ministers are not expected to be experts in their portfolios since they are political managers, the perm secs are the administrative engines of these ministries. If the minister and perm sec are clueless in their field, we can expect nothing short of incompetence. Remember those reforms you spoke about? This is one of you can implement with ease. Do you have the political will to do so, Mr President?
Away from the policy inconsistencies and lack of merit-based appointments, your administration’s use of subsidiary legislation (statutory instruments) is a constitutional concern. The Constitution is clear that the power to make laws is vested in Parliament and, therefore, amendments of legislation must be done through Parliament and not via statutory instruments (SIs). This is seen in s117 and 119 of the Constitution. The purpose of SIs is to provide complementary detail on legislation already crafted by Parliament. As the reasoning goes, Parliament cannot possibly provide all the details regarding legislation, but it lays out the skeletal framework that government must then work around. It is not for the Executive to go outside that framework but rather to work within it. Government cannot, similarly, use SIs to bypass Parliament as we have seen. The use of SIs as a primary tool of governance is not only problematic but patently unconstitutional. Even if we assumed that your administration had the power to enact SIs that circumvent Parliament, there has been gross non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.
Mr President, as head of the Executive, it is up to you to stop the abuse of these instruments and allow Parliament to perform its function as a gatekeeper for administration. As I suggested in my first letter, constitutional supremacy is a legacy you will be proud of if you reform. The people passing these SIs are doing you great disservice. Their actions will be imputed to you. Whether these are indeed your directives is immaterial because it happened under your watch. If I may, Mr President, suggest that you reconsider who advises you and who runs government business. Your very credibility, reputation and legacy depends on that. If you truly want to reform Zimbabwe, reform our institutions by placing men and women of integrity at their helm. Reform Zimbabwe by acting on corruption scandals. Reform Zimbabwe by opening up the democratic space and allowing people to express themselves without fear of reprisals. Reform Zimbabwe by ensuring that as the first citizen of our beautiful nation, you lead by example in upholding our Constitution. Reform Zimbabwe by holding your administration accountable and de-securitising the State. Reform Zimbabwe by building strong constitutional systems that will outlive your Presidency.
Some may call this foolishness, but I have faith that you will reconsider the path your government has taken and go back to the drawing board to see how you can create a positive legacy. I am a prisoner of hope that we will enjoy a better Zimbabwe, but your contribution to this is truly up to you.
Until next time, Mr President ….
