Good day, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Your Excellency, as I see it, your said new dispensation is losing its marbles. If ever there was time it needed to dig deep for awakening, it is now. It hardly endears itself to citizenry on one hand, and democracy on the other.
Its fire and brimstone assertion about the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), which includes physical harm, arrest of money changers and threats to close businesses, is evidence of a regime that has nothing left of its marbles. Yet, it is apparent that ZiG is a veritable mare's nest.
It is because of genuine concerns that citizenry is unconvinced about ZiG. Despite the claims by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mushayavanhu that ZiG is backed by gold and other precious minerals, the populace is justifiably mistrustful.
A truly listening president ought have discerned the essence of the apprehension of citizenry on the introduction of ZiG. Granted, citizenry is distraught as it can sense a bad omen.
Your Excellency, Zimbabwe is not yet ready for a new currency. There is a great deal of exorcisim that needs to be done before it becomes conducive for a new currency that will be backed by trust. I reckon the introduction of ZiG was altogether irrational.
It was an act of throwing fundamentals of economic and financial management to the wind. Essentially, the implementation of several reforms ought to have preceded the launch of the new currency.
It is time you stood chest out and made the profound admission that Zimbabwe is bogged down by a credibility deficit. Now is the time truth ought be told. It is my conviction that it is time you took responsibility for the negative reputation that is weighing down the country.
From where I stand, the culture of accountability and transparency must be inculcated in all the aspects of our governance and democracy. We cannot continue to blame election observer missions for our flawed elections and the international community for sanctions.
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It is imperative for your presidency to ensure that government reclaims its marbles by pursuing the strategic straight line of rectitude. It can spare the nation of grand scale corruption and all manner of electoral chicanery that have infested the entire body politic.
Your Excellency, ZiG, whose notes and coins were thrust into circulation yesterday, is an expediency. It is a ride on the Trojan horse. All that it can do is to rock back and forth. It is understandable that citizenry is agitated and roused by a burning sense of injustice as a result of the introduction of the new currency as a medium of exchange and store of value.
Verily, the grave mistrust of citizenry of not only ZiG, but the governance system at large is a thorny issue that cries out for redress. Show me one person on the street who accept as gospel truth that some of the gold that is said to be backing ZiG is stored in some secret country and I will show you a naive cock that celebrates the dawn of Christmas.
Verily, it is counterproductive for government to cast around desperately for the acceptance of ZiG to the extent of threatening the use of physical violence. I reckon the chants for an upper-middle-class society by 2030 are empty and devoid of certainty.
Your Excellency, ever since its coming into being in November 2017, the new dispensation has been losing its marbles. Consequently, multitudes are flirting with the option of emigration. If truth be told as plainly as it ought to be, Zimbabweans are now a floating population.
They are moving in great numbers, voting with their feet, heading for the near and far afield havens that offer congenial and decent livelihoods. Those already in the diaspora are not entertaining any thought of returning home, anytime soon.
It is apparent that whatever lingering expectations of an socio-economic turnaround citizenry might have been nursing have been flogged to death as corruption and electoral chicanery are on the rampage.
Your Excellency, Mushayavanhu has the moral obligation to resign. He forfeited the confidence and privilege inherent in the governorship of the apex bank. If he were to stay put, even for a day, he would render credence to my vow that the said new dispensation is losing its marbles.
His refusal to accept the blame for the shortcomings of ZiG renders him unworthy of the superintendency of the apex bank. Ordinarily, the essence of corporate governance compels him, by virtue of his post, to take responsibility for the performance of the bank.
Yet, speaking at a recent meeting, he conceded that the Zimbabwean authorities did not know much about the structured currency. They had to engage a World Bank (WB) consultant before they come up with ZiG.
"I am not to blame for ZiG's shortcomings as most of the input came from WB. We did not know much about structured currency. A lot of the things you are seeing about the structured currency actually came from WB. So, if you are going to blame me, you are actually blaming WB. Maybe they did not advise us properly. And if they did not advise us properly, it's fine. Let's refine it," whimpered Mushayavanhu.
My humble conviction is that responsibility is inseparable from headship. One cannot elect to lead but renounce the inherent responsibility of leadership. As I see it, by distancing himself from responsibility, Mushayavanhu renounced accountability.
Although your government does not conduct itself in accordance with the convention of government for the people, by the people, as I see it, it does not afford the luxury of a governor who practises the blame game.
Your Excellency, take heed, your said new dispensation is losing its marbles.
- Cyprian Muketiwa Ndawana is a public-speaking coach, motivational speaker, speechwriter and newspaper columnist.
