The Sunday Mail
The “tongai tione” mantra is still very lively amongst members of the opposition who accuse Zanu-PF of rigging the last elections.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde
Well, I don’t have the political apparatus to analyse whether the revolutionary party actually rigged the elections or not. But those that did, Sadc and the AU included, said the watershed polls were free and fair.
What I only have is a set of naked eyes that vividly see that the opposition’s “tongaitione” mantra is hypocritical and condemns them to being nothing but a bunch of charlatans afraid of taking collective responsibility.
Don’t we have opposition legislators in both houses of Parliament? Don’t we also have members of the opposition chairing various portfolio committees of Parliament? Do we not have opposition members serving as diplomats?
So why would someone who is actually wielding power and getting paid for doing that also turn around and say “tongai tione”?
Isn’t it only fitting for them to first totally relinquish those powers currently accruing to them, along with the benefits, and then go and loudly shout “tongai tione!”?
When the opposition is not singing that “tongai tione” hymn, they are fanatically singing their other favourite, whose hook goes: “You can’t rig the eco-o-o-o-nomy!”
That song is flavoured by some poetic incantations from one Tsvangirai, who will be parading a bunch of swinging keys while venting that they are the keys to the economy and no one else has copies of them.
You can almost succeed in mistaking him for Rotina Mavhunga as he does his fantastic act.
Yet those keys only unlocked doors that unleashed stinking corruption amongst his councillors during the inclusive Government era, before Zanu-PF “rigged the elections”.
Get me right here, folks. Zanu-PF is not filled with saints, either, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)
But it is the opposition that I found to be interesting, lately, and who doesn’t love interesting stuff? The other day the opposition legislators paraded their gravest form of ignorance in Parliament as President Mugabe delivered his State of the Nation address.
Take, for instance, when President Mugabe pointed out that the economy was going to register modest growth because of subdued agricultural performance as a result of droughts and floods.
Members of the opposition all shouted on top of their voices, apparently in disagreement. You could see the inside of their throats.
And yet the Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review clearly spelt out that the agricultural sector would decelerate by minus 8,2 percent, thereby rationalising the overall economic growth as agriculture is the mainstay of our economy.
It is the opposition that likes to say that “we used to be a breadbasket but now we are a basket case,” yet they still can’t comprehend the role of agriculture — even when laid bare.
Our constitution has identified the need for multi-party democratic political system as one of the principles of good governance. We however do not need a hypocritical opposition, which is clouded from focusing on important things.
Joseph Chinotimba, who once complained that opposition legislators were calling him minister of goats on social media, once played a video tape to debate a motion which was raised by Tapiwa Mashakada about the economy.
As soon as members of the opposition saw that the video was showing one Tsvangirai fervidly begging for sanctions to be imposed on the country he claims to love and wants to lead, they all fled from Parliament, like goats that have seen a lion.
Isn’t running away some form of escapism?
But it is rigging the economy that I would like to end with. Some of you may remember the IMF-Africa Summit in Maputo last year under the theme “Africa Rising — Building to the future”.
At this Summit, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde highlighted that Sub-Saharan Africa was clearly taking off — growing strongly and steadily for nearly two decades and showing a remarkable resilience in the face of global financial crises.
“And yet,” she added, “the tide of growth has not lifted all boats.” Zimbabwe is certainly one of those boats which was not lifted.
Our economic boat is lying somewhere in the deep sea.
The wind is blowing but we are struggling to sail to where we want to go at high speed.
And yet the simple solution lies in rigging this economic boat. Yes, we can rig this economy! Don’t believe those that are saying it can’t be rigged.
You see, a boat that is not rigged does not benefit at all when the wind comes.
A boat needs to be equipped with those ropes, sails and beams if it is to accrue from the force of the wind and propel and move forward.
For our economic boat, this wind can be in the form of foreign investment, for instance.
When the foreign investment wind blows to Africa, why does it move the Zambian, South African and Mozambican boats, while ours is virtually still?
Because our economic boat had hitherto not been rigged!
Enter the 10 Point Plan, with the much needed ropes, sails and beams to capture the winds and sail the economic boat in direction at an enhanced speed!
See you later folks!
