The Sunday Mail
Communion with Bishop Lazarus
THE temptation is to say “I TOLD YOU SO MINISTER CHINAMASA” but Bishop Lazarus is never one to brag because Matthew 6 vs 1 says: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
| I have nothing to gain by tearing into the dear Minister, but then it looks like those that the Minister was trying to please are shoving more grief down his dry throat and piling more misery on him. Just as the Minister thought he was pleasing the IMF, the institution through its head of communication and spokesperson Gerry Rice released a statement which showed it’s true sinister colours. |
“I just want to clarify as I’ve done here before, there is no financing programme under discussion with Zimbabwe at this point,” said Rice with ruthless pomposity.
As if that wasn’t enough, Rice added: “The authorities have announced the plan to clear their arrears with the fund and other international institutions as part of their re-engagement with the international community. They are working on that. Once the arrears would be cleared the IMF’s board would need to meet and approve the normalisation process and any programme negotiation, financial support from the IMF could only begin at that point.”
The essence of this sugar-coated statement from Rice is that Zimbabwe should stop dreaming about getting financial assistance from the IMF. We have told Minister Chinamasa this countless times, but uuummm munhu wacho sometimes unotoshaya kuti zviri kumbofamba sei?
We have also asked Minister Chinamasa to give former RBZ Governor, Dr Gono a call and he will be told the sad story about the payment of US$120 million to the IMF. Ask Dr Gono how after the payment of the US$120 million, the IMF changed goal posts about providing financial assistance to Zimbabwe. Ko tichadzidzawo rinhi?
Minister Chinamasa should not get me wrong — Zimbabwe at some point has to settle its arrears with these capitalist institutions, but now is not the time. The top priority at the moment is to sort the economy using home-grown solutions not bookish prescriptions laden with toxic politics by the blood-sucking Brettonwoods institutions.
But wait a minute dear reader — did Minister Chinamasa actually defy the whole Cabinet just to please the IMF? Did he actually try to deceive the President? What exactly was his game plan? I feel there is something very dirty that happened behind the scenes. Time will tell us the truth.
You see, there is a tendency by some of these ministers to get carried away once they are appointed to those posts and are driven in those big luxurious cars. Suddenly, they think they have arrived and they are in charge. Nothing else matters.
Well, the President is the one in charge and the way the toxic pronouncements by Minister Chinamasa were reversed, clearly show that President Mugabe is very much in charge. Zvekuti do you agree with him or not yavaimwe nyaya iyo. Gushungo vari kutonga. Asvotwa nazvo should get ready for 2018. It’s that simple.
The opposition is making frantic efforts to recruit Minister Chinamasa by urging him to resign, but that won’t happen.
I know Minister Chinamasa. He may have gotten mixed up with dosages of IMF economics but he remains a wise lawyer.
While Minister Chinamasa was getting mixed up with IMF economics, something big was cooking in China.
Those who all along have been saying the “Mega deals with China are a pie in the sky” ate humble pie last week. “China shells out US$5bn for Zim,” screamed the Zimbabwe Independent.
But then the story was just too good to be left alone. The political economy of the media chipped in to spice up the story. “Beijing counters West’s US$2bn transition deal,” the paper said in a sub-headline trying to court some controversy.
The political economy of the media went further, this time going a bit comic saying by shelling out the US$5bn, Beijing was now backing the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and her Zanu-PF faction’s political ambitions.
This was meant to check-mate VP Mnangagwa who was supposed to be the preferred horse for the West with its US$2bn deal. Kikikikikiki kikikikikiki!
Granted, the Zimbabwe Independent got wind of what’s cooking in China but they are way off the mark. Very soon dear reader you will read the exciting truth from reliable sources. Ndiri kuremerwa vanhu vaMwari because real good news is on the way.
Even Minister Chinamasa will understand why his pronouncements had to be rebuked fast and furious. Let me try to contain my excitement.
But what really made me laugh was the angle that the Zimbabwe Independent was trying to sell. That the US$5bn was meant for the First Lady and her supposed faction while the US$2bn was meant for VP Mnangagwa and his supposed faction. Come on guys, let’s be a bit serious.
Just look in the past, kwete kure stereki, and you will see that what the newspaper is wishing for just can’t be. We surely can’t have such a short memory. Again, let me try to contain my excitement.
Yes, something big is cooking in China and when the right time comes kuti tichipakura ahh, even America and Britain will wonder because while they are trying to create clouds of sunset, China is creating clouds for a new dawn.
In the meantime, there has been a lot of talk about corruption and fighting corruption in the media in recent weeks. Anyone who thinks that that talk will end between the pages of newspapers is crazy. Just watch the space. Again, let me contain my excitement.
Bishop is out!
