Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 05:21.
HAVING been given little choice by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) but to join Robert Mugabe and his corrupt Zanu (PF) cronies in a unity government under less than ideal circumstances, the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC’s) worst fears are in danger of being realised.
The party has assumed token responsibility for critical aspects of the country’s governance such as the running of the economy, but does not have the political power or access to resources to turn things around. Meanwhile, an unrepentant Mugabe has been given a new lease on life and
Zanu (PF) thugs continue to run rampant, grabbing land from the few remaining white farmers and preventing free political activity.
It is clear that Mugabe never had any intention of living up to his side of the unity deal, which included promises of wide-ranging political and social reforms, and the Sadc’s “guarantee” has proved worthless. Meanwhile, MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti has started the process of reviving the economy, including scrapping price controls and legalising the use of foreign currencies, but has been reduced to holding out the begging bowl for the financing foreign donors are reluctant to give for fear that it will disappear into Zanu (PF) pockets.
The Sadc meets in Swaziland this week, and will undoubtedly pat itself on the back for a job well done in Zimbabwe while pointing accusing fingers at the west for failing to throw money at Mugabe. But it will all be hot air; without billions of dollars in foreign aid the Zimbabwean economy is going nowhere, and Biti’s best intentions will come to nought. The goods may be back in the shops, but few can afford to buy them without access to far more hard currency than Zimbabwe’s crippled export sector can generate or the Sadc countries can hope to donate without bankrupting their own economies.
This is the stalemate analysts feared would be the outcome of the Sadc’s insistence on a unity government on Mugabe’s terms. The implications could be dire, not only for ordinary Zimbabweans but also for the MDC, which is now part of government and will carry the can if people’s lives do not start to improve.
What is needed to break the impasse without playing into Mugabe’s hands is for the west to set out clear and detailed conditions that must be met before funding can begin, starting with the concessions Zanu (PF) made in the original unity agreement but has failed to fulfil.
If and when that modest hurdle is cleared to everyone’s satisfaction, funds could be provided in tranches, with monitoring systems in place to ensure the money is used wisely and the Zanu (PF) securocrats do not revert to their bad old ways. Getting the economy producing again is the immediate goal, but full recovery demands a legitimate government, which will not be the case in Zimbabwe until properly supervised elections have been held.
Mugabe thinks he can hoodwink the West
HAVING been given little choice by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) but to join Robert Mugabe and his corrupt Zanu (PF) cronies in a unity government under less than ideal circumstances, the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC’s) worst fears are in danger of being realised.
The party has assumed token responsibility for critical aspects of the country’s governance such as the running of the economy, but does not have the political power or access to resources to turn things around. Meanwhile, an unrepentant Mugabe has been given a new lease on life and
Zanu (PF) thugs continue to run rampant, grabbing land from the few remaining white farmers and preventing free political activity.
It is clear that Mugabe never had any intention of living up to his side of the unity deal, which included promises of wide-ranging political and social reforms, and the Sadc’s “guarantee” has proved worthless. Meanwhile, MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti has started the process of reviving the economy, including scrapping price controls and legalising the use of foreign currencies, but has been reduced to holding out the begging bowl for the financing foreign donors are reluctant to give for fear that it will disappear into Zanu (PF) pockets.
The Sadc meets in Swaziland this week, and will undoubtedly pat itself on the back for a job well done in Zimbabwe while pointing accusing fingers at the west for failing to throw money at Mugabe. But it will all be hot air; without billions of dollars in foreign aid the Zimbabwean economy is going nowhere, and Biti’s best intentions will come to nought. The goods may be back in the shops, but few can afford to buy them without access to far more hard currency than Zimbabwe’s crippled export sector can generate or the Sadc countries can hope to donate without bankrupting their own economies.
This is the stalemate analysts feared would be the outcome of the Sadc’s insistence on a unity government on Mugabe’s terms. The implications could be dire, not only for ordinary Zimbabweans but also for the MDC, which is now part of government and will carry the can if people’s lives do not start to improve.
What is needed to break the impasse without playing into Mugabe’s hands is for the west to set out clear and detailed conditions that must be met before funding can begin, starting with the concessions Zanu (PF) made in the original unity agreement but has failed to fulfil.
If and when that modest hurdle is cleared to everyone’s satisfaction, funds could be provided in tranches, with monitoring systems in place to ensure the money is used wisely and the Zanu (PF) securocrats do not revert to their bad old ways. Getting the economy producing again is the immediate goal, but full recovery demands a legitimate government, which will not be the case in Zimbabwe until properly supervised elections have been held.