Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 02:31.
Zimbabwe is on its own Muagbe and Zanu-PF have finally got their way.
The MDC has now finally admitted that it has been dumped by its friends and allies in the West. They have instead decided to seek the intercession of Zimbabwe's neighbours to talk to its former allies in the West about helping the limping Inclusive government.
Yesterday, Tendai Biti, the MDC Minister of Finance in the new Inclusive Zimbabwean government, together with Robert Mugabe and Prof Welshman Ncube, asked the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State to intercede on Zimbabwe's behalf with Britain, America and other rich nations. SADC itself repeated at the same meeting that they could not give Zimbabwe any money, as had been hoped for by Tendai Biti. Of all the SADC countries, South Africa is the only one that has offered to give Zimbabwe immediate assistance. They pledged US$30 million, to be disbursed in monthly US$10 million tranches over three months.
This is HOWEVER not even enough to cover the government wage bill, which stands at about US$50 million a month when you factor in allowances. Salaries alone need a total of US$30 million a month.
Interestingly, though, Biti adopted Mugabe's and ZANU PF language this week, after "touring banks" according to the government newspaper, The Herald. Biti told the state-owned paper that he is "aware of saboteurs who want the Inclusive government to fail" because they are questioning whether the government can sustain the payment of foreign currency salaries.
It was Mugabe who said during his birthday interview that he did not think the payment of salaries in foreign currency for the civil service was sustainable because "we do not have the money." He said.
The Finance Minister Tendai Biti also shoulders the blame because of his alarmist talk that the Treasury coffers are "empty". He carries blame for his statements warning of "chaos" unless the donor countries give him money to pay the salaries of this bloated government.
Political commentators believe Biti is perhaps still learning the effect of his words. He probably is not aware that as Minister of Finance his words carry a lot of weight. He is no longer an opposition politician whose words have no impact on the running of the country and he must realise this and start to work accordingly.
Still, even after those dire warnings that Zimbabwe was about to become another Somalia, apart from South Africa that pledged US$30 million (enough for a month's salary bill), no other southern African country pledged any money during the SADC meeting and after its conclusion.
Even Botswana, the MDC friend in the region, appears to also be dumping the Inclusive government. They did not pledge anything. Namibia said it will continue working with the Zimbabwe Power utility, ZESA, to refurbish Hwange Power station.
The bottom line appears to be that the West, the people with the "deep pockets", as Biti called them at the summit in Swaziland yesterday, are keeping their money deep in their pockets.
Was it not the MDC that always insisted that there must be good governance before aid is given to Zimbabwe is one of the questions political analysts have been asking after the just ended SADC summit? That good governance does only mean doing what the MDC wants, which is what the opposition thought before they joined government.
Good governance also means not buying luxury cars when taps are dry because water treatment chemicals cannot be bought added one commentator.
Good governance means setting priorities right, deciding whether it is better to bloat a government by providing "jobs for the boys" when there is no money to pay those "boys".
Good governance means coming up with workable policies to turn the economy around and not simply announcing an "it will be alright on the night" STERP document, which is bereft of any policy except begging for money.
Good governance means demonstrating fiscal responsibility, deciding what is more urgent, furniture for minster's offices or US$1.5million to refurbish Harare Hospital (this is the sum that Morgan Tsvangirai said was needed to get the hospital in top condition).
In effect, the West has dumped the MDC because the party has failed to demonstrate, just demonstrate, that its presence in the corridors of power has resulted in a shifting of priorities.
It is unlikely that SADC will succeed in garnering the aid that they have undertaken to demand from the west. Britain and American and the IMF and the Word Bank are not amenable and no one can force them.
Their position is still the same: they do not see any meaningful change in the way the affairs of the country are being run and they are not keen to part with their money under these circumstances.
With Biti cutting away all the infrastructure development provisions in the budget and leaving only consumptive budget provisions in his "hunter-gatherer" economy as he himself has called it , there is no policy in place to stimulate growth of the economy from within.
Their hopes were pinned on others giving them money to spend on salaries and also money to start production in Zimbabwe.
South Africa, by giving the US$10 million a month, is only looking after its own interests. As long as Zimbabwe does not have a manufacturing sector, South African companies have a dollarized market in Zimbabwe that will give them even more money and grow the South African economy even more.
Meanwhile, dumped by the West, the MDC can only flounder, together with its new best friend, ZANU PF
Zimbabwe Is On its Own
Zimbabwe is on its own Muagbe and Zanu-PF have finally got their way.
The MDC has now finally admitted that it has been dumped by its friends and allies in the West. They have instead decided to seek the intercession of Zimbabwe's neighbours to talk to its former allies in the West about helping the limping Inclusive government.
Yesterday, Tendai Biti, the MDC Minister of Finance in the new Inclusive Zimbabwean government, together with Robert Mugabe and Prof Welshman Ncube, asked the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State to intercede on Zimbabwe's behalf with Britain, America and other rich nations. SADC itself repeated at the same meeting that they could not give Zimbabwe any money, as had been hoped for by Tendai Biti. Of all the SADC countries, South Africa is the only one that has offered to give Zimbabwe immediate assistance. They pledged US$30 million, to be disbursed in monthly US$10 million tranches over three months.
This is HOWEVER not even enough to cover the government wage bill, which stands at about US$50 million a month when you factor in allowances. Salaries alone need a total of US$30 million a month.
Interestingly, though, Biti adopted Mugabe's and ZANU PF language this week, after "touring banks" according to the government newspaper, The Herald. Biti told the state-owned paper that he is "aware of saboteurs who want the Inclusive government to fail" because they are questioning whether the government can sustain the payment of foreign currency salaries.
It was Mugabe who said during his birthday interview that he did not think the payment of salaries in foreign currency for the civil service was sustainable because "we do not have the money." He said.
The Finance Minister Tendai Biti also shoulders the blame because of his alarmist talk that the Treasury coffers are "empty". He carries blame for his statements warning of "chaos" unless the donor countries give him money to pay the salaries of this bloated government.
Political commentators believe Biti is perhaps still learning the effect of his words. He probably is not aware that as Minister of Finance his words carry a lot of weight. He is no longer an opposition politician whose words have no impact on the running of the country and he must realise this and start to work accordingly.
Still, even after those dire warnings that Zimbabwe was about to become another Somalia, apart from South Africa that pledged US$30 million (enough for a month's salary bill), no other southern African country pledged any money during the SADC meeting and after its conclusion.
Even Botswana, the MDC friend in the region, appears to also be dumping the Inclusive government. They did not pledge anything. Namibia said it will continue working with the Zimbabwe Power utility, ZESA, to refurbish Hwange Power station.
The bottom line appears to be that the West, the people with the "deep pockets", as Biti called them at the summit in Swaziland yesterday, are keeping their money deep in their pockets.
Was it not the MDC that always insisted that there must be good governance before aid is given to Zimbabwe is one of the questions political analysts have been asking after the just ended SADC summit? That good governance does only mean doing what the MDC wants, which is what the opposition thought before they joined government.
Good governance also means not buying luxury cars when taps are dry because water treatment chemicals cannot be bought added one commentator.
Good governance means setting priorities right, deciding whether it is better to bloat a government by providing "jobs for the boys" when there is no money to pay those "boys".
Good governance means coming up with workable policies to turn the economy around and not simply announcing an "it will be alright on the night" STERP document, which is bereft of any policy except begging for money.
Good governance means demonstrating fiscal responsibility, deciding what is more urgent, furniture for minster's offices or US$1.5million to refurbish Harare Hospital (this is the sum that Morgan Tsvangirai said was needed to get the hospital in top condition).
In effect, the West has dumped the MDC because the party has failed to demonstrate, just demonstrate, that its presence in the corridors of power has resulted in a shifting of priorities.
It is unlikely that SADC will succeed in garnering the aid that they have undertaken to demand from the west. Britain and American and the IMF and the Word Bank are not amenable and no one can force them.
Their position is still the same: they do not see any meaningful change in the way the affairs of the country are being run and they are not keen to part with their money under these circumstances.
With Biti cutting away all the infrastructure development provisions in the budget and leaving only consumptive budget provisions in his "hunter-gatherer" economy as he himself has called it , there is no policy in place to stimulate growth of the economy from within.
Their hopes were pinned on others giving them money to spend on salaries and also money to start production in Zimbabwe.
South Africa, by giving the US$10 million a month, is only looking after its own interests. As long as Zimbabwe does not have a manufacturing sector, South African companies have a dollarized market in Zimbabwe that will give them even more money and grow the South African economy even more.
Meanwhile, dumped by the West, the MDC can only flounder, together with its new best friend, ZANU PF