"Well,
first of all, I would like to reaffirm that we will be conducting a Staff Monitoring
Programme with Zimbabwe. And it is particularly appropriate that we do that
expeditiously, given the hardship and the loss caused by the recent cyclone,” Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF.
"I can assure you that, on the principle of the social protection of the most vulnerable, of inclusion, we will be deploying the principles by which we now operate.
"As I have announced to the IMFC this morning, a social protection framework is going to come up for discussion at the board in the next few weeks, and we will certainly endeavour to deploy social protection principles in the work that we do with the authorities.”
"I can assure you that, on the principle of the social protection of the most vulnerable, of inclusion, we will be deploying the principles by which we now operate.
"As I have announced to the IMFC this morning, a social protection framework is going to come up for discussion at the board in the next few weeks, and we will certainly endeavour to deploy social protection principles in the work that we do with the authorities.”
No
Zimbabwean in their right mind would ever object to the IMF or anyone else helping
the millions of Zimbabweans out there who are destitute. It is not only the
victims of Cyclone Idai who need help, there are millions facing starvation
because of the drought.
The impact
of these natural disaster have been amplified as their effect is superimposed
on long term man-made disaster of serious economic meltdown; brought on by decades
gross mismanagement and rampant corruption which has caused unemployment to
soar to nauseating heights of 90% leaving ¾ of the population living on US$30
per month or less. It would be wishful thinking to expect Madame Christine
Lagarde’s global financial safety net catch all Zimbabwe’s destitute!
The most
important thing for all of us to remember here is that Zimbabwe is in this
economic mess because the country has been stuck with this corrupt and
tyrannical Zanu PF regime for the last 39 years. The regime has routinely rig
elections to stay in power against the democratic wishes of the people. The
regime rigged last year’s elections extending its rule and compounding the
country’s economic mess.
The nation
is caught is this vicious cycle of Zanu PF rigging elections so it can enjoy
five years of corrupt and tyrannical rule ending with the party rigging the next
elections to restart the cycle. The only hope of breaking this cycle is to force
Zanu PF to step down.
The pressure
on Zanu PF to step down has been steady growing from the worsening economic
situation in the country and from countries like the USA and UK who have
refused to re-engage the Zanu PF regime because it is illegitimate. We,
ordinary Zimbabweans on the coal face of the worsening economic situation,
would like to see the rest of international community, particularly the IMF, WB
and EU, to support the targeted sanctions and all other measures designed to
Zanu PF to step down.
It is
therefore important that IMF’s and all the others toying with the idea of
re-engaging Zanu PF must separate humanitarian reasons for doing so from the
political and economic grounds. Zanu PF will never ever fully implement the economic
and political reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections. That is a
fact!
“Zanu PF ichatonga!
Igotonga! Imi muchingohukura! Nokuhukura!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule! Which
you {calling for reforms} bark! And bark!) President Mnangagwa has often boasted
to his cronies and publicly.
IMF and the
WB stopped funding the Zanu PF regime in 2000 when the later stopped pay back
its debts and blaming the Brentwood institutions for failed reform programmes.
IMF voiced its disappointment and walking away leaving the ordinary Zimbabweans
to suffer the consequences of the mountain of debt and, worse still, the two
decades of misrule that followed.
It would be
unforgivable if the IMF renewed its financial assistance to Zanu PF and thus
help regime stay in power till 2023 under the pretext the regime is implementing
the reforms only for the regime to once again rig the elections! The IMF will
walk away to leave the long suffering Zimbabweans, once again, suffer the
consequences IMF’s folly and five more years beyond 2023 of this hell-on-earth.
IMF can help
the destitute in Zimbabwe, just do not overreach and bankroll the illegitimate
Zanu PF regime! You will not be doing
the long suffering people of Zimbabwe any favours.
"Zimbabwe has had a stolen election; it was disputed by most players including the biggest political party, the MDC. More importantly, the election was condemned by every credible local and international observer mission," MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that it was you and your fellow opposition politicians who gave the rigged elections the modicum of legitimacy by taking part in the flawed and illegal elections! The nation would not be in this mess if you lot had implemented the democratic reforms during the last GNU!
The IMF can assist the poor Zimbabweans but not Zanu PF under the pretext the regime has promised to implement reforms. We all know Zanu PF will never implement the reform s fully to guarantee free, fair and credible elections.
The focus is on piling the pressure on Zanu PF to step down and it will be very disappointing if the IMF is going to undermine that effort!
Mark my word, the IMF is going to bankroll Zanu PF under the pretext that it is providing social protection to the country's poor!
ReplyDeleteZanu PF is illegitimate because the party blatantly rigged last year's elections. And Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because of 39 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. And, as long as Zanu PF is allowed to rig elections and get away with it the country will remain stuck in this hell-on-earth.
What part of Zanu PF is corrupt, incompetent, murderous and vote rigging thugs is the IMF failing to understand?
The IMF can provide the funds Mnangagwa needs to pay for the hire luxury jet, pay for the health trips outside the country for the ruling elite, buy weapons to kill protesters, etc., etc. Meanwhile there regime will continue to ignore the poor and their suffering. IMF people should know that the country's health care has all but completely collapsed.
Doctors are going to hospitals to certify the died, they can do little else with no medicine and equipment. There are reports of corpses being left in the ward for three days because the mortuary is full/not working/ power cuts/ etc., there are no staff to remove the corpse because staff shortage/ their pay is not enough cover transport cost/ etc., shortage of even the basic things like gloves and washing soap, etc.
We desperately want to remove this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF government it beggars belief that organisations like the IMF staffed by people like Ms Lagarde who would never allow such a regime n their own country are the ones imposing the regime on us! Even after 39 years of misrule with the country drowning in misery she still wants Zanu PF to remain in power! How selfish is that!
Mnangagwa will never uproot corruption because he is the godfather of the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF Mafia. And as long as the cancer of corruption remains there is no hope of any meaningful economic recovery. This is a fundamental reality that Zimbabweans have ignore at their own peril!
ReplyDeletePeople written volumes and talked for man-years in one year alone about what the country needs to do to achieve the Zimbabwe we want and yet have said and done nothing to end corruption! What a waste of space and humanity!
I am saying MDC is no more a democratic party than the DRNK is a democratic nation. It is the lack of democratic competition within the party that has allowed a lot of deadwood to get into leadership positions and once in power they stifle debate and competition to safe guard their position. This is exactly what Chamisa and Mwonzora are doing here!
ReplyDeleteOf course, Chamisa and Mwonzora are corrupt and incompetent, the two were senior members in the MDC during the GNU when the party failed to get even one reform implemented in five years! More recently, they participated in last year's elections and did not even have the common sense to demand the release of a verified voters' roll. Only a village idiot would participate in an election in which only his opponent knows who is on the voters' roll because that alone gave Zanu PF many, many ways to rig the vote and they did!
@ Zimvigil
ReplyDeleteThe AU claims to promote the human rights of the African people but here it has positioned itself in support of yet another clapped-out military dictator. For the past decade Bashir has been a fugitive from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, notably the genocide of people in the Darfur region. An estimated 300,000 people died in the ethnic conflict there between mainly Christian southerners who are agriculturalists and more nomadic livestock herders of Arab descent.
The people of Sudan must demand an interim administration that will be entrusted the task on implementing democratic reforms and holding free, fair and credible elections. A military council being proposed by the army will never implement the reforms fully if they implemented any at all!
Sudan is in its formative stage and what kind of country to emerge from this will depend on who is in charge these two formative stage years. Get the right people into the interim administration and the country will enjoy peace, freedom and economic prosperity for generations to come. Get the wrong people and the nightmare of the last 30 years will continue!
The drought and Cyclone Idai hit the nation that was already on its knees! Decades of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption have left the Zimbabwe economy in ruins and 3/4 of the population living on US$30 per month or less.
ReplyDeleteWhen are already on your knees on the way down or doing your very best to just stay up and you are hit hard, you do not get up!