Zimbabwe: What will ensure success of the coalition government?

As Zimbabweans stand at the threshold of a new era in political governance I want to bring to your attention that the success of the coalition government in putting Zimbabwe back on the international map as a country whose environment is inducive to business depends on the elimination of corruption in the country. The starting point in eliminating this corruption would be building trust between the people and the coalition government ministers especially the Zanu PF ministers who were in the previous government that let the country decay to pathetic magnitudes. This is no easy task considering the extend of the mistrust and so it needs drastic actions that can convince the people that a new chapter devoid of corruption has been opened.
1.)One such drastic action would be for all the coalition government ministers to publicly declare their assets now as they start the new government.
2.)The other drastic measure would be to reverse the capital flight done by the previous Zimbabwean government ministers as they moved their unclean money from Zimbabwe to secret bank accounts in Europe and elsewhere because this money should be used to develop the country and to reduce poverty.
3.)Thirdly the obstruction of justice by the judiciary who will be under direction from prominent political figures should stop with special reference being given to the cases of Jestina Mukoko, Ray Bennet, Gandi Mudzingwa and many other MDC activists who as we speak are in police custody or should I say who are in military intelligence custody. Mugabe and all politicians should stop pressuring judges to give verdicts not based on justice but on political expediency.
These three actions will go a long way in building trust in the country and when that trust is there corruption will be greatly reduced and sustainable development can be achieved.

As long as corruption in Zimbabwe remains as it is the chances of the coalition government making progress in the economic development of the country are minimum. The corruption of major concern which hinders the development of a whole nation is the abuse of entrusted public office power for private gain. Zimbabweans have reason to be fed up with government corruption because they have witnessed its effects in the last Zanu PF only government and so days when Zimbabweans shrugged off corruption as a harmless irritant are over. They witnessed first hand how corruption resulted in the loss of image, respect and prestige of the whole nation, how it resulted in the weakening of the moral fibre of the people and how it lowered the ethical standards in governance. It also resulted in insecurity due to widening rifts between the "haves" and "have nots," and put a particularly heavy economic burden on the poor and the weak. It was all in Zimbaweans' eyes as government ministers and government officials misappropriated confidential government information for personal gain and designed and selected uneconomical projects that created opportunities for financial kickbacks. Zimbabweans are also aware of how officials at governing bodies like POTRAZ would receive illicit payments to foster monopolistic access to markets and how officials in the various institutions would demand the illicit payment of "speed money" to facilitate transactions. Government officials were seen embezzling donor funds meant for some projects as well as public property and monies with Nyasha Chikwinya being rumoured to be the worst corrupt official among them all. Corruption in the administrative domain included nepotism, ghost workers on public payrolls, collection of unauthorised fees, falsification and destruction of records, arbitrary administrative action, cronyism and circumventing established procedures and regulations. Corrupt activities in the legislative branch included issues of campaign financing and conflict of interest. All these corrupt activities should be eliminated if there is to be any progress in the economic development of this country.

One of the effects of this corruption in the public sector is to generate economic distortions in the public sector by diverting public investment away from essential sectors such as education and public health into capital-intensive projects where bribes and kickbacks are more plentiful. It is not uncommon for officials to increase the technical complexity of public sector projects to conceal such dealings or to over-invoice for resources needed in projects, thereby further distorting investment. Nor is it unusual for corruption in the public sector to lower compliance with construction and environmental standards or other regulations. The private sector was also affected by this corruption. It increased the cost of business because of the price of illicit payments, the management cost of negotiating with officials, the risk of breached agreements or detection and transaction cost in time wasted. Far from reducing costs by cutting red tape, the emerging consensus is that bribery induces officials to contrive new rules and short cuts or by-pass mechanisms. Corruption in the private sector distorted the business playing field by shielding companies with political connections from competition, one outcome being sustaining inefficient firms. The intrusion of corruption in the proper running of business in Zimbabwe and its effect on Zimbabwean companies' bottom lines raised comment and resentment as never before and so Zimbabweans want the coalition government to implement a lot of anti-corruption initiatives and projects in direct or indirect support to the country's emerging economy.

To curb corruption in Zimbabwe it is imperative that the coalition government practice good governance with emphasis being given to effective policies, efficient bureaucracy and efficient public service delivery made possible by regulatory procedures that are not too strict as to be restrictive of efficiency. The coalition government should be prepared to be externally accountable through citizen feedback and democratic institutions as well as a competitive press. The rule of law should be upheld with an independent judiciary. All this will be possible only when there is political stability and absence of violence and crime as well as co-operation from every Zimbabwean. The coalition government has to implement policies and enforcement mechanisms to stamp out corruption in Zimbabwe. Some of the anti-corruption mechanisms they should put in place are the following:
1.)Judicial independence will instil trust in the country's justice system and once people know that justice is being administered in the country without fear or favour they will stop all their corrupt activities.
2.) Financial accountability of all institutions through an independent audit system that checks if financial books are in order as frequently as every three months. This will reduce corruption drastically as the fear of being found out increases.
3.) Raising employees' wages so that they are sufficient to satisfy the basic needs of their families will definately reduce corruption because most employees had become corrupt merely because they were failing to meet the basic needs of their families with their salaries.
4.) Media independence which promotes freedom of the press will decrease the level of corruption if the calibre of journalists is such that they unearth all corrupt, underhand and illegal deals and make public all skeletons in the cupboards irrespective of whose cupboard the skeleton is coming from.
5.) Bureaucracy that introduces a lot of red tape that hinders the fast and efficient progress of business should be eliminated.
6.) Citizen participation by reporting any corrupt activities they see happenning should be greatly encouraged and rewarded.
7.) Public opinion surveys should be carried out frequently so that they act as a useful tool in articulating more precisely citizen concerns that need to be addressed. This will help curb corruption in the sense that a citizen whose concerns are being addressed usually doesn't think of being corrupt.
8.) Effective anti-corruption agencies should be set up, the anti-corruption ministry that was there in the previous government was so useless that it seemed as if the ministry was non-existant.

Let me conclude this article by pointing out that political and business decisions based on honesty and merit will ultimately lead to the most efficient and effective progress in sustainble development in this nation. So in our endeavours to generate economic growth and end poverty in Zimbabwe, we must always remain loyal to the truth as loyalty to a person, regardless of his or her dishonest actions, is a path not to be followed and encouraged only by leaders with a weak moral fibre. Ten years ago Rwanda lay in ruins after the terrible genocide in that nation but because of the clean-cut image and moral backbone of President Paul Kagame that encouraged every Rwandan to act responsibly Rwanda was rebuilt in a very short time and is now well known for its orderliness, efficiency and negligible corruption. This rapid progress achieved in Rwanda soon after it became peaceful is proof of the critical role of good leadership that is ethical and professional and would never be tempted by power to do corrupt deals. The progress in Rwanda should be an inspiration to all of us in Zimbabwe to ensure integrity and competence are things we value in all political and business dealings. If we don't we are enemies of the progress towards ending extreme poverty in Zimbabwe and eliminating the suffering and hunger in the country for good through corrupt-free sustainable development.