Zimbabwe is like a country that was in civil war. The political conflict in the country which is a result of undemocratic practices, injustice and the abuse of human rights by Mugabe and his government and which was played out against a backdrop of weak systems of governance, hyper-inflation and deep poverty resulted in economic and human costs that are as extremely high as those of a country in civil war. Therefore in trying to revive the nation it should be treated in the same way that one would treat a nation that was in civil war, the post-conflict reconstruction processes involved should be the same. National healing efforts to take care of post-traumatic disorders caused by this political conflict in Zimbabwe should be put in place.
The country collapsed as a result of long term degenerative politics marked by a loss of control over the economic and political space. The tolerance, resilience and coping capacities of Zimbabweans which are manifold and legendary allowed the decay in the country to go on unchecked. This political conflict was characterised by a generalised collapse of standards in the professions. It short circuited the rules that keep human interaction constructive and predictable and wiped out the most positive forms of social capital like ethics and professionalism. It had the effect of switching behaviour from an equilibrium in which there are expectations of honesty to one in which there is expectation of corruption and opportunistic behaviour. Once the reputation for honest interaction had been lost, the incentive for honest behaviour was greatly weakened and the cost of enforcing transactions increased exponentially. Therefore in the post-conflict reconstruction process the rebuilding of standards in the professions should be at the core of restoring social capital. Failure to meet this institutional challenge would doom the efforts of the post-conflict reconstruction process.
This political conflict as would be expected has harmful spillover effects on neighboring countries. The flow of refugees from Zimbabwe to neighboring countries resulted in heightened insecurity and ethnic tensions in those countries, the worst result being xenophobia in South Africa in 2008. So this conflict is not only costly to Zimbabwe but is also costly to the entire SADC region. It also led to the spread of cholera to neighboring countries and tarnished the reputation of the SADC region in the minds of potential investors. So it is in the best interests of the SADC region to help in whatever way they can during the post-conflict reconstruction of Zimbabwe and ensure that there is no repeat of such a conflict not only in Zimbabwe but in the whole region.
Within Zimbabwe the political conflict resulted in state institutions that are so weakened that they exhibit little capacity to carry out their traditional functions. So the post-conflict reconstruction should involve the repair and reconstruction of physical and economic infrastructures as well as external interventions aimed at rebuilding weakened institutions. Those critical interventions should include reviving the economy, constructing the framework for democratic governance, rebuilding and maintaining key social infrastructure and planning for financial normalisation. Recovery of the country requires incremental planning, careful and realistic policy reforms as well as consideration and respect of the GPA agreement that was signed between the leaders of the three parties involved in the coalition government. The post-conflict reconstruction process should have explicit objectives such as supporting the transition from a one-party government to a coalition government, supporting the resumption of economic and social development, supporting human and institutional capacity building and establishing special investment funds to maintain social cohesion during the period of economic adjustment and poverty reduction and decentralisation. These post-conflict operations will require intensive monitoring to ensure their continued relevance, effectiveness and efficiency.
It is very unfortunate that the post-conflict reconstruction will operate amid social tensions and suspicions between key actors within the country which can and does influence relations among the involved international parties. It is also unfortunate that the political conflict altered both the level and the structure of economic activity in ways which can persist even beyond the political conflict. The devastation of human, social and physical capital in the country at the moment require very strong conflict-mitigating policies to be put in place. These policies should have a high degree of flexibility, be implemented speedly and the reconstruction projects and programs monitored and evaluated speedly.
The speed of the evolution toward normalcy and the benchmarks for evaluating progress will be contentious but I tentatively propose that possible indicators should include:
1. Macro-economic stability and its likely sustainability.
2. The effectiveness with which instututional arrangements and the political system will be coping with the tensions, schisms and behaviours within the coalition government and eliminating further causes of political conflict in the country.
3. The recovery of private sector confidence as measured by the investment ratio.
4. The recovery of all the essential systems in the country like the health delivery system, the water system, the education system, the refuse collection system and the telecommunications system among many others.
5. The establishment of effective agricultural habits and the realisation of the commercial farm owners that they carry the burden of feeding the nation and so should produce come rain or drought.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Zimbabwe: Policy formulation in the coalition government
When I wrote the article, "The renewal of Zimbabwe," last year on this blog on the 5th of May 2008, I got some very constructive comments in the form of questions that the coalition government can now answer and use to set up policies. I thought of sharing with you readers those comments, with the hope that they might become handy to the policy makers in the coalition government as they try to reconstruct the country.
Clemencia wrote on May 5, 2008 1:25 PM:
I am well versed in economic and financial matters and in view of your points regarding good economic governance I just want to pose some questions that the policy makers in Zimbabwe should answer in order for them to be able to come up with good effective economic policies.
1. How do you reinforce the capacity of the State to coordinate the formulation and implementation of macro-economic and development policy in the face of a lopsided budgetary dependence on external donor funding?
2. How do you manage the timing and sequencing of financial liberalisation, given the adverse effects of premature capital account liberalization such as
capital flight and exchange rate volatility?
3. How do you institute an effective and transparent regulatory and supervisory
framework for the financial sector, promote the independence of the central/reserve bank, given its role and responsibilities as the lender of last resort?
4. How do you strengthen the growth of the financial sector and enhance mobilisation of savings for economic development? Should priority be to the development
of banks or to the stock markets?
5. How do you build strong regulatory institutions that do not at the same time stifle private initiative and economic growth?
6. Is moving public audit agencies from the Executive Branch to a location where they report to parliament a solution to the problem of insufficient independence?
7. What is the degree of autonomy of the tax authority?
8. How best do you improve financial mediation in Zimbabwe, given that some of the financial systems in the country are shallow and highly informal?
Chipo wrote on May 5, 2008 5:53 PM:
I am into Human Resources so let me make my contributions by posing questions for the policy-makers to consider regarding human resources.
1. How do you control bureaucratic excesses and fight political corruption in a context of low salaries in the public service?
2. What type of formal educational system is needed to supply not only the professional skills that are necessary for economic management,
but also the ethics, desired behaviors and values that are required for the effective running of a market friendly public bureaucracy?
3. How do you reconcile the need for a professional public bureaucracy that is devoid of political interferences with the accountability and responsiveness
requirements of a democratic system? What type of incentive systems,
performance measurements and recruitment policy should we put in place?
4. How do you control the incidence of the brain drain in a globalizing world,
adequately motivate not only professional economic and public managers but all professionals for that matter and foster their retention and effective utilization.
Agnes wrote on May 5, 2008 5:56 PM:
I would like to pose my own questions for
the policy makers to ponder using the knowledge of marketing that I have.
1. What is the proper balance between the role of the State and the role of the market, given the adverse effects of both market failure and government failure?
2. How do you promote competition in contexts where the size of the markets is very small?
3. How do you reconcile the need to build and utilise national capacity, for the sake of country ownership of the development process, with the need to open up public institutions to external inputs in an increasingly globalised world?
4. How do you delineate and enforce property rights in contexts where oral traditions outweigh and conflict with written norms, laws and contracts.
Babra wrote on May 6, 2008 9:13 AM:
Let me make a constructive contribution to your article by digging into my memory about what I learnt many years back at varsity when I was doing my political administration degree. Am into business administration now so pardon me if my
ideas sound a bit rusty. These are the questions that I want the policy makers to ponder about.
1. How do you ensure the independence of the judiciary in a cultural context where the Head of State/Government is perceived and expected to bear ultimate responsibility for social justice and peace?
2. How do you generate or improve dialogue between the State & Civil Society, when the latter is perceived to be engaged in unfair and unspoken competition for political power.?
3. In Zimbabwe, at present, plundering the state or illegal economic transactions
are among the primary sources of personal wealth for most government ministers
as well as ordinary people. How do we prevent this gross mismanagement of public funds and corruption?
4. What institutional values and capacity should be fostered in order to bridge
the gap between policy formulation and policy implementation.?
5. How do you strengthen the regulatory and enforcement capacity of the State
especially as regards corporate governance values and codes of conduct, in a situation where privatization has brought in large and powerful multinational
corporations.?
6. What adjustments if any need to be made to the electoral codes and political
practices to ensure good political governance?
7. Who are the political entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and what are their defining
characteristics and how do you nurture and support them to be tomorrow’s leaders?
8. How can Zimbabwe best equip itself to conduct and manage the sequencing
and timing of economic and political reforms concomitantly?
Clemencia wrote on May 5, 2008 1:25 PM:
I am well versed in economic and financial matters and in view of your points regarding good economic governance I just want to pose some questions that the policy makers in Zimbabwe should answer in order for them to be able to come up with good effective economic policies.
1. How do you reinforce the capacity of the State to coordinate the formulation and implementation of macro-economic and development policy in the face of a lopsided budgetary dependence on external donor funding?
2. How do you manage the timing and sequencing of financial liberalisation, given the adverse effects of premature capital account liberalization such as
capital flight and exchange rate volatility?
3. How do you institute an effective and transparent regulatory and supervisory
framework for the financial sector, promote the independence of the central/reserve bank, given its role and responsibilities as the lender of last resort?
4. How do you strengthen the growth of the financial sector and enhance mobilisation of savings for economic development? Should priority be to the development
of banks or to the stock markets?
5. How do you build strong regulatory institutions that do not at the same time stifle private initiative and economic growth?
6. Is moving public audit agencies from the Executive Branch to a location where they report to parliament a solution to the problem of insufficient independence?
7. What is the degree of autonomy of the tax authority?
8. How best do you improve financial mediation in Zimbabwe, given that some of the financial systems in the country are shallow and highly informal?
Chipo wrote on May 5, 2008 5:53 PM:
I am into Human Resources so let me make my contributions by posing questions for the policy-makers to consider regarding human resources.
1. How do you control bureaucratic excesses and fight political corruption in a context of low salaries in the public service?
2. What type of formal educational system is needed to supply not only the professional skills that are necessary for economic management,
but also the ethics, desired behaviors and values that are required for the effective running of a market friendly public bureaucracy?
3. How do you reconcile the need for a professional public bureaucracy that is devoid of political interferences with the accountability and responsiveness
requirements of a democratic system? What type of incentive systems,
performance measurements and recruitment policy should we put in place?
4. How do you control the incidence of the brain drain in a globalizing world,
adequately motivate not only professional economic and public managers but all professionals for that matter and foster their retention and effective utilization.
Agnes wrote on May 5, 2008 5:56 PM:
I would like to pose my own questions for
the policy makers to ponder using the knowledge of marketing that I have.
1. What is the proper balance between the role of the State and the role of the market, given the adverse effects of both market failure and government failure?
2. How do you promote competition in contexts where the size of the markets is very small?
3. How do you reconcile the need to build and utilise national capacity, for the sake of country ownership of the development process, with the need to open up public institutions to external inputs in an increasingly globalised world?
4. How do you delineate and enforce property rights in contexts where oral traditions outweigh and conflict with written norms, laws and contracts.
Babra wrote on May 6, 2008 9:13 AM:
Let me make a constructive contribution to your article by digging into my memory about what I learnt many years back at varsity when I was doing my political administration degree. Am into business administration now so pardon me if my
ideas sound a bit rusty. These are the questions that I want the policy makers to ponder about.
1. How do you ensure the independence of the judiciary in a cultural context where the Head of State/Government is perceived and expected to bear ultimate responsibility for social justice and peace?
2. How do you generate or improve dialogue between the State & Civil Society, when the latter is perceived to be engaged in unfair and unspoken competition for political power.?
3. In Zimbabwe, at present, plundering the state or illegal economic transactions
are among the primary sources of personal wealth for most government ministers
as well as ordinary people. How do we prevent this gross mismanagement of public funds and corruption?
4. What institutional values and capacity should be fostered in order to bridge
the gap between policy formulation and policy implementation.?
5. How do you strengthen the regulatory and enforcement capacity of the State
especially as regards corporate governance values and codes of conduct, in a situation where privatization has brought in large and powerful multinational
corporations.?
6. What adjustments if any need to be made to the electoral codes and political
practices to ensure good political governance?
7. Who are the political entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and what are their defining
characteristics and how do you nurture and support them to be tomorrow’s leaders?
8. How can Zimbabwe best equip itself to conduct and manage the sequencing
and timing of economic and political reforms concomitantly?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Those against the Zimbabwean coalition government what would you rather have?
This is the question I am putting forward to all those who are of the opinion that Tsvangirai and the MDC should have refused to form a coaltion government with Mugabe and his Zanu PF party. How you answer those questions will determine whether you are concerned with humanity or merely concerned with making a democratic statement without regard of humanity. Would you rather have a country that has most of its citizens dying of hunger and cholera as it waits for a very long time for democracy to be implemented or would you rather have a country that compromises democracy by putting its pursuit of democratic elections on hold for the sake of progress in terms of eliminating the suffering of the people and rebuilding a decayed nation.? Would you rather have a country lacking a health delivery system as it waits for a very long time for democracy to be implemented or would you rather have a country that compromises democracy by putting its pursuit of democratic elections on hold for the sake of saving the lives of the sick. Would you rather have a country which has no effective education system because of the poor renumeration of teachers as it waits for a very long time for democracy to be implemented or would you rather have a country that compromises democracy by putting its pursuit of democratic elections on hold for the sake of the education of its children. I love democracy and my supporting this coalition government does not mean that I am giving up on democracy, I still think it is the best political ideology to follow and would love to see it implemented here in Zimbabwe but for now saving the lives of the suffering Zimbabweans and reconstructing a totally decayed nation is of utmost importance. You will all agree with me that Zimbabweans have been waiting in vain for democracy ever since they voted in the March 2008 elections and efforts to have a democratically elected government in place proved to be unfruitful and SADC, AU, EU and UN didn't help much. Besides forming a coalition government that would address the country's problems what other option was there to follow, take note that the wait and see tactic is interpreted as doing nothing and doing nothing was no longer an option here considering the death toll from cholera, hunger and lack of medical treatment that kept rising with each passing day. So my appeal to you all who are against this coalition government is for you to put aside your hatred of Mugabe and Zanu PF for now and help the suffering and dying masses in Zimbabwe by supporting the coalition government's efforts to rescuscitate a dying nation. I am sure you will agree with me that humanity is more important than any political ideology differences we might have.
Long back (on the 5th of May 2008) I wrote an article on this blog about the renewal of Zimbabwe and would like to share it with you at this point in time because now is the best time that we should be thinking about the renewal of our country instead of thwarting progress towards that renewal by airing out our negative thoughts about the coalition government. The article is entitled, "The renewal of Zimbabwe," and I have copied and pasted it below.
Imagine a Zimbabwe with a strong economy and no inflation to write home about. Imagine a Zimbabwe without any corruption to talk of, a Zimbabwe without a black market and where you can walk into a bank and get any amount of foreign currency that you want. Imagine a Zimbabwe with supermarkets full to the brim not only with all the basic necessities but with all the luxurious goods that you can think of at affordable prices. Imagine a Zimbabwe where even the President and cabinet ministers are taken to court and justly tried if they break the law and there is justice for all without fear or favour. Imagine a Zimbabwe where there is freedom of the press and the caliber of journalists is such that they report the truth all the time and they unearth all sorts of skeletons in the cupboards to curb corruption and unethical and unprofessional behavior. Imagine a Zimbabwe where most people have a good lifestyle. Imagine a Zimbabwe where there are no power cuts, no water shortages, no commuter fare hikes every week and an efficient health delivery system. Imagine a Zimbabwe where all civil servants and Parastatal employees are paid market salaries that correspond to the cost of living and that can sustain them and their families as well as enable them to invest in any asset of their choice. Imagine a Zimbabwe with the latest up to date communication technologies enabling efficient communication. This Zimbabwe is possible not only in my dreams but in reality if a government in power ensures that Zimbabwe develops in all sectors, through good governance and responsive policies.
Good governance is a result of good political governance, good economic governance,
good corporate governance and good administrative governance interacting to create an
environment within which growth, development and poverty reduction can take place in
a country. Whoever comes into power should practice the following key political
governance values which are areas of concern for sustainable development in Zimbabwe.
First and foremost the rule of law as well as the rights, liberties and freedoms of the individual can only be upheld where there exists a judiciary that is ndependent, ethical, professional and protected from Executive branch interferences by the constitutional separation of powers. Secondly a free, independent and responsible media can make a valuable contribution to fostering transparency in the management of public affairs and public resources, to keeping in check governmental excesses, corruption and mismanagement, to empowering people and providing independent information. Thirdly it is important to keep public bureaucracy insulated from political interference, in particular economic management should be shielded from the deleterious impact of political patronage. There is also crucial need for control mechanisms to nurture accountability, competence and honesty and to prevent bureaucrats from becoming a law unto themselves. Last but not least good political governance would be incomplete if it does not have a democratic constitution and does not practise fair and open democratic processes. Some of these democratic rights being, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of political participation, democratic elections and transition from political power as well as an independent electoral commission.
A government in power should recognize the important contribution that good economic and corporate governance values and practices can make to economic growth and development, notably, through promoting market efficiency and controlling wasteful spending both of which have a positive impact on the encouragement of private financial in flows. The key desirable economic and corporate values that will result in development in Zimbabwe are firstly integrity of the monetary and financial sector through monetary and financial transparency, independence of the Reserve Bank and effective regulatory and supervisory institutions. Secondly there should be sound macro-economic and public financial management and accountability with emphasis being put on macro-economic stability, budgetary discipline, fiscal transparency, equity and efficiency in public revenue mobilisation and public resource use. Thirdly there should be sound, effective and reliable accounting and auditing systems. This is achievable through the establishment of comprehensive, integrated and reliable accounting systems which would provide for, inter alia, the independence of the supreme audit institution and the communication of reliable and objective reports to the public authorities and the general public. All these economic and corporate governance values and practices would be of no use if there is no effective corporate governance framework to ensure transparency, accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, integrity and fairness. Therefore
it is imperative that there be a legal framework protecting property rights as well as the rights and obligations of companies, their boards, management, shareholders and stakeholders. As well as a regulatory framework for effective supervision and transparent financial disclosure.
Good governance largely depends on effective and excellently functioning institutions. By institutions I mean both formal and informal organisational structures, practices, value systems, norms, patterns of behavior and relationships which contribute directly or indirectly to the process of socio-economic and political development. It is common knowledge that weak, complex and inefficient institutions create incentives for corruption, reduce productivity and hinder development. Therefore if all the good things we want to happen in Zimbabwe are to happen it is imperative that the government in power ensures that all institutions meet the vital requirements for successful development and poverty elimination. I personally think that Zimbabwe’s development has got to be based on a market economy, therefore it is important that whoever comes into power establish and put in place institutions that are most likely to support a market-based development strategy.
Firstly it should be noted that market freedom requires regulatory vigilance so
there is need for strong regulatory institutions to take care of market imperfections and market failures as well as to lower transaction costs and to mitigate the consequences of imperfect communication. A strong, effective and efficient regulatory institutional framework is called for to regulate the conduct of business in goods, services, labour, assets and financial markets. Effective rules and procedures must be enacted and enforced to promote competition and social responsibility in such critical areas as communications, consumer’s goods and services, health, food and environmental protection. The effectiveness of regulatory institutions, including central banks, is largely a function of their degree of independence and professionalism. However it is important to bear in mind that regulatory institutions can easily become sources of red tape and economic inefficiency and prone to corruption and collusion with the regulated businesses and so it is imperative that the government in power ensures that the regulatory institutions are run ethically and professionally. Secondly a market economy needs institutions for macro-economic policy and public management since governments can seldom rely on the market to be self stabilising. Such institutions must develop the capacity to design and implement excellent fiscal and monetary policies that are market and growth friendly. The role of independent audit agencies in ensuring
transparency and accountability in the management of revenue and expenditure can hardly be overstated. Thirdly it should be noted that the establishment and enforcement of secure and stable property rights was a key factor behind the economic growth and development of countries in the Western world. Therefore effective property rights institutions should be set up in Zimbabwe and the government in power should ensure that, on the one hand, the state uses its power to enforce contracts and property rights and on the other does not behave in a predatory or confiscatory manner towards the private owners of those rights. Herein lies the philosophical underpinning of the minimalist state, that government is best that governs least. Lastly it is important for Zimbabwe to have in place
well-functioning, transparent and representative systems for acceding and transmitting political power as well as institutionalised avenues that will allow the voices of civil society and the private sector not only to be heard but to be responded to. Hence the need for institutions for conflict resolution and management.
I didn’t choose to be Zimbabwean, just as I didn’t choose to be born but I am proud to be who I am in spite of the economic decay in the country at the moment and my aim is to try and bring to the policy makers’ attention how the country can be improved in all those areas that make me disadvantaged to be Zimbabwean. It was with this thought in mind that I spent hours writng this article about ways to renew Zimbabwe with the hope that it would come to the attention of policy makers. Your constructive comments on this article will be greatly appreciated ladies and
gentleman even if you comment anonymously because your point on how to renew Zimbabwe
might just provide the breakthrough that Zimbabwe so badly needs.
Later on I will post the comments I got back then when I wrote this article.
Long back (on the 5th of May 2008) I wrote an article on this blog about the renewal of Zimbabwe and would like to share it with you at this point in time because now is the best time that we should be thinking about the renewal of our country instead of thwarting progress towards that renewal by airing out our negative thoughts about the coalition government. The article is entitled, "The renewal of Zimbabwe," and I have copied and pasted it below.
Imagine a Zimbabwe with a strong economy and no inflation to write home about. Imagine a Zimbabwe without any corruption to talk of, a Zimbabwe without a black market and where you can walk into a bank and get any amount of foreign currency that you want. Imagine a Zimbabwe with supermarkets full to the brim not only with all the basic necessities but with all the luxurious goods that you can think of at affordable prices. Imagine a Zimbabwe where even the President and cabinet ministers are taken to court and justly tried if they break the law and there is justice for all without fear or favour. Imagine a Zimbabwe where there is freedom of the press and the caliber of journalists is such that they report the truth all the time and they unearth all sorts of skeletons in the cupboards to curb corruption and unethical and unprofessional behavior. Imagine a Zimbabwe where most people have a good lifestyle. Imagine a Zimbabwe where there are no power cuts, no water shortages, no commuter fare hikes every week and an efficient health delivery system. Imagine a Zimbabwe where all civil servants and Parastatal employees are paid market salaries that correspond to the cost of living and that can sustain them and their families as well as enable them to invest in any asset of their choice. Imagine a Zimbabwe with the latest up to date communication technologies enabling efficient communication. This Zimbabwe is possible not only in my dreams but in reality if a government in power ensures that Zimbabwe develops in all sectors, through good governance and responsive policies.
Good governance is a result of good political governance, good economic governance,
good corporate governance and good administrative governance interacting to create an
environment within which growth, development and poverty reduction can take place in
a country. Whoever comes into power should practice the following key political
governance values which are areas of concern for sustainable development in Zimbabwe.
First and foremost the rule of law as well as the rights, liberties and freedoms of the individual can only be upheld where there exists a judiciary that is ndependent, ethical, professional and protected from Executive branch interferences by the constitutional separation of powers. Secondly a free, independent and responsible media can make a valuable contribution to fostering transparency in the management of public affairs and public resources, to keeping in check governmental excesses, corruption and mismanagement, to empowering people and providing independent information. Thirdly it is important to keep public bureaucracy insulated from political interference, in particular economic management should be shielded from the deleterious impact of political patronage. There is also crucial need for control mechanisms to nurture accountability, competence and honesty and to prevent bureaucrats from becoming a law unto themselves. Last but not least good political governance would be incomplete if it does not have a democratic constitution and does not practise fair and open democratic processes. Some of these democratic rights being, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of political participation, democratic elections and transition from political power as well as an independent electoral commission.
A government in power should recognize the important contribution that good economic and corporate governance values and practices can make to economic growth and development, notably, through promoting market efficiency and controlling wasteful spending both of which have a positive impact on the encouragement of private financial in flows. The key desirable economic and corporate values that will result in development in Zimbabwe are firstly integrity of the monetary and financial sector through monetary and financial transparency, independence of the Reserve Bank and effective regulatory and supervisory institutions. Secondly there should be sound macro-economic and public financial management and accountability with emphasis being put on macro-economic stability, budgetary discipline, fiscal transparency, equity and efficiency in public revenue mobilisation and public resource use. Thirdly there should be sound, effective and reliable accounting and auditing systems. This is achievable through the establishment of comprehensive, integrated and reliable accounting systems which would provide for, inter alia, the independence of the supreme audit institution and the communication of reliable and objective reports to the public authorities and the general public. All these economic and corporate governance values and practices would be of no use if there is no effective corporate governance framework to ensure transparency, accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, integrity and fairness. Therefore
it is imperative that there be a legal framework protecting property rights as well as the rights and obligations of companies, their boards, management, shareholders and stakeholders. As well as a regulatory framework for effective supervision and transparent financial disclosure.
Good governance largely depends on effective and excellently functioning institutions. By institutions I mean both formal and informal organisational structures, practices, value systems, norms, patterns of behavior and relationships which contribute directly or indirectly to the process of socio-economic and political development. It is common knowledge that weak, complex and inefficient institutions create incentives for corruption, reduce productivity and hinder development. Therefore if all the good things we want to happen in Zimbabwe are to happen it is imperative that the government in power ensures that all institutions meet the vital requirements for successful development and poverty elimination. I personally think that Zimbabwe’s development has got to be based on a market economy, therefore it is important that whoever comes into power establish and put in place institutions that are most likely to support a market-based development strategy.
Firstly it should be noted that market freedom requires regulatory vigilance so
there is need for strong regulatory institutions to take care of market imperfections and market failures as well as to lower transaction costs and to mitigate the consequences of imperfect communication. A strong, effective and efficient regulatory institutional framework is called for to regulate the conduct of business in goods, services, labour, assets and financial markets. Effective rules and procedures must be enacted and enforced to promote competition and social responsibility in such critical areas as communications, consumer’s goods and services, health, food and environmental protection. The effectiveness of regulatory institutions, including central banks, is largely a function of their degree of independence and professionalism. However it is important to bear in mind that regulatory institutions can easily become sources of red tape and economic inefficiency and prone to corruption and collusion with the regulated businesses and so it is imperative that the government in power ensures that the regulatory institutions are run ethically and professionally. Secondly a market economy needs institutions for macro-economic policy and public management since governments can seldom rely on the market to be self stabilising. Such institutions must develop the capacity to design and implement excellent fiscal and monetary policies that are market and growth friendly. The role of independent audit agencies in ensuring
transparency and accountability in the management of revenue and expenditure can hardly be overstated. Thirdly it should be noted that the establishment and enforcement of secure and stable property rights was a key factor behind the economic growth and development of countries in the Western world. Therefore effective property rights institutions should be set up in Zimbabwe and the government in power should ensure that, on the one hand, the state uses its power to enforce contracts and property rights and on the other does not behave in a predatory or confiscatory manner towards the private owners of those rights. Herein lies the philosophical underpinning of the minimalist state, that government is best that governs least. Lastly it is important for Zimbabwe to have in place
well-functioning, transparent and representative systems for acceding and transmitting political power as well as institutionalised avenues that will allow the voices of civil society and the private sector not only to be heard but to be responded to. Hence the need for institutions for conflict resolution and management.
I didn’t choose to be Zimbabwean, just as I didn’t choose to be born but I am proud to be who I am in spite of the economic decay in the country at the moment and my aim is to try and bring to the policy makers’ attention how the country can be improved in all those areas that make me disadvantaged to be Zimbabwean. It was with this thought in mind that I spent hours writng this article about ways to renew Zimbabwe with the hope that it would come to the attention of policy makers. Your constructive comments on this article will be greatly appreciated ladies and
gentleman even if you comment anonymously because your point on how to renew Zimbabwe
might just provide the breakthrough that Zimbabwe so badly needs.
Later on I will post the comments I got back then when I wrote this article.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Zimbabwean coalition government for damage control
From the very start after the March 2008 elections when Mugabe decided to discard the true results of the March 2008 elections right from under our nose up until the end of the GNU negotiations Zimbabwe has been operating on unjust ground and trying to get back to fair ground proved to be so difficult despite support from all over the world. To make matters worse the economic situation in the country had become so bad that the country was operating on life-saving machines which had become worn out due to overuse and ran the risk of stopping functioning anytime. So you will agree with me that something had to be done and done very fast. True Tsvangirai made a mistake in signing the GPA agreement of September 2008 without first ironing out all those differences that he started mentioning after signing and it seems he signed without reading through the agreement. And SADC did make an unfair ruling when they ruled that the Home Affairs ministry be shared between the two political rival parties. But these are all mistakes that refused to be undone and so the only way forward was damage control and this coalition government provides a conduit through which damage control can be done. Working within government is Tsvangirai's chance of proving to Zimbabweans that even though he failed to clinch a fair deal in the GNU negotiations he is capable of reconstructing this country and making it not only investor friendly but also local citizen friendly. To Mugabe and Zanu PF this coalition government is a chance for them to build a better image for themselves and change the Zimbabwean voters' bad perception of them, an unattainnable goal I think considering the extend of the damage they caused to the nation during their reign but there is nothing wrong with trying. To Mutambara and his party this is a chance to show Zimbabweans their leadership qualities which so far had seemed to be invisible to the public eye as well as make it very clear what he and his party are all about. To ordinary Zimbabweans this coalition government is a chance for the renewal of their lease on life, a chance for the proper functioning of all the necessary amenities like the water system, the health sector, education, etc, to be restored, a chance to be able to live a comfortable life again.
Readers, my fellow bloggers and online media I am sure you all agree with me that saving the lives of Zimbabweans who are dying of hunger and cholera and the restoration of Zimbabwe's economy, health sector and education sector which is causing untold suffering to ordinary Zimbabweans, both young and old, is of paramount importance at this juncture in the history of this nation. It is for that simple reason that most Zimbabweans rejoiced albeit with scepticism at the decision by the MDC to form a coalition government with Mugabe although they would have prefered a totally new government without any traces of Mugabe or Zanu PF. What the MDC did is put the interests of ordinary Zimbabweans at heart and that is to be applauded. As part of government MDC will have the capabilities to change the plight of most Zimbabweans whose suffering had reached too high a level. Taking that into consideration my appeal to you fellow bloggers and online media is to support the coalition government and stop writing articles that predict doom and gloom for this coalition. Let bygones be bygones, forgive and forget, and let us all now concentrate on writing articles that promote the renewal of Zimbabwe, articles that encourage sustainable development and growth, articles that influence the rebuilding of the nation and not those that destroy the efforts that other Zimbabweans are putting towards the reconstruction of the country. Constructive criticism is what we need to write about now. Let us all give the three leaders the benefit of the doubt and be optimistic that they all have one goal in mind, namely the rescucitation of our nation from a near death experience and that they will all work in harmony torwards the attainment of that goal.
Personally, I believe in democracy and this coalition government I agree is an example of democracy nipped in the bud but I have chosen to support it because my concern for the suffering of Zimbabweans is higher on my priority list than the pursuit for democracy. The suffering of Zimbabweans and the decay in the country's institutions had become too much and this coalition government is the only immediate way out of that suffering. I will take this coalition government as a transitional government as we wait for proper democratic elections which I am told will be in 2012. By the time 2012 comes I want to believe that the coalition government would have covered a lot of ground in putting this country back on the world map as a country that investors can have confidence in. I also want to believe that by 2012 democracy would have been tried and tested through Tsvangirai and Mutambara's policies and accepted by staunch believers in communism like Mugabe and Mnangagwa as the best political ideology to follow in this country. This would mean that in 2012 elections will be non-violent, free and fair. This coalition government will give the three GNU leaders a platform to campaign for the next democratic elections through their performance in the coalition government. The contestants for the 2012 elections if God permits will probably be Tsvangirai representing MDC-T, Mutambara representing MDC, Mnangagwa representing Zanu PF, Dabengwa representing Zapu and Dr Simba Makoni, the intelligent man of integrity representing Mavambo. Zimbabweans will be watching all of them very closely between now and 2012 and any mis-step will be detrimental to their future in power.
Monday, February 2, 2009
I was in a tunnel and couldn't see the light.
I think music is the best thing that ever happened to humans and during special moments in my life like this dawn of a new era in Zimbabwe or the hint of marriage by someone you love, (uttered days back but which has monopolised my thoughts for days) there is this one song which kept creeping into my mind as my brain celebrated in synch with the overwhelming feelings of joy that I was feeling. The song is by R. Kelly and is entitled, "The storm is over now." I have attached a widget which has the lyrics of that song.
So who said you can't mix serious politics stuff with soft personal stuff about love.? Just watch me do it, how can I not when in my mind this song touches both the politics in Zimbabwe and my personal life. Such is the complexity of life.
I was in a tunnel called Zimbabwe, and I couldn't see the light, I was beginning to loose hope of things ever being normal again in Zimbabwe. And whenever I'd look up, I couldn't see the sky, there just seemed to be no positive end in sight. Sometimes when I was standing, it would seem like I had walked for miles, was tired because in my mind I had walked miles trying to think of ways to make ends meet in an economy that had gone haywire. And my heart could be cryin', dead in the middle of a smile, keeping up appearances in front of others yet deep inside my heart, I would be crying about my empty pantry which I couldn't replenish or about my child who was being denied her right to education or about my fellow Zimbabwean dying of cholera or hunger. But then they climbed the hills, and saw the mountains, the three GNU parties climbed hills to set aside their political differences and negotiate for a coalition government and in so doing the hill became a mountain, in trying to come to an agreement they came across one obstacle after another, one impassee after another. They hollered help to SADC cause they kept getting lost in differences in the euitable power-sharing technicalities. Then on Friday the 30th of January 2009, I felt the strong wind, and heard a voice saying, the storm is over, the voice of Tsvangirai addressing his supporters that he has finally agreed to form an inclusive government with Mugabe and Mutambara. The crowd responded in jubilation as he spoke and I am sure in each of their minds this chorus of R. Kelly's song kept playing in their minds, "The storm is over now, and I can see the sunshine, Somewhere beyond the clouds, I feel Heaven, yeah, Heaven is over me, Come on and set me free, whoa"
Now in the midst of my battle, my life, all hope was gone, my ex-husband had taken vows to love me until death do us part but when his meaning of love turned out to be incorporated with violent abuse I had to break the marriage or else I would have remained a victim for the rest of my life. Then years later I thought my search for happiness had come to an end when I met someone online and like the blogger I am I actually wrote about it, (the article entitled, "The pursuit of happiness" the very first article that I wrote on this blog) but he hurt me with unfaithfulness and made me loose hope of ever tying the knot again. Downtown in a rush crowd, I felt all alone, and every now and then, I felt like I would lose my mind, I've been racing for years, in search of peace, love and happiness and still no finish line, oh, love was proving to be elusive to me.
But then I climbed the hills, I prayed to God for a peace, love and happiness breakthrough, and saw the mountains, (Mountains) the path that leads to peace, love & happiness is not an easy one, I hollered help cause I was lost in hurt, then I felt the strong wind, and then a man's voice saying on realtime internet chat, " The storm is over, (The storm is over now), and I can see the sunshine, somewhere beyond the clouds, I can feel Heaven, yeah, (Heaven is over me) Come on and set me free, come over here and set me free. Somehow my beginning stepped right in (Right in), then he became my friend (My friend), and now I can depend on his voice , when it's saying (Saying), "The storm is over, (The storm is over now), and I can see the sunshine, (Somewhere beyond the clouds), I can feel Heaven, yeah, (Heaven is over me). Won't you come and set me free, won't you set me free.
So who said you can't mix serious politics stuff with soft personal stuff about love.? Just watch me do it, how can I not when in my mind this song touches both the politics in Zimbabwe and my personal life. Such is the complexity of life.
I was in a tunnel called Zimbabwe, and I couldn't see the light, I was beginning to loose hope of things ever being normal again in Zimbabwe. And whenever I'd look up, I couldn't see the sky, there just seemed to be no positive end in sight. Sometimes when I was standing, it would seem like I had walked for miles, was tired because in my mind I had walked miles trying to think of ways to make ends meet in an economy that had gone haywire. And my heart could be cryin', dead in the middle of a smile, keeping up appearances in front of others yet deep inside my heart, I would be crying about my empty pantry which I couldn't replenish or about my child who was being denied her right to education or about my fellow Zimbabwean dying of cholera or hunger. But then they climbed the hills, and saw the mountains, the three GNU parties climbed hills to set aside their political differences and negotiate for a coalition government and in so doing the hill became a mountain, in trying to come to an agreement they came across one obstacle after another, one impassee after another. They hollered help to SADC cause they kept getting lost in differences in the euitable power-sharing technicalities. Then on Friday the 30th of January 2009, I felt the strong wind, and heard a voice saying, the storm is over, the voice of Tsvangirai addressing his supporters that he has finally agreed to form an inclusive government with Mugabe and Mutambara. The crowd responded in jubilation as he spoke and I am sure in each of their minds this chorus of R. Kelly's song kept playing in their minds, "The storm is over now, and I can see the sunshine, Somewhere beyond the clouds, I feel Heaven, yeah, Heaven is over me, Come on and set me free, whoa"
Now in the midst of my battle, my life, all hope was gone, my ex-husband had taken vows to love me until death do us part but when his meaning of love turned out to be incorporated with violent abuse I had to break the marriage or else I would have remained a victim for the rest of my life. Then years later I thought my search for happiness had come to an end when I met someone online and like the blogger I am I actually wrote about it, (the article entitled, "The pursuit of happiness" the very first article that I wrote on this blog) but he hurt me with unfaithfulness and made me loose hope of ever tying the knot again. Downtown in a rush crowd, I felt all alone, and every now and then, I felt like I would lose my mind, I've been racing for years, in search of peace, love and happiness and still no finish line, oh, love was proving to be elusive to me.But then I climbed the hills, I prayed to God for a peace, love and happiness breakthrough, and saw the mountains, (Mountains) the path that leads to peace, love & happiness is not an easy one, I hollered help cause I was lost in hurt, then I felt the strong wind, and then a man's voice saying on realtime internet chat, " The storm is over, (The storm is over now), and I can see the sunshine, somewhere beyond the clouds, I can feel Heaven, yeah, (Heaven is over me) Come on and set me free, come over here and set me free. Somehow my beginning stepped right in (Right in), then he became my friend (My friend), and now I can depend on his voice , when it's saying (Saying), "The storm is over, (The storm is over now), and I can see the sunshine, (Somewhere beyond the clouds), I can feel Heaven, yeah, (Heaven is over me). Won't you come and set me free, won't you set me free.
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