secretary general Tendai Biti told a
rally in Chitungwiza Sunday that the geriatric Zanu (PF) leadership had dismally
failed to rise to the challenge of running a modern economy and had
exacerbated the national predicament.
Biti said the Zimbabwean economic crisis was characterized by a high
budget deficit, interest rate volatility, depreciating exchange rate, rampant
inflation, and fuel and power shortages.
These problems, said Biti, have resulted in rising unemployment,
deepening poverty, general decline in the quality of service delivery and loss of
confidence within the business community and international development
partners.
He blamed the government for its slow approach in arresting the
problems affecting the economy.
Biti said the MDC – which he said was positioning itself as a
government-in-waiting – had lasting solutions to these problems through
its new economic blueprint Reconstruction, Stabilisation, Recovery and
Transformation (RESTART 2), which he said could rescue the economy and
give relief to a restive populace. RESTART 2 replaces the earlier economic
blueprint RESTART. Biti said RESTART 2 was a product of both changing
external conditions and of internal dialogue on meeting economic,
social and political goals in a balanced manner.
However, this is no easy task considering the damage that has already
been inflicted on the economy.With inflation hovering above 4,500 percent
and a ballooning domestic and external debt, worsened by the government’s
appetite for funds, a lasting solution to resuscitate the ailing economy requires
concrete measures rather than mere rhetoric.
Biti said the key aspect would be to completely restructure government
so as to make it smaller, more accountable and efficient. “It is the
objective of the MDC to create social and economic conditions which will foster
economic growth, provide opportunities for all, provide a better quality of life
for rural and urban families and improve conditions for social security,”
Biti said.
He said the MDC believed, under a more visionary leadership, that the
country had the potential to grow rapidly, resolve its current debt and
other macro-economic problems and provide an enhanced standard of
living for all Zimbabweans.
Biti said it was difficult to implement new corrective measures under
the current regime. He said government mantras about stabilization
measures, all would come to nought as political commitment would override the
economic factors.
“Government’s suicidal economic policies and lack of political
commitment has resulted in Zimbabwe’s quandary. As long as we have a government
which does not cut its expenditure and respect the rule of law, it’s
difficult to implement new measures,” said Biti.
He said the economy was being run as if Zimbabwe was in a state of war,
with no targets, aims or goals.
Post published in: News