A lone voice of reason

At a time when just about everyone in the Zanu (PF) government is embroiled in factional struggles, Patrick Chinamasa has stood out as a lone voice of reason. He has not been premiered in his party’s power struggles—a refreshing break with the past, when he was one of the key spin-doctors.

Paul Bogaert
Paul Bogaert

Instead, he is demonstrably busy plotting Zimbabwe’s economic turnaround at a time when that is the last item on government’s priority list.

We hail Chinamasa for being pragmatic, prudent and level-headed as our economy battles through a hard time and looks set to take us back to the dark years of shortages, hyperinflation and acute poverty.

Speaking at a pre-budget seminar in Harare last weekend, the Finance and Economic minister acknowledged the need for a new mind set so as to bring better economic fortunes.

He is reading the ground well and what he says tallies with the prevailing reality. He seems to have broken ranks with the traditional Zanu (PF) way of hiding the head in the sand and wishing away the truth through a maze of political spins. He acknowledges that we are going through tough times, which must be the first step towards devising a workable strategy to get out of the mess.

He also recognises that “we must change our attitude, be more resourceful and engage in robust debate that should see government coming up with fruitful policies and strategies”. He said at the seminar: “We have a million things that need to be attended to urgently”.

That means he admits that government is not functioning well, which must be the second step towards a workable strategy.

While his colleagues are busy lambasting the west, he has stuck his head out and stressed that we need foreign direct investment.

Chinamasa is pained by the fact that Mozambique, which we helped haul out of a debilitating civil war, received almost $3 billion in FDI last year while Zimbabwe, despite its vast potential, only got $400 million.

We are not exactly sure how Chinamasa became so mature and visionary, but we certainly need people like him at the moment. The main problem with Zanu (PF) is that it has tended to focus more on individual power and enrichment, rather than the pragmatics of making Zimbabwe a prosperous nation once again.

Chinamasa, therefore, brings a fresh breath of air when he demonstrates his willingness to try and fix our problems. While his colleagues are busy cutting each others’ throats, he has decided to firmly place his hand on the plough and help the country recover. Very heartening, indeed. He just has to find a way of convincing his mates to walk and talk with him.

Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga
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