Categories: Stories

Are we too poor or too stupid- revisited.

I am a very religious person and I love Jesus, but what Stan says is quite true. Did we not notice that after a decade of decline and total collapse of the economy, when the MDC and ZANU-PF formed an inclusive government in 2009 our economy started booming despite the squabbling in the unity government and the fact that the policies of the three parties that formed that government were poles apart?

Did we not notice that our economy boomed without any foreign investment? Did we not notice that our economy thrived without any aid or loans from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund? Did we not notice that we were doing all the things for ourselves and Zimbabweans were happier than they had ever been for more than a decade?

Did we not notice that critics of the land reform programme were now accepting that it was a major success and not a disaster as had been preached for nearly a decade?

Did we not notice that, despite the squabbles within the inclusive government, there was no violence for at least four years, and that the country went for at least five years without any elections for the first time in nearly 15 years?

Was it not obvious that peace had paid off? Was it not obvious that elections were disruptive and partly responsible for the economic decline in the years 2000 to 2008 because the country was in perpetual election mode?

But less than a month after losing the 2013 elections, the MDC was already calling for fresh elections claiming that the July polls were rigged.  Though not happy with the results, most people were happy that the elections were over. All they wished for was to go on with their lives as they had over the last four years. ZANU-PF failed to maintain the momentum. The MDC failed to capitalise on this and instead the party started disintegrating following calls for Tsvangirai to step down to give way to a new leader but Tsvangirai refused to budge.

(154 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on February 16, 2020 7:45 am

Page: 1 2

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Recent Posts

Zimbabwe among the top countries with the widest gap between the rich and poor

Zimbabwe is among the top 30 countries in the world with the widest gap between…

November 14, 2024

Can the ZiG sustain its rally against the US dollar?

Zimbabwe’s battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued…

November 10, 2024

Will Mnangagwa go against the trend in the region?

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to…

October 22, 2024

The Zimbabwe government and not saboteurs sabotaging ZiG

The Zimbabwe government’s insatiable demand for money to satisfy its own needs, which has exceeded…

October 20, 2024

The Zimbabwe Gold will regain its value if the government does this…

Economist Eddie Cross says the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) will regain its value if the government…

October 16, 2024

Is Harare the least democratic province in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, which is a metropolitan province, is the least democratic province in the…

October 11, 2024