Full contribution
HON. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to debate on the State of the Nation Address, also known as SONA. Let me thank Hon. Simbanegavi for having moved this motion. It is not in dispute that His Excellency Cde. R. G. Mugabe is the President of the nation, that he was democratically elected and he is the CEO of the Republic of Zimbabwe, if we have to use the corporate language. It is equally not in dispute that failure for the country and the economy to suffer, the buck stops with him. It is equally not in dispute that the Ministers in Cabinet are appointed by him to perform his vision. It is also not in dispute that failure to perform, they must be reassigned.
I want to touch on the ZIM ASSET which is a programme which was initiated by the Government to ensure that the welfare of the Zimbabwean people at large transforms. It is also not in dispute that any programme must be reviewed from time to time to see that it is assessed whether it is doing well or not. ZIM ASSET has not been assessed. I speak with authority being a Member of Parliament after the 2013 elections, where I was in support of ZIM ASSET.
I was a member of the ruling party as a Member of Parliament and believed that it was important for us to move with that programme and the manifesto that we had sold to the people. It is without question that I also supported ZIM ASSET. I still support ZIM ASSET if it is performing and not when it is not performing. Willowvale Motor Industries is a good example of us making our cake grow and equally eating from it. Members of Parliament decided, through the Executive not to buy cars from a State owned car manufacturing, which is a total inconsistency in terms of what ZIM ASSET was about.
ZIM ASSET was about building the local industry or you can call it domestic resource mobilisation. We missed an opportunity. Cars which came in were not manufactured in Zimbabwe, which means employment and foreign currency was equally exported against a background of production not happening. So, you have a situation where you are exporting jobs and foreign currency but you are not earning foreign currency which certainly leads us to the situation that we are in of a liquidity crunch. The bond notes must not be blamed that they are here. It is how they have come to be here, that we must look at; it is because of failure and indiscipline on the part of Government to stick to its Manifesto, the policy that it would have said it would do.
I want to say this Mr. Speaker Sir, sanctions are an old story, and corruption has superseded sanctions. Corruption has superseded sanctions, the State of the Nation Address clearly; the President is very clear in terms of zero tolerance on corruption. Some of us who are disciplined in nature will always follow what the President says. We were loud about people being corrupt and for them to be brought to book but instead we were fired from the parties that we were in because we followed what the President had said that there should be zero tolerance on corruption – just by bringing it up, you are expelled. No wonder why my colleagues on the left side are quiet on corruption because they know that they will be expelled like me and it will be very difficult for them to come back to Parliament like I did.
So, the party which is the Government of the day has had policy inconsistency where you talk about ZIM ASSET, our industry growing – that does not happen that is a policy inconsistency. Even those who want to put money are watching what you are doing and they realise that you cannot even stick to the things that you say you will do. There is no institution that will put in money when you do not stick to that.
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