Tsvangirai declares 2017 the Year of the People’s Power- urges the youth to chat and tweet Mugabe out

4.The economy

The country needs to mobilize resources to revive the productive sector so that industry begins to function, in the process spurring economic growth and creating jobs. To do this, we need a legitimate government that inspires confidence and encourages Foreign Direct Investment and Overseas Development Assistance.

The new administration needs to urgently review our policies in order to attract investment, create jobs and empower the people. To attract investment and engender growth in this country, there will be urgent need for policy consistency and doing away with bad and poorly-crafted policies such as indigenization. We need a viable, fully-functional economy so that we create jobs and widen the tax-base; in the process increasing revenue inflows as well as dealing decisively with the scourge of corruption.

5.International engagement

The other key issue is that this country cannot continue to be isolated. We have to engage everyone and bring back Zimbabwe into the family of nations.  We need a sustained programme of engagement with the region, Africa and the broader international community. But before we begin this mammoth task, we have to first solve our legitimacy challenge by holding a free, fair and credible election. The world wants to engage with a country that has a leadership mandated by the people in a free and fair election.

As we speak, our human rights record as a country is a major cause for concern. Murder, arrests, brutalization of innocent citizens by the police and abductions are the order of the day. Itai Dzamara remains missing and the new government will have to respect international covenants and assure safety to the citizens of this country. That will form the basis for any meaningful engagement with the world.

6.Social interventions

With our ideological inclination of social democracy, we will prioritize social interventions in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation urban and rural planning. Our health infrastructure has collapsed, with our main referral hospitals at Harare and Mpilo having suspended key operations and surgical services. Our education system has yet to be aligned to the demands of industry while as a country we continue to grapple with the provision of water and sanitation services.

The new administration will have to look at urgent social interventions as well as to invest in both rural and urban planning, so that we have modern settlements with basic infrastructure. I am aware of the challenges that our urban local authorities are facing, especially after that populist Zanu PF decision to write off all debts ahead of the 2013 election. That decision has grossly affected the councils’ capacity to deliver.  Any new administration has to have fool-proof intervention mechanisms in social services.

Health, education, water and sanitation have to take priority in this regard to enable a situation where affordable services are guaranteed.

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