NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Failed ED resorts to prayer, fasting

- Leonard Koni

IN November 2017, the military replaced the late former President Robert Mugabe with his long-time confidante Emmerson Mnangagwa, who declared that Zimbabwe is “open for business”, but up to now, the country is yet to open up to the world.

The gradual disintegra­tion and erosion of democracy is a cause for concern.

A visionless country is a battlegrou­nd for conspiracy theorists. When they fail to run a country, they resort to blame games and they start calling for days of prayer and fasting, and expect everybody to participat­e.

True, our situation needs prayer, but prayer only without action will be in vain.

The people need strong governance systems which will attract local and foreign investors.

We need a focused government which will prioritise good and strong healthcare institutio­ns and research. This COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for our government as it has tested the state of preparedne­ss as far as our health institutio­ns are concerned.

To show that the government is not serious about fighting corruption in the health sector, former Health minister Obadiah Moyo, who reportedly looted millions of COVID-19 funds, is still to face trial over the matter.

This will make people lack confidence in the government.

Our leadership lacks sound judgment because of the militant jacket it is wearing.

The military must get out of politics and confine itself to the barracks.

The problem with the current Zanu PF leadership is its failure to understand that modern-day politics is a tussle of ideas.

It is still stuck in old-fashioned straitjack­et politics of talking, promising and lying to people through dead manifestos.

The Zanu PF-led government sometimes gets carried away and forgets its core business, that it needs to put in place an enabling environmen­t for the creation of employment for the youths.

Instead, it is busy arresting political activists on spurious charges, wasting the country’s resources on monitoring social media users and erecting statues while the economy is bleeding.

The young people are rising up and this old leadership will be caught off guard and slowly the ground is being removed from where there are standing.

 ??  ?? President Emmerson Mnangagwa
President Emmerson Mnangagwa

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