Meet Mnangagwa: The pragmatist
Given his track record, it is not premature to suggest that his pragmatism is bound to bring the much needed order and stability to the economy. And his focus on the economy is what everyone thinks will be his trump card as he prepares for elections next
WHEN President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed supporters at the ZANU-PF Headquarters in his first public appearance upon returning from his brief exile in South Africa, it became apparent that Zimbabwe was entering a new era of pragmatism.
He spoke about the politics and the state of the party, receiving much applause.
But the loudest applause was when he spoke about growing the economy to create “jobs, jobs, jobs”.
That he felt it necessary to repeat the word “jobs” three times is an indication of where his focus will be. That sent a clear message; this is what is at the centre of people’s needs, and this is where he will focus.
The era of populist rhetoric — an essential political tool during the decolonisation period —has given way to utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism is a system of ethics in which the rightness or wrongness of an action is judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Utilitarianism is thus an effort meant to provide an answer to the practical question: “What ought a man to do?” He ought to act so as to produce the best results possible.
Zimbabwe’s new President, Mnangagwa, is not known for big speeches and big words. Instead, his reputation lies elsewhere — a shrewd politician who never gets his eyes off the ball.
It is probably for his shrewdness that many tout him as the pragmatist that Zimbabwe needs to move forward.
Pragmatism is an approach that evaluates theories or belief in terms of the success of their practical application. As a trained soldier, the President is a master at precision planning, itself a recipe for efficient delivery.
A witty orator. What he may lack in oratory, he more than compensates for with his pragmatism. He is a man grounded in the African liberation ethos and clearly appreciates Zimbabwe’s equal standing in the regional, continental and global community of nations.
In order to understand Mnangagwa’s pragmatism, one needs to evaluate his trajectory, particularly his stint as the Vice President. This evaluation will enable one to understand that his focus has always been glued on the need for economic revival and the creation of jobs.
Having already outlined his administration’s major preoccupation, and mindful of preserving the rich legacy of the governing party as the party of liberation, President Mnangagwa is conscious of a changing world much altered by the dynamics of the information age where no country is an island.
In its analysis of the new president, The Source, an online news agency, recently knitted together a lot of fascinating facts on how the man has always been at the centre of critical episodes of his country’s trajectory.
One of those episodes is how he and his predecessor President Mugabe literally and delicately negotiated a transition of Zimbabwe to an independent nation with former Rhodesian premier Ian Smith and his colleague David Smith.
But of critical importance is how in 2008 he led an economic committee tasked with shepherding the country from a dire economic situation that had threatened the sustenance of Government.
“Even after our dollar was hit to the point it became useless, the President appointed a five-member committee which was led by me so that we could craft our way out of the mess,” President Mnangagwa is quoted as saying.
He credits this committee with proposing use of the US dollar and initiated economic reforms just before the consummation of the unity government 2009.
His knack for economic issues is also revealed in how together with then Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa supported efforts to resuscitate negotiations with multilateral organisations like the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank.
It is those negotiations that paved the way for the European Union to resume budgetary aid that had been halted for years. And it was also those re-engagements that led to the signing of a debt relief plan in Lima, Peru, meant to help Zimbabwe pay off some of its debts, a move that would lead to the resumption of financial aid.
But President Mnangagwa’s grounding in economic issues was strongly highlighted during his visit to China in 2015 to assess the Asian country’s industrial revolution that made its economy one of the fastest growing in the world.
In an interview with a CCTV journalist, President Mnangagwa was frank in highlighting the crux of Zimbabwe’s economic woes when he said: “You cannot say there are areas of our economy which we are happy with, infrastructure we are behind by 15-16 years, agricultural development the same, manufacturing; in fact capacity utilisation in some areas of our industry is down to 20 percent, so again, we have to retool by acquiring new machinery, so that we are competitive.”
Given his track record, it is not premature to suggest that his pragmatism is bound to bring the much needed order and stability to the economy. And his focus on the economy is what everyone thinks will be his trump card as he prepares for elections next year.
After all he has suffered, being taken ill, being fired unceremoniously and having to flee his country, the President has the goodwill of the public on his side.
It is this goodwill, coupled with his own business acumen, that the former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr Gideon Gono said will work in his favour as he sets his sights on reviving Zimbabwe’s economy.
Commenting on the President’s inauguration speech, Dr Gono said Cde Mnangagwa clearly has “new ideas which promote national cohesion, one which encourages foreign direct investment and pulls every citizen in one direction”.
There is no doubt that his key concern is to show the international community that his country is stable, so that he secures investment.
For a man famed for saying that “capital goes where it feels comfortable and warm, and if it’s cold it runs to a country which gives it better weather”, President Mnangagwa is well geared to create an environment that safeguards investment.
It is surreal to imagine that the 18-year-old boy condemned to die by the Rhodesian government is the same man many Zimbabweans now look up to for a change of their fortunes. There is no doubt that the President is alive to the weight of expectations and his pragmatism is the exact tonic needed at this particular juncture.
In summary, there are five major areas that are likely to form the praxis of his turnaround strategies. First, agriculture is the mainstay that anchors the country’s economy. As Vice President, Cde Mnangagwa had already set the pace with Command Agriculture. In one season, he managed to produce surplus grain and reduce a huge maize import bill.
Read the full article on www. herald.co.zw