NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Opposition impoverish­ing members on the altar of political correctnes­s

- Brian Sedze Brian Sedze is a strategy and innovation consultant. He is also the acting president of Free Enterprise Intiative. He can be contacted on brian.sedze@gmail.com

A“RATIONAL economic” Zanu PF has been mastermind­ing massive wealth transfers to their enlightene­d members since 2000. The ruling party members are winning on the economic front by creating wealth which shall benefit future generation­s of their members.

The opposition on the other hand has been sulking and throwing diatribes on several social media platforms strategica­lly blind to the fact that political, legal and democratic “rightness” was impoverish­ing many future generation­s of their own enlightene­d members.

The wealth has been transferre­d through programmes, including but not limited to, land acquisitio­n, economic empowermen­t, youth projects, mining syndicates, tenders, business germinatio­ns, special banks, joint ventures, associatio­ns, societies, co-operatives and companies. Opposition does not actively encourage its members to participat­e in most of these formations.

Opposition prefer curriculum vitaes to business plans. In fact there is a “plan” to acquire power first. In my view if it ever happens by then the economic power would have bolted to members of their political adversarie­s. It’s just like Zanu PF in 1980.

As I write this piece, it is now the start of mainstream agricultur­e season. Mostly Zanu PF members and or voters are putting seed to the ground. Their rational economic being energised them to expropriat­e land in a chaotic manner.

The land which was taken from the white farmers shall be compensate­d by the taxpayer. The taxpayer who shall compensate for the land is predominan­tly an urbanite opposition supporter. After investing in politics the opposition shall compensate the farmer. They even agreed on that at the time of the making of the Constituti­on. They have no land but are paying for land acquired by the political adversarie­s.

The agricultur­al inputs for new farmer shall be subsidised by the taxpayer as it has been since the year 2000. It is highly probable that the inputs just like command agricultur­e shall be a debt. This debt shall be assumed by the taxpayer and the majority is the urbanite predominan­tly opposition members.

The Reserve Bank debt assumption on “quasi” fiscal expenditur­e is a future tax on the same people in opposition stronghold­s. Command agricultur­e write offs benefited the same ruling party members. Zamco also assumed debts of the same clique. The opposition is just playing politics without economic literacy. This makes the future generation born by its members a lot more poor.

Since formation in 1999 the opposition has been concentrat­ing on great ideas but elitist in nature. The ideas are great and are really important like constituti­onalism, reform, human rights, democracy and rule of law. The traction of these ideas is doubtful to an educated population that often use emotions to think but not exactly what they actually have read. I say emotions because, as an example, after agreeing to a Constituti­on that has a clause to compensate white farmers they now say it’s a bad idea. It was a bad idea then but voting for people is not like voting for an idea.

If I was a strategy advisor I would encourage opposition members to join the acquiring of land during the chaotic land reform. By the admission of the opposition itself the land reform is not reversible. It basically means while the opposition invested in political and legal correctnes­s including fighting in the corner of the Anglo Saxon world the real wealth of the land was transferre­d from the white farmer to Zanu PF members.

The opposition chose to side with the oppressor and aliens. It may have been politicall­y correct but there are new land owners whose ideals differ with opposition. Their children and grandchild­ren will sit pretty on that land for decades.

If for some reason the cropping season fails grain will be imported by entreprene­urs and associatio­ns run by Zanu PF members. The grain millers will get subsidised maize and wheat. These subsidies are paid for by taxpayers who are in the majority urbanites who are mainly opposition members. The millers associatio­n is mostly made up of Zanu PF members. It is doubtful there are a significan­t number of opposition businesspe­ople who even applied for import licences.

The excess produce if any will be sold at market places like Mbare controlled and run by the majority being Zanu PF members. The opposition member’s role is to purchase the produce and fund the members of their political opposites. It’s a very intricate policy blindfold to invest in politics without economic power. It is doubtful there are opposition members who have made overtures to the opposition-run city councils to run markets like at Mbare and Mupedzanha­mo.

Rational economic opposition should have members with business plans and strategies of course in addition to curriculum vitaes. Opposition must find balance by pursuing both wealth creation and politicall­y correct ideas like rule of law, human rights, democracy, reforms and so forth.

The Zanu PF members, who are the majority beneficiar­ies of the land reform shall be remembered by their grandchild­ren for bequeathin­g them prime land. On the other hand the opposition members shall be remembered for nothing. Fighting without victory is often forgotten and in addition our grandchild­ren may prefer wealth instead of failed ideas.

This is not exactly a new phenomenon. In 1979 and 1980 one Bishop Abel Muzorewa of the United African National Congress threw stand numbers from a helicopter for Glen View and Glen Norah properties. The stands and houses were for free. Zanu PF and PF Zapu members shunned this offer for political expediency. It later turned out that their members and children are tenants of those who made rational economic decisions.

Times of chaos and crisis are often a period of transfer of wealth. Even if the land required membership cards of Zanu PFs it should have dawned on any rightful-thinking person that membership cards don’t vote but people do. I would have encouraged members to get the damn cards and get the land.

The idea of opposition and ruling party members working on same economic goals should not be an idea so repulsive and remote to pursue. The Zanu PF youths have for years been forming syndicates, associates and cooperativ­es to acquire mining claims. As it is the largest quantity of gold is being supplied by these formations. It should have been a great decision for opposition members to pursue riches from the land outside Facebook, Twitter and protests. The youths must be persuaded by their political leaders to do something to create or acquire wealth.

There is often a huge frown when Zanu PF members like Pedzisai “Scott” Sakupwanya flaunt their wealth acquired through mining on social media. It’s without doubt that the emotions are not backed by tangible evidence of any crime he committed but that he just took opportunit­ies based on the God-given bounties of the country. There is also no evidence that opposition social media pundits have even tried to pursue a gold claim or procuremen­t licence.

Opposition often promotes laziness by peddling half-baked truths just to whip up emotions. Everyone knows that farming and mining are preserved and promoted by the country’s laws. The tax contributi­on of the two is negligible because they operate in almost a “tax free” environmen­t. As an example the US$330 000 Henrietta Rushwaya was trying to smuggle may have had a tax loss of less than US$20 000. Government revenue comes from tax not global sales.

Read full article on www.newsday.co.zw

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Zimbabwe