Govt has never had an economic strategy

THE state of paralysis in which our motherland finds herself can be traced back to the early 1980s.

A number of economic policies have been crafted and implemented and yet the economy remains in the intensive care.

The country’s economic policies have been failing dismally. Thank God, this analysis does not seek to address issues to do with the “blame game”, but rather attempts to demystify economic policy dynamics by critically examining the success/failure of economic policies implemented since 1980.

We have had many economic blueprints from the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme, ZimAsset and Zimbabwe National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

The only thing that is needed in the country is good politics and paying our debts rather than swallowing more than we can chew.

The economy has been on a free-fall due to lack of monitoring. Are these blueprints achieving their objective?

The former British territory, Zimbabwe, has been an independent nation for 43 years now and is one of only 23 countries with a gross national income per capita below US$2 000. Low-income countries typically rely on agriculture and in Zimbabwe, farming accounts for 67% of total employment.

The problem is that the Zanu PFled government has never had an economic strategy since 1980, all it did was benefit from a strong economy left by the late Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and it went on spending, looting and stealing spree. Economic building is all about trust.

The most important question is: Do the people have trust in the government?

Trust is the most valuable currency in economics. People and institutions local and abroad should have trust in the government and the question still remains: Why do the people not “trust” the government?

Every year, people are fed with lies and propaganda that the economy is performing very well. Come the following year, you hear the same government reading a different script, that the previous year’s economic performance was bad and that the coming year is promising and will be great in economic performance and yet the results will be speaking for themselves on the ground.

Of late, Zanu PF has been focusing more on winning elections than fixing the economy. There is need to revitalise the dying economy.

Economic reforms are the best foot forward for development. People are tired of a government which boasts and hits its chest for winning elections while the majority is living in abject poverty.

Politicians must stop the looting and smuggling of minerals.