The Forum Party and the Economy
FORUM MEETING: BULAWAYO
Introduction
Zimbabwe has never been in such an economic crisis as it is at present. Never before in our history have so many people been out of work, never before have our people battled to survive as they are now. The Z$ is a worthless currency, its spending power is minimal.
ZANU blames the economic crisis on drought, world recession, apartheid and the colonial legacy. Others blame ESAP for our plight.
Tonight I want to leave you with 2 principal thoughts:
1. ZANU (PF) is responsible for the economic plight we are in more that anyone or anything else; and
2. having got us into this mess, having created this mess, ZANU is not able to get us out of it.
ZANU created this mess
People are only given strong, unpleasant medicine when they are sick. ESAP is the strong, unpleasant medicine prescribed for economies that are seriously ill as ours was in 1990 and still is. Botswana does not have ESAP because it has pursued sensible economic policies over the last decade.
ZANU, however, has in 13 short years, almost destroyed what they themselves described in 1980 as the jewel of Africa. How have they destroyed it? I will give you a few examples:
1. By their ruinous half baked socialist policies.
ZANU’S policies of:
- socialism
- tight central Government controls
- hostile attitude towards external investment
- high taxation rates
effectively prevented foreign investment prior to 1990.