The Sunday News
By Stanford Chiwanga
18 August 2012
Is it possible to instil discipline in the inclusive Govt?
THE inclusive Government will go down in history as the worst Government that post-independence Zimbabwe has ever had. Undoubtedly it has brought relief to Zimbabweans who were sinking into unimaginable poverty and hunger at a time when the illegal sanctions were starting to bite. But in terms of policy implementation, coherence, unity for the greater good and effectiveness, it has been found wanting in all aspects of governance.
In a nutshell, there has been too much smoke coming from the kitchen but no actual cooking has taken place with the Government of National Unity (GNU) nearing its culmination. An old adage says too many cooks spoil the broth but in this case, with no intention to sound cruel, there is not even any broth to write home about.
The three political parties that make up the GNU have all agreed that the inclusive Government and its implementation framework have failed in spite of the fact (mentioned above) that it gave the people of Zimbabwe room to breathe in a much better economic environment.
The failure of the inclusive Government has been traced to the refusal of the West to remove the sanctions and the fact the Government is made up of three political parties who are poles apart when it comes to ideology.
That is true to some extent but to a larger extent the inclusive Government has failed because there is no discipline. There has been no regulation of the behaviours of ministers and Members of Parliament, no rules governing goal orientation and no code of conduct that puts the political parties and their emissaries on a leash when they tour other countries on diplomatic missions.
Thus it is no wonder that the inclusive Government has failed to implement many aspects of its own Bible — the GPA.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai from the MDC-T globe-trotted many a time on diplomatic offensives to discredit President Mugabe and Zanu-PF. President Mugabe and Zanu-PF have been forced to firefight the fires that were started by MDC-T.
Cabinet meetings have been characterised by boycotts. If it’s not MDC-T ministers boycotting because President Mugabe is chairing it would be ministers from Zanu-PF because PM Tsvangirai is supposed to chair. The reasons for boycotting are deemed sound but Zimbabweans see them as unwarranted.
Despite all that has been and is being said President Mugabe is the head of the Government but ministers from the other side of the divide have made a mockery of his authority. They do not respect him despite the fact they are ministers because of him — he is the one who swore them into power. This is exemplified by Minister of Finance Tendai Biti’s refusal to award civil servants a salary increment at the behest of the President.
Reports emerging from Cabinet meetings are that sound policies were and are dismissed because they were and are formulated by a minister from a rival party. The same scenario plays out in Parliament where Bills that are proposed by a Parliamentarian from a rival party are shot down for the sole reason that they are from a member of rival party.
Political analysts believe that the indiscipline is made clear when you take seriously the accusations that Zanu-PF and MDC-T run parallel governments. The MDC-T has long stood accused of running a parallel government in the Prime Minister’s office where MDC-T ministers are said to earn scandalous top-up salaries that are as high as $7 000 a month.
Zanu-PF has not been spared as MDC-T believes that the Indigenisation and Empowerment Programme, the appointment of Governors and military officers to high ranks are signs that the party is running a parallel government.
All this and more has led the conclusion that it is impossible to effect discipline in the inclusive Government. But is it really impossible? Is there nothing that can be done to ensure that discipline takes effect from now onwards? Does the absence of a code of conduct mean indiscipline will continue to reign supreme unchecked?
Impossible
Mr Qhubani Moyo the national director for policy and research co-ordination in the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC is of the view that the indiscipline in the inclusive Government stems from the fact that the political parties that form it do not trust each other.
He said: “The construction of the Government from a group of people who view each other with suspicion and hostility was always going to create operational problems for the inclusive Government. There are those who feel we were the legitimate winners of the first round and we were robbed and those who feel they also won the second round and allowed for creation of the GNU in the national interest and as such should call the shots. Of course there are those from the Professor Welshman Ncube’s side who believe they provide the necessary balance against the extremism of the other two parties.
“This set-up and background especially between Zanu-PF and MDC-T has created unnecessary competition and sabotage of Government programmes instead of promoting a sense of national cohesion and co-operation. This rivalry unfortunately is not healthy for the country and the individual MPs and Cabinet ministers have to personally take charge and prioritise the nation not personal interests.’’