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Gideon
Gono, Mugabe's new political tool
Itai Masotsha
Zimunya
August 19, 2005
President Robert
Mugabe has mastered the art of using disposable political tools
in his power project. As the nation wails under socio-economic and
political turmoil, there are little viable propaganda options to
convince the people of Zimbabwe that Tony Blair and George Bush
are responsible for the shortage of sugar and cooking oil. In Gideon
Gono, he has found a loyal and hardworking tool who at least can
postpone his end time.
Gideon Gono is the latest
acquisition after the expiry of term for Mnangagwa who sought Joshua
Nkomo's blood in the early 80's. Perence Shiri commandeered the
forces of Gukurahundi, whose hitherto unpublished massacres were
part of Mugabe's empire building project. In the year 2000, Mugabe
recruited the Information Tsar-Jonathan Moyo whose partnership with
(Tsholotsho the 2nd) Patrick Chinamasa effected a mass citizen arrest
on the people of Zimbabwe. Moyo and Chinamasa crafted and implemented
anti revolutionary laws that include the Public Order and Security
Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (AIPPA). Hunzvi and Chinotimba had brief stints as the commanders
of the Third Chimurenga, where one's output was measured by the
amount of blood spilt, especially white people's blood.
As the country continues
to slide down the economic abyss, with the Zimbabwe dollar becoming
one of the weakest currencies in the world where even our revolutionary
neighbors Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa do not recognize
it as a legal tender, Mugabe is under immense pressure to save both
himself and the economy. Mugabe knows that the economy might be
his last "Chimurenga" and since other Chimurengas thrived
on striking fear in people's hearts and awesome operations, the
economy is a different game altogether where the Truth and Trust
are the key values to it. The challenge therefore was to find one
person who has mastered this art and cherishes these values. It
is here that Gideon Gono came in, promising no politics but work
and turn around programmes.
Despite being untrained,
few people doubt Gono's hard work and public desire to see Zimbabwe
grow. The stabilization of the financial sector and the measures
to arrest the bull-run inflation cannot be overseen. His flexibly
packaged economic policies make good sense from both a theoretical
and a Chinese perspective. The Chinese perspective promotes the
closure of the local manufacturing industry, and urges concentration
on agriculture while China supplies other national needs from household
goods to security equipment and M16 airplanes.
There is division among
economists on Gono's economic policies. Most government connected
economists and captains of industry have assumed a tag of always
celebrating his economic policies whilst others argue that the policies
are like prescribing anti-malaria drugs to a child with eye problems.
Thus, Gonos efforts will come to naught and for several reasons
I agree with this thinking.
Our argument is beyond
a mere scholarly discourse. Gono will fail mostly because he is
a mere pony in a complex political matrix where Mugabe is the main
mover. Therefore, Mugabe-s socio-political environment will
frustrate Gono even though he pretends to show a happy face always.
Theories of demand and
supply, however sharp, do not heal the hearts and souls of victims
of Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina, neither do they compensate the
black and white victims of the Hondo-yeminda madness. Gono needs
to realize that he is amid a big political process whose problems
and solutions are way above the reach of economic principles. Therefore
his usual political polemics, that, "your Governor is not a
politician", if genuine confirm our assertion that he is being
used by cunning politicians whose desire is not primarily the growth
of the economy but guarding their power since a bad economy is the
nicest recipe for an unstoppable social revolution.
The recent Operation
Murambatsvina that Gono partly prescribed as part of his turn-around
program left an egg on his face. The closure of flea markets and
the destruction of tuck-shops and informal industries on the argument
that they were mis-using the much needed foreign currency by importing
non-essential clothes from South Africa and not contributing to
the national fiscus is counter revolutionary. Operation Murambatsvina
reversed Black empowerment, a key gain of the liberation struggle.
In post independent Zimbabwe,
some political analysts, including Prof Jonathan Moyo argue that
President Mugabe emerge as anti revolutionary distinguished by the
trend of disasters in his 25 year rule. In fact Jonathan Moyo, at
a public discussion on the 7th of July 2005, observed that, "President
Mugabe is a threat to national security". Moyo's argument is,
as displayed above derived on a trend analysis of the joint impact
of Gukurahundi, Hondo Yeminda and Murambatsvina.
In this anti-revolutionary
and destabilisation project, Gono is party to it through the prescription
of closure of flea markets and informal industries whilst at the
same time giving preferential treatment to Chinese and Pakistani
business people in Zimbabwe. The argument that Zimbabwe will never
be a colony again does not apply to Britain alone. The declaration
is a motivation that the people of Zimbabwe want to take care of
their economic destiny by owning their means of production. The
Chinese dumping of plastic clothes has collapsed the local cotton
industry from the farmer up to the retail outlet. It is a misnomer
for Gono and his political masters to assume that the people of
Zimbabwe will not wage a struggle against the occupation by China.
In this case Gono's economic policies resemble Lobengula's signature,
but is more evil in that whilst Lobengula was deceived, Gono is
fully aware of the short to long term effects of his concessions.
The sovereignty of being
Zimbabwean has been traded at the plate of foreign currency. Thus,
if you are Zimbabwean and can not produce foreign currency, then
you are a non-entity. Zimbabweans, including some best brains of
Zimbabwe like Dr Mthuli Ncube, Strive Masiyiwa, Nigel Chanakira,
Julius Makoni among many have taken refuge out of the country on
the threat of flogging and inhumane treatment by Gono's economic
constitution. To argue that these deserve to be exiled on the background
of their bad corporate governance practices could be dismissed on
the same comparative terms, especially that some Chinese were allegedly
arrested for trading 67 tasks of ivory - an equivalent to 34 elephants
killed.
Robert Mugabe has always
responded viciously to anyone threatening his power, and it is the
same tactic that Gono has adopted. Threaten hoteliers for not remitting
foreign currency, threaten farmers that do not meet their quarters,
threaten exporters that are suspected of undervaluing their receipts
and threaten local governments (city councils) that fail to implement
his projects. Gono in partnership with Minister Chombo evicted commuters
from the urban pick up centers to peripheral areas under the pretext
of cleaning up. It therefore becomes clear that commuters are part
of the dirt that needs to be cleaned up so that our friends from
the east enjoy our cities freely without the risk of thugs. Dr Chombo,
without shame, in people sees potential votes before elections and
sees dirt after elections, especially after losing those elections.
Zimbabweans and the world
are still shocked by the belief in threats, force and violence by
the Zimbabwean government even on issues that require dialogue.
After signing the Unity Accord in 1987, President Mugabe described
Gukurahundi as a moment of madness that should never be repeated
in history. One therefore wonders what moment was Murambatsvina?
It is therefore clear
that Gono will fail, and actually risks denting his image since
he is trading in dark and deep political playgrounds. Gono is trying
to enforce a new sense of nationalism and trust by seeming to equally
distribute national resources by visiting all provincial capitals
and pretending to consult the local business leaders and other eminent
people. Needless to say the process is heavily politicised, designed
to favour the Zanu PF system that thrives on patronage and feasting.
The mistake that Gono has adopted as standard is that Zanu PF is
Zimbabwe and that Zimbabwe is Zanu PF, a lost assumption.
From a political perspective,
one needs to scan the 25th anniversary medals that were presented
to various leaders and heroes for the part they played in the making
and shaping of present day Zimbabwe. The Zanu PF politburo or central
committee, whichever drew the list of cadres agreed that Dr Chidzero
and Prof Solomon Mutsvairo deserved awards whilst names of celebrated
and gallant fighters such as Josiah Tongogara, Jason Ziyaphapha
Moyo, Alfred Nikita Mangena and Hebert Chitepo were missing. Only
those that understand why these were excluded from such a ceremony
would judge Gono's effort as more to save Mugabe's power than really
turning around the economy. The unanswered question is, could it
be that Tongogara, Chitepo, Moyo and Mangena do not come from the
correct provinces?
With the Chinese and the US$1bn loan from Thabo Mbeki, Gono intends
to reduce the inflation rate and make the gross domestic product
grow for the first time since 1997. This will be good for Mugabe
and not the people of Zimbabwe. If Gono had the people of Zimbabwe
at heart, he would have been giving more incentives to local ownership
of enterprise than he does to the Chinese. Unfortunately, this is
now a mere wish for the beloved Siya-so, Magaba, Glen View and numerous
other industries nationwide were burnt at Gono's mighty hand. This
confirms therefore that Gono is not really working for Zimbabwe
but for Mugabe. However, because he thinks Mugabe is Zimbabwe and
that Zimbabwe is Mugabe, he will continue dishing out money and
pleasing his master at the detriment of the republic.
The hypocrisy surrounding
the Homelink issue is clear for all to see. Zimbabweans living and
working in South Africa, Europe and America were denied their right
to vote by Chinamasa before the March 31 election arguing that they
are sellouts whilst Gono asks these "sellouts" to repatriate
their hard earned cash through Homelink. Secondly, the fear that
the profits from homelink could be abused by the eminent political
establishment to acquire grain and distribute it along political
lines promotes an anti-Homelink sentiment among the Diasporans.
Such policy inconsistencies cement mistrust among the people and
contribute to a strong do-it-yourself-manifesto.
The economy is but one
part of the whole that is Zimbabwe. People and political parties
like Mugabe, Tsvangirai, Zanu PF, MDC etc come and go but Zimbabwe
remain. Gono needs to realise that it is the total of these parts
that will make Zimbabwe great. If any of these parts score zero
points to building Zimbabwe, then the outcome will remain zero since
any number multiplied by zero is zero. Therefore, Gono can shout
or revalue the Zimbabwe dollar to equate the US dollar, it will
all come to naught.
At an international level,
Gono must not blindly hail Mbeki's quiet diplomacy as he keeps quiet
to the political mess whilst he makes noise about the Victoria Falls.
South African tourist promoters market the Victoria Falls as if
it is in Cape Town, and one gets the chill when South Africa says,
"Victoria Falls is only two hours from Zimbabwe"- implying
that Victoria Falls is South African economically and Zimbabwean
geographically. A weaker Zimbabwe is favourable to Mbeki and no
real investor invests where property rights are not guaranteed.
It will be motivating
for Gono to realise what surrounds him and whose interests he serves.
President Mugabe has done his part as a statesman, honestly and
it is time for other people to act. The questions of free and fair
elections, an end to all forms of state sponsored violence, acknowledgement
of other political alternatives are necessary ingredients for national
development. This include compensating the victims of fictitious
wars and operations whilst lining all perpetrators of injustice
before competent courts of law.
In conclusion, egos,
threats, wars, tribalism, operations and violence might win political
arguments but will not certainly reconstitute the nation of Zimbabwe
and enforce a sense of trust and unity among the general population.
Like one celebrated economist, Anthony Hawkins advised, thus; "the
masses are what make the nation and having the biggest fist only
works so far" With this realisation, Gono will certainly turn
from a national cost to a golden asset. Another Zimbabwe is possible!
*
Itai Masotsha Zimunya is a former student
leader and now a human rights activist
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