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Information dissemination critical to Zimbabwe's transformation
Tapfuma Mkwasine
May 06, 2009

Critical to the success and prosperity of the GNU, GPA, STERP, National Healing, New Constitution crafting, Inclusive government is consistent information dissemination, security and governance. We, Zimbabweans, would like to be part of the solution, not finger-pointers to be implementers, results oriented, time bound and get action done. If all of this is to happen to desired levels there is need to enhance communication, follow ups, feedback, awareness, conscientious all Zimbabweans [business, civil society, common people, rural people, marginalized, youth, non political-active groups, all sectors, all myriad stakeholders] about the new political dispensation and its implications. Government is the principal of this massive and resources hungry 'process' and the government has to quickly address information gap and massive drive on what is the GPA. By when should we have achieved what, by when should the general public have acquired something tangible or capacitated to a level they could have not attained if GNU was not there.

In brief, Government, policy makers, leaders of GNU, especially Ministers you are shutting all Zimbabweans out of these processes. Ministers should be closer to people's world at this juncture than never before. We, Zimbabweans would like to be part of sweat and work to capacitate communal areas to become contract and/or commercial farmers, national healing, new constitution crafting, private public partnerships, rural development planning and communal development, productively and legitimately own stakes of mining industry, develop infrastructure, educate and heal, re-branding Zimbabwe to its rightful status and become the lovemark for international investors and multinational companies, bring our ideologies and skills in getting Zimbabwe moving again.

1. We feel there should be a strong 'propaganda' from government on what is GNU, GPA, STERP, and National Healing. By the end of this 'process' as a [an] communal farmer, clerk, student, business man, dreamers like me, informal traders, housewife, gardener, unemployed, academia, commuter, politician, pensioner, struggling SME, banker, analyst, unborn child, primary pupil, disabled, marginalized, I should have been empowered and/or attained something beneficiary from the inclusive government. This is a social inclusion process and in each and every home they should touch something from GPA, from mother to son, from daughter to father, from employee to pupil, from the sick to a business person, from females to imaginers. We should all be up lifted, see ourselves rising up, dreaming further, flying high on Air Zimbabwe and other national airlines from us Zimbabwe not from Qatar, Airbus or BA. It is possible and we Zimbabweans we are seeing it happening.

2. It is only possible if we communicate. Period. Government should open up a website [Chamisa], give out handouts, pamphlets to people including remote areas, urban people, rural and communal areas, newly resettled on GNU, GPA, STERP, National Healing, New Constitution crafting, feedback, follow up, foster more communication on radio, ZTV, CNN, SABC, France 24, BBC, etc on the road to Success, on the road to New Zimbabwe. Ministers should 'preach' tangibles and progress made in their ministries; what, when, how, how it will add value in each and every concerned Zimbabwean. The policy framework starts with generic policies like GPA, drill down to sectorial or ministerial, which we can say macro level, then next meso level like provinces, districts, constituencies, and last micro level-yes us the bottom people, receivers, users, general public. A nurse, clerk, analyst, banker, housewife, farmer, business tycoon should at least know where and how s/he is GNU bound. We should know when we will not be acting in the interest of national interest, healing, prosperity, advancement. This comes if we communicate and get the unborn, the lining and the dead up and running towards the GNU and new political dispensation.

3. The general public should visualize the future, we should touch the future, dream and imagine it and have confidence and security in deliverables, agriculture, health, social inclusion, 100% total involvement, development and participation, manufacturing and construction, smart partnerships, public private partnerships, win-win scenarios, 50/50, owning productive land in Mazoe for all, education for all, oneness in all we do.

4. House cleaning! Don't talk about credit lines or capital injections. That is not a problem at all. The problem now is will power, information dissemination and social inclusion. The desire and spirit, to achieve it. There is a lot to be done in cleaning our house [Zimbabwe], and different rooms within, and re-painting our house [Re-branding and repositioning]. I won't go into this because as of now I want information. Ministers, ministers ministers information on implementation, implementation, implementation, Government enabling, enabling, enabling, security, security and security, non selective rule of law, rule of law. Credit lines and investors, if all of this is done, will see themselves on 'Zimbabwean's round table.'

5. Zimbabweans, us the povos would want to be part of the implementers, communicators, the ones to close the information divide, to adopt the 'devil-may-care' attitude and the "killer-instinct and whatever-it-takes attitude"

6. In all these scenarios there are more sub sections, subjects to be unfolded and untold stories which need to be dealt with that if we start talking with government, we will see ourselves through, reach a consensus and move on. That is why Minister Shamu and Cde Chamisa are so critical to start with.

7. I deliberately left out good examples that show lack of coverage and information dissemination like Media Stakeholders meeting, Business Conference at ZITF, Zimbabwe re-branding, Investment Summit, New Constitution crafting, Horticulture Workshops, and many national events that people should be aware of and input their consensus. Personally I attended ZITF/NECF one, it was above the rest and it was not only talking but strategising, and getting into spirit of serving others, and implement.

In conclusion, as of now, ideally we should have more than abundant productive, well researched information and knowledge on what inclusive government entails, well coordinated and centralized information dissemination, feedback from the general public, follow ups, indicators [deliverables, deviations from desired results], correction mechanism, checking system on ministerial input and working towards achieving national global economic and social policy. There are a lot of countries to emulate from like India, South Africa, Japan, Philippines, Uganda, Ghana, Women's voices Kenya, Central America, we just take what suits us and breed our own national pride. This GNU is a national pride, not a Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) pride, not a Motswana pride, not a ZANU PF/MDC pride but our national pride and sovereignty in enjoying our resources in sound and well calculated partnerships locally, regionally and internationally. This is not an easy task for Government alone either, that is why we say lets communicate with us at the bottom because we live it daily.

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