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By Pastor Richard Tembo.
London. (News of The South) – In this posting I am going to talk about:
- Economic revitalization in Zimbabwe
- ESAP one and ESAP two-comparison
- Immigration Political bait to win votes
Instead of talking hotchpotch about the nakedness of our country, I hereby propose a simple and straight forward unique economic redemption program (UERP), a solution to redeeming our country from the jaws of the devouring greedy foreign monopolists. We can create our own unique type of economy by creating Commission of Seven Economically Empowered citizens (CSEE) of the country who are willing to come forward and bailout the country, not the government, but the country. Then in the interim of the economic revitalization period, stay as economic commissioners to oversee the program. They can be followed by the ordinary citizens who can also subscribe starting from $1 per person per share/stakeholder, to become share or stakeholders of the country’s economy. The inclusion of the ten million to fifteen million ordinary citizens is deliberately done to avoid creating some kind of bourgeoisie.
If these seven richer citizens can bring in a capital of about $7billion and the ordinary citizens who are about 10million to 15million subscribing between $10million and $15million share capital of $1 per citizen, the country can have a good capital base, clean of foreign economic policies. All that is needed is to create a good environment for that to happen. It is better to try that something on our own before going abroad to borrow making ourselves a laughing stock in the process. If we can propose favourable economic policies in order to attract foreign investors, surely we can first do that for our own people. Then the government can make a constitutional amendment to allow issuing of share/stakeholders’ certificates, thus making an inclusive state share capital owned and controlled by the citizens of the country until the economy stabilises. Then once the economy starts picking up with our industries moving again, share/stakeholders’ share certificates can be utilised then to see if people can be incentivised by way of some kind of dividends or profit share. The idea is to have a pool of companies that are owned by the ordinary citizens but under the supervision of the seven economically empowered citizens’ commission. Then the share/stakeholders can be divided into two categories namely “preference and ordinary stake/shareholders” for having subscribed the $7billion and $120million to $180million national capital respectively, or for the sake of conscience and trust, the seven subscribers of $7billion can be a group of Churches that are willing to do so.
Why I am bringing up this idea is because I feel sad to imagine that our negotiating power, in an attempt to lure foreign investors is being eroded by sounding a bit passive when we shower them with every eulogy making them too giant. We all belong to the same God and not children of a lesser ‘god’, like what professor Lumumba often says.
Another plan can be (a) three volunteer billionaire citizens clean of any blame or corruption subscribing $1billion each= $3billion, (b) a group of seven Churches subscribing $10million each= $70million and (c) ten million ordinary citizens each subscribing $1 and that will raise $10million. So in the first month of self economic bailout, the nation will have a self national capital base of almost $4billion raised by its own citizens. Then we can use that money to create employment and revamp our production sectors, which will result in production of goods for export to start reducing our balance of payment and other foreign debts in the process. So with just the 10million ordinary citizens subscribing $1 each per month, the country can raise $10million every month x 12 months, that will bring in $120million per year or 15milliom ordinary citizens at $1 each per month, that will bring in $15million every month multiplied by 12 months, that creates a reasonable capital of $180million per year towards the citizens’ share capital to help create employment and this is something like the once upon a time program of food for work. We can get one or two industrial sectors back to operation and get people at least something to do than just wait and expect the foreign governments to come with their conditional aid. This program is a little more important because it will show the world that the ordinary people of Zimbabwe are committed to having their full independence back on wheels and willing to work hard and help the government pay its debt and create their own employment. People will be happy to know that they are part and parcel of their own economy than wait to be enslaved by external borrowing. Kana mwana ukaona kuti baba vadyisa mari yese nokutamba makasa iwe uchikwanisa kushanda nokuvabatsira, hauzongomirira kutuka baba mazuva ese kuti makakwereta mari mukadyisa kumakasa kwete. Asi zvakanaka kuti baba regai tibatsirane, asi ma bills ndichabhadhara ndini uye cash card ndichachengeta ndini kusvika chikwereti chapera ndokudzoserai card. Asi haufanire kuzofamba uchinyadzisa baba kuti ndini ndirikutovabatsira kubhadhara chikwerete kwete, izvi ndezvenyu semhuri. I am just proposing an idea which I think is reasonable than to force people to pay some kind of tax as compared to the $25 to $100 Diaspora taxation, to prop up the government but with zero knowledge as to where the money is going, which once circulated on social media. I think it makes sense to have at least a small amount of money for deposit if you want to get a mortgage. Because you cannot just wake up and go out to borrow money to start a business or somewhat new dispensation as it were, with an empty pocket let alone bad credit score for that matter. So let us just try to do something of this sort and shame those trying to take advantage of our desperation. Zimbabwe does not necessarily need to go kneeling in order to secure an international borrowing because God gave the country everything. God spoke in his book of Jeremiah 33:3 that, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and might things, which thou know not.” We have all the minerals including oil and natural gas that other nations do not have
However, the necessary logistics and all the normal PR and or international public relations to advertise the country to the outside world will remain the government’s duty.
External borrowing is a “dirty money” risky game. Dirty money in that some of the money borrowed is from selling arms of war, which is the devil’s program of killing God’s innocent people. Because every war around the world is the devils plan to cause suffering so people can doubt the existence of God the creator of Heaven and earth. Truly speaking, who cannot doubt his existence if people think that a good God cannot kill his own people. This is how the devil wins over the mind of those that say there is no God. We can live a very peaceful world if proliferation of hate and arms of war can stop. he share or stakeholders can be given share/stakeholders’ certification by the government as a recognition that they have contributed to the bailout of the country’s economy.
This system of economic bailout will probably be the first of its kind I believe, in the continent of Africa if not the whole world and it will help avoid becoming beggars. Because if you are a beggar sometimes you have no choice but to accept even dirty or blood money. Blood money is the money acquired by spilling the blood of innocent people. It is the money acquired by robbing people or selling arms of war that end up killing innocent people. Imari yengozi nokuti ineropa. Dirty money is the money that is acquired through unscrupulousness or criminal activity. Such money is not blessed by God and it brings curse to the nation.
Some people will say there is not such thing as this, where the ordinary citizens of a country in economic trouble can bailout its own government. But it is an idea worth trying instead of being a laughing stock because of borrowing. I know for certain that we are in an economic mess because of economic mismanagement, but surely in this respect I foresee greater accountability because there will be enforcement of transparency. Although there will be an issue of trust as to whether this money will be honestly and properly utilized, yes trust will always be an issue, but it is worth trying. In 1910 Greece made a call to its citizens to donate or contribute money towards upgrading its navy fleet and about 7million in their currency then (drachma) was raised. Similarly, Zimbabwe can do the same without having to think much about political power.
Africa is so much rich in everything that makes what we may call good economy, but most leaders do not seem to see this because there is always a propensity that the continent cannot prosper or move forward without assistance from the outside world, or that borrowed money is for developing the countries’ economies while that generated from own production lines, is for use on inconspicuous and less developmental issues and or pleasure.
Sanctions have always been a reason for less development in most African countries even though there has been plentiful production. Sanctions in most countries are a product of misbehaviour by certain governments, mistreatment of their own citizens and so forth. But basically it is the devil’s product to cause chaos and disorder and the suffering of many innocent people. At most sanctions are used as a show of power and the result of reaction to the devil’s trap. For instance, in 1991 Zimbabwe was persuaded to accept ESAP which was the product of animosity which the devil planed way before Zimbabwe even became independent. If ESAP, (Economic Structural Adjustment Program) was meant to make workers redundant, what would have been the result if it was not to create hatred between the people and the government? When workers were painfully made redundant, that created animosity against the government, hence the devil succeeded in his network of hate and destabilization in the country. Because people were angry, then when the government called for referendum in 2000, people sought to revenge by voting down the government’s program. In retaliation the government went after all those perceived to be against it, which then resulted in sanctions being imposed for suppressing dissent and any form of opposition. This is how the devil’s plan worked in Zimbabwe. The torture and incarceration of the opposition and human rights activists was then used by the international community to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe. But if you look at what caused the suffering of people following the introduction of ESAP you will probably obscurely notice this devil’s plot. However, as the devil does not rest, we have to be spiritually vigilant by trying to keep as closer to God as possible through payer. The above mentioned ESAP was the first one, but there is apparently a second ESAP in a different form which the devil has for Zimbabwe. Recently there was a story on social media about Zimbabwe government allegedly having arranged with some government to send people home from Diaspora. This is another devil’s plan to cause discord in Zimbabwe because the situation is not good for such an exercise to be undertaken. The economy is still desperate there are no jobs because companies are closed. Sending people back under such economic condition, is tantamount to a second ESAP where people will be forced to do nothing but revolt against the government. There is no point of calling people home under such dire economic situation where there is no money, no basic commodities, no fuel, nothing at all. In 1974 to 1992 the Malawi government embarked on a program called “Alternative Pattern of Development” which allowed Malawian Citizens to go and work in South Africa and other surrounding countries including Zimbabwe then Rhodesia. The South Africa labour contract with Malawi which was called “Witwatersrand Native Labour” (WNLA) or Wenela, allowed people from Malawi to work in South Africa apparently benefiting both governments with labour and taxes being paid to both governments. So if this information is anything to go by, then it will similarly be a good program for Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe can persuade the foreign governments where Zimbabweans are resident, to allow them to work until Zimbabwe is able to stand on its own, all closed companies operating again and people being able to pay taxes to improve the government’s sustainability and improved people’s buying power and livelihood.
Zimbabweans where ever they are around the world should be allowed to work for various benefits as follows (1) Taxes that the workers pay can benefit both foreign governments as well as the Zimbabwe government. A certain percentage of the tax paid to the foreign governments can be remitted to the government of Zimbabwe. Without politicizing this issue, I think it will help take back a bit of the wealth taken during colonialism by allowing people to buy some industrial and technological equipment, and send them back home, thus benefiting the country. This can also help offset the balance of payment in some way. Because part of the taxes the people Pay to those foreign governments, can be converted to pay towards reducing the balance of payment or any foreign debt, depending on which country they are resident and if there is any debt between Zimbabwe and that country. (2)It will in the interim help alleviate unemployment pressure from the government of Zimbabwe until the economy improves. (3) It will benefit the foreign governments in the long run by reducing immigration which is a burning issue in both Europe and America today. If people are allowed to work, the economic situation will improve and they will end up finding more and more jobs in their home countries, which will help restore harmony in the world by eradicating immigration which some politicians use as a gimmick to gain power.
The notion and or innate propensity that economies of Africa are better sorted by Europe and America must be psychologically revisited. Africa has all the resources to make it economic super power, if God can help exorcise the devil’s spirit of idolism, poverty, nepotism, corruption, tribalism, ritualism, witchcraft and superstition.
May God bless Africa.
Pastor Richard Tembo
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