Look out for corporate WikiLeaks

sensitive subject has produced good copy for media houses while providing juicy information being debated and discussed at many a gathering.
The latest round of the US secret diplomatic cables on Zimbabwe, released by WikiLeaks, has elicited so much debate and is expected to influence the political landscape in one way or the other.
WikiLeaks is a website that originates from Australia which publishes anonymous submissions and leaks of otherwise classified information while preserving anonymity.

An internet search of the definition and origins gives descriptions of WikiLeaks being “a website devoted to revealing secrets, an indiscriminate, megalomanical both applauded and condemned by reporters”.
Another interesting one says it is “an organisation which threatens our freedom to live in ignorance of unpleasant facts, run by a man who believes we should know everything about everything except him”.

Whichever way we may look at it, the site has caused mayhem. Since last year the website has been releasing US cables on diplomatic missions that have brought more confusion than answers while also exposing secrets that may not have ordinarily come to the fore.
I shall not attempt to dwell much on the issue as it relates to Zimbabwe lest my pen slips and inadvertently touches on some hyper-sensitive nerves.

However, what got me more interested in the WikiLeaks was someone’s warning last week that some local industry players may also soon be exposed, through the WikiLeaks platform, on what they have been saying to the United States Embassy and other interested global listeners pertaining to this economy.
Fears are that some lines of credit and international support have not been coming Zimbabwe’s way not because the country is not eligible but due to misinformation on the part of those whose opinions are sought before some decisions are made or sealed.

This means there are decisions about this economy that have been made based on some wild imaginations or sensational reports by those that are bent on seeing this economy grinding to a complete halt. The effects of this are obvious.
Zimbabwe’s economy, though in a recovery mode, is hamstrung by serious liquidity challenges that have rendered many initiatives ineffective.
In 2009 the country was promised financial support by many external partners but the bulk of the funds have not come at all.

A US$700 million budget deficit anticipated for 2011 is frightening while fears of tighter liquidity are not without basis. It would certainly be a sad day for our country were we to establish that this situation has either been initiated or aided by our very own people who may be telling lies or exaggerating the truth to further squeeze the economy.
I had a chat a few months ago with one stakeholder who said Zimbabwe’s poor global ratings, for example, under the Doing Business Index or some such ratings have had more to do with what some local industrialists recommend rather than the actual situation on the ground.

“You will be surprised Victoria to know that some people send information that is so damaging and very far from the truth via questionnaires that are sent on the economy. It is from these that we end up getting weird ratings and comments about the economy,” said the stakeholder.
He was right! I was indeed surprised, if not flabbergasted to learn that there were some elements who would twist some facts to suit their agenda.
What boggles the mind is how someone can advocate a tough stance that will chase away foreign capital at a time the economy needs it the most.

Zimbabwe is emerging from a decade-long economic regression which, to a large extent, was caused by wrong perceptions that saw critical partners withdrawing their support, be it material or moral.
The negative publicity, which centred around land reform, adversely affected the tourism industry and the rest of the economy as visitors and investors alike would not “risk their lives” or their investments by coming to a “chaotic” country such as Zimbabwe.

This scenario has had debilitating effects on the economy, many of which will be very difficult to undo.
It is against such that we would wonder how some people are going in the dark to bad-mouth their very own motherland. It’s almost excusable if a politician does it for his mileage but when a technocrat such as a company chief executive does it, you wonder why.
The funny thing is that outcomes of their actions will come back to haunt them directly and indirectly. If investors shy away from Zimbabwe, as is the present situation, it affects wealth generation, employment creation, transfer of skills and technology, among other challenges. It kills confidence and affects the very market that businesses depend on.

Such scenarios also constrain the exploitation of natural resources that God has endowed this country with. Even my Grade Zero niece can understand the effect of this on her welfare and that of the rest of the Zimbabwean populace.
Here we are not saying that the truth should not be said. Not at all. If anything, painting a true picture informs a decision maker. It’s not a secret that the economy has faced and is still facing many challenges that need solutions but when one decides to exaggerate issues to suit their agendas it becomes a problem.

No wonder at the peak of economic challenges some people would ask if people were now living in trees and whether people were rioting in streets all over the country.
In one trip I was approached by a group of journalists who wondered how I had made it to Switzerland when it was apparent, from reports on Zimbabwe, that there was no car moving on the streets to take me to the airport and that there was no single plane flying into and out of Zimbabwe.

This conclusion was based on the pictures of total mayhem painted by some sections of the Western media and yet there was nothing of the sort happening here. Far from it!
A few weeks ago I was also miffed by an Economist Intelligence Unit Report that said Harare was the worst of the 140 cities in which to live in, sighting such issues as poor health care, overcrowded public transport system and civil unrest.

You could almost tell that these guys had not been to Harare themselves. How else could they be so out of touch with reality? This only confirms they were relying on information sent to them by locals, some of which were not sincere in their reports.
Of course, Harare has lost some of its glitter over the years but the situation is not as bad.

My brother Nevanji Madanhire went to town on the issue and gave the EIU guys a piece of his mind. His defence on Harare was based on facts. It made great reading.
Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has a lot of work on his hands to spruce up the Sunshine City, but it certainly remains one of the best cities to live in.
We need to do a self-introspection and endeavour to be true ambassadors of our country. You do not have to lie but just state the facts as they are and let people form their own opinions.

Let’s all seek to build the economy and have our country break world records for good reasons.
Let’s look out for the corporate WikiLeaks or whatever they will be called and let’s see how far we have fallen as a principled people.
I had a chat with a certain gentleman at one of the private schools who had this to say:

“Before Independence we used to cut power supplies along railway lines to frustrate the colonialists’ communication systems as we waged the liberation war. As I was travelling from Bulawayo to Mutare over the school holidays I noticed that most of the power lines have been vandalised and I asked myself: Who are we sabotaging now? Ourselves, of course.”
As he moved on to the next subject, my mind kept playing back his words about the self-defeating approach that this country has generally taken out of sheer selfishness.

Many people are engaged in activities and practices that benefit them in the short term but will come back to haunt them in one way or the other.
We all agree am sure, that the economy could have been in a better off position had we all behaved in the manner that we should.

If we all sought to build and not destroy where others are building, we would be miles ahead of most of the challenges that have befallen the economy, particularly over the past decade.
The chain is as strong as its weakest link so you can imagine where that has placed the economy.

Like what the gentleman I quoted earlier said, there are bad things that were done before independence for the good of the country but there is no justification, 31 years after independence, to perpetrate self-defeating attitudes.
In God I trust!