There is always someone to blame

misfortune or for lack of economic development.
Who is to blame now for lack of meaningful economic development, since three parties have been sharing power in the inclusive Government? For years the ruling party has been blamed for all sorts of things. Even for the reclamation of land which everybody knows was taken away from our forefathers.

All over the world, the courts have been approached to rule on restitution of lands that had been taken away from the indigenous people from as far as Canada, USA to New Zealand.

At present, there have been no meaningful rains for the farmers to start tilling the land and to plant their crops. If the yields are depleted this season no-one should take the blame.

In the USA, one political party went out of its way to blame the incumbent government for lack of jobs. But the people were not fooled by such negative claims as they knew what had caused the economic meltdown. The incumbent government won the elections on the promise of a better tomorrow which the people believed.

In Zimbabwe, as we gear for elections, the opposition parties will go to town to blame one party for all the ills of the country’s economic problems and the lack of jobs. The major criticism was that of run-away inflation and the printing of money.

Now that these two ills are no longer applicable with the introduction of multi-currencies, the US dollar included, what will be the next line of attack?

Negative politics will not win an argument with the electorate. What then are the people expecting from the general election campaign? In short, it is the way forward. It is the future not for us but for the next generation. The general election debate should therefore focus on what is achievable not day dreaming of economic development based on the goodwill of others. Like what has been said before, we are our own liberators. If the people in this country cannot accept that they are intelligent and capable of running a modern economy, then we do not deserve to be called a proud people.

As some have already indicated, a begging bowl will not give us the answers to our problems.
What gives us the answers is the harnessing of our resources. When the subject of resources crops up, many think it is to do with mining only as the diamonds disease has already got so advanced that we feel helpless to do anything else. Many believe that the resources have to do with what appears natural which can just be harvested.

But, in essence, resources should apply to our intellect to manufacture finished products for the benefit of the people for their domestic consumption and for export. Yes, as one can gaze and focus on the means of travel, posh and not so elegant vehicles snake through our potholed roads causing traffic jams everyday, in the morning, day and evenings. These are resources on our roads which do not add to the value of our wealth creation. Should the vehicles be blamed for lack of economic development?

Not at all. Those people driving these vehicles, whether they be buses, kombis or what ever type, are showing their ingenuity not only to live it big but to give a statement that they are ready to make a difference to the economic situation in the country.

All what is required is to harness their efforts in the direction of total emancipation of the people. If these motorists can invest in vehicles, what is stopping them to put their extra cash into companies to manufacture goods especially for export?

The blame game will take us nowhere. Human nature, as the Chinese discovered in their culture many centuries ago, is to make a profit from the sweat of their labour. Other nations’ way of making a profit was by means of exploitation of labour and occupation of foreign lands.

Now there are no longer any lands to plunder, so there are no profits to make. They have been thrown out from continent to continent, country to country. Their economies are in shambles and their people are on the streets of their major cities.

While this is happening elsewhere, our country is on the verge of success. That is what the people are looking forward to hear during the campaign in the forthcoming general election. It is the unlocking of the human spirit to succeed that is burning in the tummy of every graduate who is being capped every week by the President. If only the resources the country is generating can be applied systematically, the hands and minds are ready to be applied. Is it any wonder that even old people do not want to be left behind in this race of intellectual exploration?

They are graduating with their young protégés every year in pursuit of this intellectual property which they want to apply in the development of their country for a better tomorrow for their grandchildren.

The issues are so transparent that any ordinary voters cannot be swayed to think otherwise. What is left is to market these ideals. It is what one calls a charm offensive not coercion. The people are more receptive to new ideas not the same things put differently.

The US dollar has made people aware of what is possible and what is not possible. It is left to the politicians and aspiring candidates for local government and national leaders of various parties to hit the road in this election season.