EDITORIAL COMMENT : Cabinet transparency will create goodwill President Mnangagwa

THE first sitting of the first Cabinet of the Second Republic came on Monday, with the major highlights being the announcement that each portfolio minister should identify a minimum of five quick-win and high impact projects that he/she should deal with.

The President also aptly summed up the state of the economy; demonstrating full grasp of issues troubling the nation and painted a more than convincing picture of intervention measures his Government will institute to rebalance the economy.

In a comprehensive speech to officially open the Ninth Parliament, incorporating a State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President articulated a multiplicity of economic issues bedevilling the economy, among them cash and foreign currency shortages and fiscal imbalances.

He also spoke of foreign currency shortages, the need for currency reforms, improving foreign currency availability and liquidity to stabilise the economy and enhancing Zimbabwe’s attractiveness to foreign direct investment (FDI).

Ultimately, the President said the goal was to create more jobs, improve social service delivery, education and health care, modernise infrastructure and preserve the environment, issues that are at the core of many Zimbabweans.

Reassuring as well was his promise that the multi-currency regime will continue to anchor all measures for required economic reforms until the macro-economic environment has improved to a situation that can sustain the reintroduction of local currency.

Another intriguing development is after the Monday Cabinet meetings there shall be briefings in line with the new policy introduced by President Mnangagwa in the Second Republic that the citizenry should be kept abreast of key Cabinet decisions to promote transparency and accountability.

As such, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, will brief the media on key decisions made that the people are supposed to know.

This is a break away from the old system that insisted Cabinet discussions were classified and Zimbabweans were not supposed to know, a move that resulted in public officials not being accountable to the people who voted them into office.

There was also a disturbing development where Cabinet Ministers would make personal interpretation of Government laws and announce them, resulting in policy inconsistencies.

Former Minister of Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Patrick Zhuwao in March 2016 announced that come April 1, the same year, Government would nationalise international banks that were resisting the country’s empowerment laws.

Although the minister who administered banks, Patrick Chinamasa tried to dismiss Zhuwao’s statements, it was too late and it took the then president to explain the policy to the world.

However, the clarification came too late and analysts are unanimous that marked the genesis of the country’s cash challenges to date.

However, the Second Republic learnt something and did not forget anything, resulting in it coming up with this development that is expected to see Cabinet speaking with one voice.

The latest initiative will entrench transparency and a culture of responsiveness. Gone are the days, when stakeholders would not know whether the responsible minister would have taken suggestions or grievances to Cabinet.

Announcing Cabinet deliberations, we suggest this will be followed by a feedback platform, where Government will also listen to concerns or accept contributions from Zimbabweans locally and abroad also yearning to see an immediate solution to the country’s challenges.

Zimbabwe is currently choked by challenges that include cash shortages, unstable commodities prices, foreign currency shortage and unemployment among others that authorities battle to find lasting solutions.

Having lost an estimated 50 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), Zimbabwe has been left behind many years by its regional and global peers and there is little time to waste if Zimbabwe is to quickly achieve its aspirations of a stable modern state.

However, blessed with a good climate, educated workforce and unparalleled natural endowments, Zimbabwe’s best chance to turnaround is to do the best it can.

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