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Isdore Guvamombe Assistant Editor
This is not time for cosmetic economic reforms. It is time for corrective surgery, painful as it might be. And, painful as it should be, the Government of Zimbabwe has understood the need to bravely tackle it. With the birth of the new Cabinet, the theatre room is ready and the surgeons are already on the life-saving operation with sharp scalpels. Let Zimbabwe’s economy be saved.

On close analysis, the monetary policy presented on Monday last week speaks to hard decisions taken by the Government of Zimbabwe, very painful indeed to the ordinary person and business in the short-term, but good for the future.

Hard economic decisions had to be taken and implemented after this long economic hiatus.

We cannot be a nation that likes talking about fixing the economy, but refuse to support and commit ourselves to economic reforms.

In that case we become an awful lot. We must bite the bullet.

We must commit ourselves fully to the cause of economic reform.

We must be prepared to suffer in the immediate future in order to enjoy in the long-term.

Like any struggle or revolution, pain is huge and unavoidable but it must be endured.

Even when one is sick doctors administer life-saving injections and am yet to experience a sweet injection.

Let us face it, fellow Zimbabweans, no injection is sweet. It is painful but it works. Very few pills are sweet. The bigger picture is saving life.

So the position taken by Government is called fixing not nursing. It takes real men to stand short term pain for long term gains. Welcome to Zimbabwe’s Second Republic.

The unfortunate thing is that Zimbabweans by their nature are cry-babies. When nothing is done and wheels come off the economy, they cry foul. When corrective measures are taken to fix the economy, they cry foul again. So what do we want? We like change and hate it at the same time. We are indeed an awful lot.

When we voted for the Second Republic on July 30, did we not vote for real change? Real change has come and let us give it a chance.

One would expect the new Finance and Economic Development Minister and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to be given a chance to effect all the changes they seek and see how effective it will be but alas, Zimbabweans cry. They are hard to please.

The majority of Zimbabweans have been crying about the economic meltdown but they also complain about measures taken to curtail the meltdown. Just what do they want? They oppose the wrong. They oppose the right.

If we are going to fix our country and our economy, we need to take hard decisions. We need to look at ourselves and our situation realistically and factually. We need to harass our present situation into submission and turnaround the economy.

It is not going to be easy. It is a painful journey we must start now, sweat it out and face reality. At the end we will enjoy the fruits of the journey.

We need as a country to commit ourselves to the hard economic struggle. We have to fix things ourselves first, before being helped by others. Charity begins at home, do they not say so?

We have to suffer in the short-term to make Zimbabwe great. The talk show mentality has no place when serious business is to be implemented. Those who are genuinely interested in turning around our economy should show by supporting the various government manoeuvres.

It is a trite but true observation that the informal sector has outgrown the official sector and billions of dollars are trading on the informal sector. The Government has therefore moved to tax the informal sector and that is where the big money is.

Tax is like a river. The river does not go to the village. Villagers go. Government had to follow the dollar right into the informal sector coffers and there it hit the nail on the head. So, if the Government folded its arms and expected the informal sector to willingly pay tax, it would be a fallacy.

Surprisingly the same people who accused the Government of failing to fix the economy are now against its fixing. How brazen?

Those opposing for the sake of opposing should be condemned with the contempt they deserve. This is the time to fix things. This is time to take hard decisions. This is the time to take corrective measures. The time had to come and indeed it has come.

The Government should let crybabies cry while proceeding with the economic reforms.