“ZIMBABWE’s political future remains uncertain negatively affecting an already fragile economy,” wailed the Zimbabwe Independent in its May 23 2014 edition. Really?
Is this meant to be a sick joke or its outright malicious reporting?
How can Zimbabwe’s political future be uncertain?
Only less than a year ago, on July 31 2013 to be exact, Zimbabweans voted ZANU PF overwhelmingly giving the party a two thirds majority.
It is therefore as clear as daylight that for the next five years the country will be under a ZANU PF government.
How much certainty concerning the political fortunes of the country does anyone want more than this?
If they want to know which countries have uncertain political future they should look at the European Union (EU) countries where all of a sudden right wing parties are taking centre stage.
For example, in United Kingdom, a right wing party calling itself the United Kingdom Independent Party won the elections to the EU in the country beating traditionally strong parties such as the Labour and Conservative parties.
The same thing happened in France where another right wing party won the elections there.
Now when right wing parties in Europe win elections resoundingly like what has happened recently that development must be taken very seriously because the political future of Europe and indeed the world is definitely cast in doubt.
The reason is simple.
Europeans are notorious for unleashing devastating World Wars on mankind whenever rightwing parties take centre stage in Europe.
This is what happened when Adolf Hitler’s rightwing party and Mussolini’s fascist party took centre stage in Europe in the 1930’s and 40’s.
The breakout of violent protest continuously across Europe for the past five years or more resulting in the winning of political office by rightwing parties must be a real cause for concern in the world.
The political future of the EU is really uncertain now because the parties that are winning there have no interest in the EU project.
And if the EU project collapses what will be the future of Europe?
Another World War cannot be ruled out.
It is the EU’s political future which is uncertain and not Zimbabwe’s.
Then there is the old false story which goes as follows: “the Land Reform Programme has failed because the land was taken up by the ZANU PF’s elite. “This elite has no interest to farm and is incompetent and corrupt.
“That’s why we have perennial poor harvests.”
In the first place, the Land Reform Programme has not failed because upwards of 400 000 previously landless families have been resettled and that on its own is a huge achievement.
It’s madness to believe that the so-called ZANU PF elite which may be counted on one’s fingers can settle themselves in the whole of Zimbabwe!
Another false story goes that the ZANU PF Government is making a big political blunder looking East and working closely with the Chinese; that Chinese products are ‘Zhing Zhong’ (of very poor quality) and that quality goods are only found in the West.
The above thinking is driven by the colonial mentality which conditioned us to think that only the West is the manufacturer of durable products in the world.
Below are statements pertaining to China which show that it is false to believe it’s only the West that manufactures durable goods.
“China is the largest manufacturing economy in the world outpacing its world rival in this category, the service-driven economy of the United States of America.”
But the question that arises is, are the goods that come from the world’s biggest manufacturer good?
“China is the largest exporter in the world.”
Now if China is the largest exporter of its manufactured goods in the whole world are those goods ‘Zhing Zhong’?
There is no way that China would be the world’s biggest exporter in the world if the goods were sub-standard.
Most of the goods that are made in China are consumed in the West.
Which means if one insists to go and buy goods from the West, at the end of the day one will simply be importing from China via Europe.
The truth is that China is now the second biggest economy of the world.
To ignore China is unreasonable.
The problem with ‘Zhing Zhong’ is not China’s problem.
The problem is with people from here who go to China and import ‘rejects’ meant for China’s lower end market because they are cheap.
High quality goods are plentiful in China.
Just because Zimbabwean business people want to make short cuts to riches by importing ‘rejects’should not be blamed on the Chinese.
The Chinese have world class goods.
If you go for these, you will never cry ‘Zhing Zhong’.
But if you go for rejects, don’t blame the Chinese.
It is as simple and straightforward as that.
Therefore the Government of Zimbabwe should not abandon its all weather friend China simply because of some of our businessmen who cut corners by importing ‘rejects’ and not high quality goods from China.