Zimbabwe 2008: The election whose outcome is predetermined

Zimbabwe finds itself at the crossroads and the bank created at independence in 1980 of justice, freedom and equality seems to be bankrupt and it is evident that the promissory note that was given to citizens at independence will not be honored on March 29.
A central bank should ordinarily represent a repository of trust and integrity but the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has been reduced to a theatre of games and machinations while the nation is at its knees groping for solutions and desperate for direction and answers.
At last week’s announcement of the monetary policy statement, Dr. Gono has this to say: "We have chosen a low-key presentation of this monetary policy statement for strategic reasons while we prepare for a comprehensive post-elections policy program.’’ He also made startling revelation that the RBZ would come up with a post-elections monetary policy blueprint that will cover a 24-month recovery programme stretching from May 2008 through to April 2010.It appears that Gono already knows the outcome of the general elections otherwise he would have been cautious instead of preempting the actions of a new administration particularly given that this landmark election will involve Presidential, Parliamentary and local choices. It appears that Gono has already discounted the possibility of any other outcome than the victory of ZANU-PF.
In line with his belief that ZANU-PF will win the election, Gono said that the post election programme will focus on, among other things, the removal of pricing distortions in such areas as fuel, agricultural inputs and outputs, multiple interest and exchange rates, electricity, water and other municipal and parastatal service charges. Does this not sound familiar? Is it not the same Gono who said failure is not an option? Why would citizens of Zimbabwe place their trust on him after the elections? If these policies makes sense now what defer them to the post election period? Is it the change that Zimbabweans should vote for on 29 March 2008?He also said that the government will also look at the subsidies policy with a view to scrapping untargeted general subsidies, amend investment laws, and boost productivity through incentives for key sectors — agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing.The Governor who is increasingly assuming the role of an unelected President had no kind words for Government ministries, local authorities, parastatals and some sections of the business community which he alleged have over the years failed to take heed of policy advice and warnings from the central bank as if to suggest that these state institutions are now accountable to him. Under what constitutional order would a Governor of the central bank make such statements? It can only be when a democratic order has been irretrievably broken. It is important for citizens to record all the words of Gono because they help in exposing the extent of the breakdown of the rule of law and the collapse of the state. As is now characteristic of Gono, he spared no effort to lament the impact of the sanctions imposed on the country by the European Union, the United States and their allies, saying there were "considerable attempts being made to dismantle Zimbabwe’s economic fabric through a combination of armory". He was also reported to have said: "The subtle nature of some of these sanctions has regrettably escaped the eyes of some stakeholders here at home and many others in the world community who, instead, are interpreting Zimbabwe’s current difficulties as a product of domestic policy imbalances.’’
With respect to the impact of sanctions, he was of the view that the freezing of donor-supported programmes, withdrawal of external lines of credit and balance of payments support and the denial of Zimbabwe’s access to the Global Fund for health-related programmes had combined to create the economic crisis.He then attempted to justify his questionable and possibly corrupt quasi fiscal activities by saying that the RBZ had been forced to carry extraordinary responsibilities outside its core business to ensure that the country was fed and had fuel, among other things.Gono was supposed to appear before the Budget and Finance Committee of the recently dissolved parliament to expose the so-called cash barons but it was reported that the meeting was now postponed and will only take place after the elections by which time there may be new players in parliament.
Gono is firmly in control of economic actors who are reduced to beggars for this or that dispensation on the false premise that the RBZ has an existence outside the control of citizens. While it is universally accepted that no state can exist on its own it is clearly evident in the Gono construction that with or without elections ZANU-PF will be in charge and by deductive logic he will be in power as well to continue to play tactical games with people’s resources and steal their future through manipulative actions.