by Chengetai Madziwa – SANF 05 no 28
As Zimbabwe prepares for its parliamentary poll, candidates across party lines are in agreement on the political and economic challenges that the country faces but differ on approaches of bringing about stability.
With regards to economic recovery, political parties are vowing to implement effective approaches to reduce inflation, which currently stands at 127 percent.
The aim is to build an economy that functions on a single digit inflation rate, says Acting Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Herbert Murerwa, who is also member of parliament for the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU PF).
Through a combination of monetary and fiscal policy, inflation is expected to drop to between 30 and 50 percent by year end, says Murerwa.
Revival of the industrial sector, improving foreign currency inflows and creating employment are also part of the promises being made by the contesting parties.
ZANU PF has pledged to empower the indigenous people in all industrial sectors such that the economy is driven by local people in partnership with foreign investors. On the contrary, the main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), is looking at adopting a more outward approach through programmes that put more emphasis on foreign investors.
The MDC is promising economic recovery to take place as part of its Restart programme, which outlines strategies to guide economic policy in the country. The Restart document emphasises that foreign assistance will play an important role in achieving macro-economic stabilisation.
High unemployment levels in the country have resulted in a growing informal sector and concerns have been raised on the need to formalise the sector so that its contribution to the economy is accounted for.
On the issue of land, all contesting parties have expressed their support for the land reform programme albeit with differences in approach. ZANU PF is promising to continue support for all new farmers through provision of inputs, expertise and machinery.
The MDC manifesto is focusing on agricultural production with a plan to implement programmes that will achieve food security and self sufficiency in the country, according to MDC Secretary General, Welshman Ncube.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement has reported that more than 500,000 people and 140,000 families have benefited from the resettlement and fast track land reform programmes implemented by the government.
Although Zimbabweans have expressed their appreciation to the government for giving them land, resettled farmers say that their production is currently limited due to a lack of machinery for harvesting and irrigation, and lack of other inputs. All parties agree that the major challenge remaining is to provide the necessary infrastructure for agricultural productivity.
HIV and AIDS is taking its toll on the country’s population and health system, and the number of infected people has continued to rise. According to the Zimbabwe Human Development Report, Redirecting our responses to HIV and AIDS 2003, the current HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe is 24.6 percent.
Some of the members of the outgoing parliament took a practical step towards dealing with the pandemic by going for voluntary HIV testing. The move was hailed as an act of leading by example.
The challenge for the incoming parliament is to bring in innovative approaches to deal with the pandemic and to create a positive environment for people living with HIV.
The need to improve the education system in the country is also a major focus for the candidates in this election. ZANU PF says its track record in provision of education speaks for itself and if elected the government would build on successes achieved so far.
MDC on the other hand is promising free primary education to ensure equal access to formal learning for all children in the country.
Other issues under debate during the campaign period include the drafting of a new constitution that reflects the concerns of Zimbabweans from all walks of life. Zimbabwe is still operating on a constitution that was drafted before the country attained independence in 1980, although it has undergone a number of amendments.
As campaigning enters the final stages, it remains to be seen which candidates have articulated party policies to the satisfaction of voters in their constituencies come 31 March, election day.
The Zimbabwe electoral system is such that legislators are directly accountable to their constituencies. The country uses the first-past-the-post electoral system where the candidate with the highest number of votes is declared the winner. (SARDC)
