Gono desperately seeking to destroy GNU and divide the Nation

By GARIKAI AGENDA CHIMUKA

The recent propaganda blitz being carried out by Gideon Gono by abusing the Herald through the self gratification stage managed interviews shows that our Governor is still in shock as his former powers are slowly but surely being eroded by the new unity government.

Garikai Chimuka - GMRI SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST

The governor is now running scared like a headless chicken and in the process trying to incite in particular war veterans to fight Minister Biti and subsequently, the unity government
After the second hand car fiasco, Gono tried hard to set the new farmers particularly the rag tag elements within that group masquerading as war veterans against Biti by claiming that he had ordered the return of all farm equipment and machinery.
The allegations and strategy however failed to fly not least because only a fool would believe that Biti issued that order in the first place but because the Governor is no longer taken seriously by all sober minded Zimbabweans including rational ZANU PF supporters
Although Gono was trying to pretend that the RBZ will no longer be involved in quasi-fiscal activities, he has found this too hard to swallow for with it goes all his source of patronage and power since he can no longer be able to bribe and manipulate everyone like he used to do
This is why Gono is trying to narrowly define quasi-fiscal activities by arguing that everything he is dishing out like confetti starting with second hand cars to MPs and now fertilizer under the Fertilizer For Debt Swap was purchased long back before the new policy and thus distributing it by the RBZ does not in any way represent quasi-fiscal activities
This is clearly a pathetic argument that can only fool the gullible.
Quasi- fiscal activities must be interpreted broadly not only to refer to the use or abuse of taxpayers? money outside of the budgetary process but it also includes trying to usurp the powers of the various government ministries.
It does not matter whether cars were bought 100 years ago, what matters is are they being distributed by the right channels?
Why does Gono wants to do everything when there are constitutional bodies mandated to do so?
Take for example the so called Fertilizer for Debt Swap.
The governor claims that the government owes farmers about 20 million dollars.
Gono then goes on to say that he is now going to be distributing fertilizers in lieu of the debt the government owes farmers.
He then tries to take all Zimbabweans for fools by claiming that the fertilizer had been bought by the RBZ in 2008 and thus distributing it through the RBZ does not constitute quasi-fiscal activities.
Firstly, if it is true that Gono was holding on to fertilizers in dark alleys despite the widespread shortage of fertilizers for farmers in the 2008 farming seasons, then Gono is a saboteur who must be fired.
For how can he explain holding on to fertilizer when farmers were failing to access that fertilizer?
Isnt it Gono who declared the year 2008 season as the ?mother of all farming seasons? yet he was holding on to fertilizers.
Who is fooling who here?
The only plausible explanation is that the fertilizer is being clandestinely bought for nefarious political activities whilst hiding under the banner of Fertilizer for Debt Swap.
That is why most of us have been calling for a thorough investigation into the Marange diamonds and unravel the RBZ's role in the trade.
For where else can Gono get the money to run a parallel structure in complete challenge to the unity government?
Secondly, why does Gono want to distribute the fertilizers himself and not the Ministry of Agriculture?
If indeed the RBZ has ended quasi-fiscal activities, it must now hand over the fertilizer and schedule of what each farmer is owed to the Ministry of Agriculture who must distribute the fertilizer to the farmers and can be held accountable for the programme through parliament
It was also shocking to read Gono trying to incite MPs by claiming that they must be on watch for what he calls , alien?
pieces of advice in the national budget as revised by Minister Biti.Honestly, what does Gono mean by alien??
If the country should be wary of alien advice, then they must also be even more worried by the use of alien ? money especially given that money rather than advise defines nationhood
Therefore how can Gono accept alien? money whilst rejecting alien? advise.
The Governor is clearly sinking and clutching at straws in the attempt of fighting for relevance.
However, the people of Zimbabwe will never allow Gono to have his cake and eat it
Garikai Chimuka is the Senior Political Analyst at GMRI Capital.
He is based in the Netherlands and can be contacted at garikai@gmricapital.com