HARARE - At a time when the hopes and dreams for a prosperous Zimbabwe which is bogged down by a myraid of problems, a new political party which promises to deliver citizens into the promised land, come 2018, has emerged.
Daily News Political Editor Thelma Chikwanha (TC) caught up with little known Transform Zimbabwe president Jacob Chengedzeni Satiya Ngarivhume (JN) to find out more about the new outfit which is in the process of setting up structures in the country.
Below are the excerpts of the interview
TC: Who is Transform Zimbabwe?
JN: Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) is exactly as the name implies. The party seeks to transform Zimbabwe in all its wdimensions — socially, politically and economically.
It was born out of Prayer Network Zimbabwe (PNZ), an interdenominational Christian organisation formed in 2010 to pray for the total transformation of the nation.
Over 2 400 delegates to the Convention of Prayer Network Zimbabwe unanimously agreed on the 8th of December 2013 to form a political party called Transform Zimbabwe.
TC: How do you intend to transform Zimbabwe which is bogged down by a myriad of problems chief among them — the economic crisis.
JN: In order to transform a nation one needs to appreciate that a nation is a composite of both the physical and the spiritual.
Any change in the physical begins in the spiritual thus Transform Zimbabwe was born out of prayer.
It is the answer to the prayers invested by many saints of all creeds across the length and breadth of our nation. God responded by giving a vision for a new generation of leaders to change Zimbabwe.
There are two things to be understood about transformation; firstly there is need for a transformation factor and in our case, Zimbabwe can and will not change unless God gives the grace.
Secondly; transformation does not change the geometric structure of the function under transformation. In this case, in our quest to transform Zimbabwe, we will not change the identity and the history of the nation.
TC: What does the party have to offer which other opposition parties are not offering.
JN: The failure of Zimbabwe has been a failure of leadership.
We believe that only leaders whose inner spiritual transformation is evident in both their public and private life should be entrusted with holding public office.
TZ is a values-based political party. Integrity, accountability, trust, tolerance and fairness are the bedrock of strong and principled leadership.
The fundamental crisis our country is facing today is a crisis of political values.
Should we manage to fix the economy without revisiting the values crisis, we are building on quick sand to quote Masipula Sithole in 2000. Transform Zimbabwe is founded upon an uncompromising values base.
As a nation we have tried to fix our problems through voting and it has failed, we have trusted in our intellectuals to no avail, our rich wealth of minerals has not helped us either. It’s time to give God a chance.
Christians make up over 80 percent of our population, and one of the major exports of Christianity is a strong value system. Christians have what it takes to lead the nation.
TZ has such an extremely powerful message — based on trust, integrity, and prosperity for all that, we are confident of winning a democratic election.
Our founding beliefs, principles and values can be summarised in the following five key areas of; creating a new culture of politics, strong and principled leadership, good governance, building a strong and competitive economy and total empowerment of all citizens.
TC: Analysts have always maintained that the economy is the albatross around Zanu PF’s neck and there seems to be no way out of this impasse; what remedies do you propose for economic revival?
JN: Zimbabwe has had 14 economic blue prints since 1980 and the challenge has been on the implementation because we have always lacked leadership and the political will to implement them.
Which takes us back to the issue of values?
Our remedy for economic revival is a very simple matter. We must transform from a predatory economy to a developmental economy.
It is those Zimbabweans in power, who are incapable of producing and growing the economy, that have the take, take, take mentality.
They take resources, such as diamonds, which should be used to provide every child with education.
They take businesses, and mines, and strip them bare of their assets, and leave them unproductive. They take obscene salaries from parastatals bleeding them dry, empty and unproductive.
A developmental economy is one that is competitive and market-driven, an economy that encourages the private sector to invest in growth generating activities creating employment.
We must move towards an economy where property rights are secure, where investments are secure, and where the fruits of one’s labour are secure.
Zimbabweans are well-educated and highly resourceful.
We can compete on international markets and thrive if we are given the productive freedom to use our capabilities.
Let me add that we also believe in a more equal and inclusive society where everyone — especially the poor — benefit from economic growth.
TC: Corruption has also been cited as one of the reasons for economic collapse in Zimbabwe, while the plundering of natural resources has also contributed to the free fall of the economy, how do you intend to deal with the culture of corruption in the country.
JN: Corruption is public enemy No.1. Impunity is public enemy No.2. Those in power know that they will not be held to account if they steal from the public purse.
Thelma, the problem with corruption is that it may evade the legal, political and constitutional safeguards.
For instance Cuthbert Dube might not have committed a criminal offence because his salary was approved by a board of directors appointed by a ministerial directive.
But surely, morally and ethically he would be found guilty.
Corruption requires us to look beyond laws and policies but instead uproot and disinfect the root cause which is a lack of values in our leaders.