The Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) is calling for a National Economic Dialogue, to deal with the rising cost of living in the country.
A national economic dialogue, according to party leader Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena, based in South Africa, will boost Zimbabwe’s economic recovery path as people are desperate to implement solutions that revive production, grow various sectors and generally improve their households.
“The gap between the rich and poor is widening. Most people who should be in formal employment are in the informal sector. The so-called Second Republic has not delivered to the expectations of the majority. Parents are finding it difficult to send their children to school, people are struggling to make ends meet or even put decent food on the table. The situation is terrible from an economic point of view,” he said.
This is why the ZCP continues calling for the dialogue because the task of building the country’s economy relies on the participation of all citizens, not just a select few, Mabhena added.
“The National Economic Dialogue is important because it will push for open engagement and collaboration between government and stakeholders in coming up with solutions to the structural challenges affecting the economy. Of course there is the national budget, but how many consultations were held last year?” questioned the ZCP leader.
“And when you look at this year’s budget it shows the government is punishing its citizens by coming up with heavy taxation and forgetting that only a few earn reasonable salaries or have viable incomes.”
Mabhena claimed the government has abandoned national planning to serve the interests of a few.
“This is why it is critical to have a national economic dialogue because then everyone can have a voice and be listened to. That effort to revive Zimbabwe is very important for some people like us and we will continue arguing that we need to go back to national planning,” he said, adding that neo-liberal policies that were in place in Zimbabwe were not working.
“We have seen greedy elitists who are taking advantage of such policies to make money and enjoy extravagant lifestyles. We also reject building an economy based on a commandist approach. So the call for national economic dialogue still stands and is very relevant given what is obtaining on the ground.”
