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NewsDay

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Fuel shortage a proof govt needs clarity on policies

Opinion & Analysis
THE acute fuel shortages that have been experienced over the last few months are clear proof that the government needs to have clarity in terms of policy because currently, they are operating like a confused bunch.

THE acute fuel shortages that have been experienced over the last few months are clear proof that the government needs to have clarity in terms of policy because currently, they are operating like a confused bunch.

NewsDay Comment

What this shows, above all else is that the command economy, and the business of tinkering with prices, does not work and is unlikely to work. The absence of smooth supply processes for fuel shows that something is wrong somewhere. Why should the Reserve Bank, for instance, wait until fuel has run out at service stations before it can start processing the payment for the release of fuel?

Such delays are what create arbitrages for black market dealers to make a killing.

Fuel shortages have resulted in long queues at service stations.

All this is just a tip of the iceberg, which reflects the confusion in the economy and shows that the government is totally clueless on what it is supposed to be doing. Wisdom should compel them to swallow their pride and consult those that know and are able to assist them.

At the end of the day, government needs all hands on deck and should even reach across the political divide and negotiate, rather than resort to threats and guns that do not bring any solution to the mammoth problems that Zimbabwe is facing. One will not be far off the mark to suggest that our current crop of leaders is totally clueless on how to find a lasting solution to the myriad of problems bedevilling the country.

It is ironic that Finance minister Mthuli Ncube believes and insists they are on the right path and that their proposed solutions to the crisis are working, when everyone – including the Zanu PF MPs — can see that there are not working and that there is need to change the strategy.

One would never have imagined that after having experienced similar problems in the past, we are right back where we used to be during some of Zimbabwe’s darkest moments in recent history. Quite clearly, our current crop of leaders, many of whom were in government at the time, did not learn anything from that period. This demonstrates a crisis of leadership of monumental proportions.