RESERVE Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono says those harbouring intentions to push him out of his job are wasting their time and energy as he will see through his entire term of office.
Addressing Senators and Members of the House of Assembly in Harare yesterday, Dr Gono said many had been hiding under the camouflage of the legislature to “draw spears” against him but he would not retreat.
“Not before my time. Many are saying things in forums where I am not present to defend myself but I will not be intimidated. This governor and his team are determined to see the economic turnaround through,” said Dr Gono to applause from the parliamentarians.
He said there were those who questioned his management style and felt challenged when he delved into areas they regarded as their preserve and were, thus, plotting to force him out of office.
Pressure, in this respect, was mounting but he would remain unperturbed and would only leave office at the expiry of his term.
Furthermore, he said, those comparing his style of management with past central bank governors as a strategy to discredit him were ignorant of the different circumstances in which each of the governors operated.
Each era required its own form of management.
“Execution of Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe functions is done within the confines of each governor’s era, time in the history of the country, its challenges, political, economic, social, regional and international contexts, space, individual governor’s initiative, special skills, exposure and the ability of the team to read and interpret the demands of the current situation.
“It is, therefore, wrong to fail to appreciate these factors when trying to evaluate the performance of any central bank governor and his team.”
Governors before him — who included Dr Leonard Tsumba, Dr Kombo Moyana, and Sir Anthony Grafftey-Smith, among others — operated in different periods requiring special forms of managerial and strategic responses.
In Zimbabwe, there were different challenges associated with the pre- and post-Federation of
Rhodesia and Nyasaland eras, the pre- and post-Unilateral Declaration of Independence eras, the pre- and post-Independence eras, the pre- and post-land reform eras, the pre-2000 era of multi-party politics, and the post-sanctions era.
Hence
Zimbabwe was going through a phase that demanded that institutions such as the central bank adopt strategies to deal with present challenges which may not have been faced by the previous governors.
In many instances, those with the responsibility to play certain functions had not been doing so, leaving the central bank with no choice but to move in.
“We offer no apologies and remorse for taking this stance. We have no remorse when we do the unorthodox. Those who wrote the (economics) textbooks never experienced land reform.
“When we do certain things or go into certain areas, do you think the man or woman in the street is interested about our job descriptions or they are concerned with deliverables and output? They wouldn’t care where the money comes from, but all they want is to see a dam in their area from where they can get water for everyday use and for irrigation,” said the governor.
He said it did not make sense to sacrifice people’s lives for expediency during times of crisis. The blame game now inherent in the economy would not yield much.
The RBZ chief said he was working under immense pressure but would remain steadfast in his quest to stabilise the economy.
For instance, in a single day he was bombarded with at least 20 requests from various ministries and Government institutions requiring foreign currency.
Such requests would come from the ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, Home Affairs and institutions such as Air Zimbabwe, the National Oil Company of
Zimbabwe, the Registrar General’s Office and the Grain Marketing Board, among others.
Each of these would be deemed urgent, requiring immediate action.
As if to confirm this, when this reporter went to his office to collect copies of his presentations a few minutes after his address, Dr Gono received requests from GMB, Tel One, Zimbabwe School Examinations Council and other personal applications in a space of 10 minutes.
“You see, this is what I go through on a daily basis yet some people are accusing me of carrying out functions they feel I must not,” he said.
In his opening remarks during yesterday’s meeting, Dr Gono said the central bank was apolitical and regarded everyone as a Zimbabwean occupying a different role in the economy and society at large.
He did not regard people on the basis of their being Zanu-PF or MDC.
“So when you see us interacting, avoid putting us into any camps or some such,” he said, in apparent reference to the finger-pointing and categorisation of interest groups believed to be supporting certain groups of people.
Dr Gono has previously been accused of harbouring political ambitions, particularly when he has left his office to visit rural areas or to tour the city centre to assess the impact of his policies- Herald
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