More ways to cut waste in government

Previously, I suggested that Zimbabwean defence spending is money going down the drain for no good reason. It follows that the country should take advantage of its land-locked status and lack of natural enemies to re-direct resources being wasted building a huge defence establishment towards providing essential social services such as education, health, housing and safety. I even hinted that the Swiss model might make sense for Zimbabwe but this may not be feasible in the current political climate.

Cutting defence spending is not the only way to reduce the burden on the tax-paying public. Suffice it to say that there should be no sacred cows in any serious effort to focus governmental resources on a narrow set of issues that cretate an environment where the quality of life matters more than the tenure of political office holders. In order to eliminate or reduce opportunities for political patronage, the civil service has to be streamlined and allowed to dwindle to a more affordable size by attrition, if the politics of it are too ghastly to contemplate.

Obviously the number of ministries needs to be cut to reflect the core functions of government as opposed to the political interests of certain clans. It may be that in the early post-independence era, it was necessary to create employment opportunities for many who had not been given opportunities under the previous racist system but that time has long since passed and we should be moving into an era of realism about what we can and cannot afford, as taxpayers. Political stability should not come at the expense of common sense and fiscal sanity.

Certainly the idea of creating thirty to forty ministries for the purpose of buying political support seems ludicrous for a country decimated by poverty and disease and other social and economic ailments. It goes without saying that for a country of ten million to have more than two hundred legislators would be the stuff of comedy if it was not a matter of serious concern. A maximum of fifteen ministries should be able to take care of all the business of the people at a cost that reflects the meager resources available.

I think the number of legislators at national level should be reduced to about one for each of the administrative districts depending on population and should not be increased for political expediency but to meet the needs of a growing population. This reduction can be done as part of an exercise to devolve more and more power to the local authorities so that they can do the daily chores of government at a cost that reflects prevailing economic conditions in that particular region.

Do I think that a future government controlled by the MDC will make a significant shft towards more realism and accountability in government spending? The signs are not very encouraging because the movement seems to be learning very well under the tutelage of the masters of overbearing government, Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF. The longer this so-called inclusive government lasts, the less likely it will be that a new MDC-led government will have the courage to make the necessary changes to harness profligacy in government.

This may be the stuff of hope, hope that often feeds on crumbs.