MDC urges Gono to resign

By Tererai Karimakwenda
31 January 2007

In a monetary policy review statement presented on Wednesday, Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono announced he was not going to devalue the Zimbabwean dollar. Gono also introduced various new measures that he said were aimed at reducing inflation which is currently over 1200%. Government, labour and business officials who were in the audience may understand what all this means, but ordinary Zimbabweans say no matter what Gono does they continue to struggle from day to day as prices rise and shortages persist.
In Harare MDC secretary general Tendai Biti criticised the RBZ chief saying there is nothing he can actually do because the real problems have nothing to do with Gono. He said: “Every year he appears before people and says ‘I’ve got solutions’ and tells them lies about inflation rates that are going to be reduced to double digit figures. Why does he do that? The honourable thing would be to resign and say ‘you guys sort your mess out’ but he doesn’t do that.”
As for a solution to the economic crisis that has gripped the country, Biti said: “The problems in this country are political. They pertain to the crisis of legitimacy which has nothing to do with Gono because he didn’t steal the presidential election of March 2002. They pertain to a bad constitution that has nothing to do with Gono. So because he can’t do anything about it he should resign.”
Biti said Gono may have refused now but he will devalue before the end of the year. Explaining further he said: “It means we have no meaningful exports to talk about and we are importing and importing in debt figures. It means the Zimbabwe dollar is over-priced and it’s hurting the Zimbabwe exporters. So he may have delayed it but he’s going to do it.” Biti believes Gono should have devalued the dollar a small amount at a time in order to avoid one big devaluation which is inevitable.