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(HERALD) Biti's shock climbdown

COMMENT - Also see: Communal, A1 resettled farmers dominate tobacco industry The MDC don't waste time trying to sell Zimbabwe for loose change.

Biti's shock climbdown
Thursday, 30 June 2011 01:00
By Lloyd Gumbo

FINANCE Minister and MDC-T secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti, has made a major climbdown on the land reform programme, acknowledging it is successful and irreversible.

He challenged the international community to accept the reality on the ground about Zimbabwe's empowerment programmes and attacked negative perceptions portrayed by the Western media. MDC-T has in the past castigated the land reform programme, describing it as a failure.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Commonwealth Business Council in London last Thursday, Minister Biti said: "The land reform is irreversible no matter how ugly it was done."

He said it was, however, essential to conclude the land question by restoring title deeds, long leases, resolving the issue of compensation and moving away from Government-funded agriculture to private sector.

Minister Biti urged the international community to make informed decisions based on facts and to adopt a long-term approach when dealing with Zimba-bwe.

"Not to miss the numerous opportunities that exist, like the United States, which has remained intransigent and aloof," he said.

Minister Biti said the land reform programme was successful judging by production output in commercial crops such as tobacco since 2008.

"There is huge potential in the agriculture sector. Testimony lies in the growth in the sector, for example this year's tobacco output reached 174 million kg, resulting in the opening of tobacco auction floors in January instead of the traditional April.

"The production of maize has gone up from 300 000 to 1,5 million tonnes between 2008 and 2011," Minister Biti said.

He defended the country's land reform programme, saying it was meant to empower the locals.

The Finance Minister said it was important for every country to democratise local participation in the economy, adding that indigenisation was not unique to Zimbabwe.

"There is need to strike a balance between empowerment and attracting investment.
"It is a myth that indigenisation is nationalisa- tion.

"Real percentages depend on the negotiations and are influenced to a large extent on the size of the investment and the package an investor presents," Minister Biti said.

He appealed to the international community to invest in all the country's sectors.

Minister Biti said there were plans to make Zimbabwe's economy ICT driven.
He appealed for investment through foreign direct investment, lines of credit and the overseas development assistance to meet US$ 9 billion, which the African Development Bank estimates would be required to refurbish infrastructure in the next five years.

Minister Biti also appealed for US$400 million capital through lines of credit to technologies facto- ries.

He used the case of electrical power infrastructure to demonstrate the country's needs across all economic sectors.

Responding to questions on whether Zimbabwean courts can uphold property rights, Minister Biti said: "The country's judiciary measures are up to any other elsewhere in the world.

"The judges and officials are well-read, well-trained and respected globally."

He also expressed optimism that Zimbabwe would tap into its highly skilled nationals who left the country for greener pastures in the region and abroad.

Minister Biti said he expected only a few to return but expressed confidence that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora would "plough back financially, intellectually and technologically from their various loca- tions."

He dismissed statistics that indicated that Zimbabwe had 85 percent unemployment saying they were inaccurate because they did not take into consideration the informal sector.

Minister Biti claimed that a new voters' roll was required to "ensure that half of the six million registered voters, who are deceased are removed."

However, the Registrar-General, Mr Tobaiwa Mudede said the voters' roll was clean while challenging those who claim that there ghost voters to inform his department.
On the security sector, Minister Biti said there was a deadlock on the reform, between those who wanted "the securocrats to serve the constitution and those opposed."

"The democratisation process is progressing, the constitution-making process is at an advanced stage, some media reforms have been implemented but the challenge with the media reforms is technological backwardness," Minister Biti said.

Representatives of Rio Tinto, Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Crown Agents, British American Tobacco and Invertec Asset Management attended the meeting.

Mr Biti could not be reached on his mobile phone yesterday to comment on his presentation.

Labels: LAND REFORM, TENDAI BITI

posted by MrK @ 9:13 PM