Five days to go as Mahere say! MPs which I can now say without doubt are incompetent passed a budget just last week without questioning or making noise about this promise.
MPs sit in parliament to pass budgets without free education, cancer machines, medications, civil service remuneration and so forth.A few days after budget their party leaders complain about free education then start complaining.
A few months later they complain about they complain about inappropriate allocations yet in real they approved their allocations.
Them MPs lost their right to a voice after receiving those loans.I have no opinion about if they deserve them. Just receiving them before budget vote mean we are led by greedy politicians across board.
I copy here what I wrote on the day of publication of this in July;
This is very absurd not because of previous hot air promises but because the government doesn't explain how, the 4th estate doesn't question the source of the money, citizens want free education without analysis of why paid education is failing teachers & facilities and our parliament doesn't robustly request the plan maybe by a gnatt chart of how to progress from presently ailing education system to a fully tax payer funded education in just 6 months.It won't just happen like miracle money!
To fund this need, government must explain or we must demand explanation on; how they intend to increase tax revenue by probably 30% to fund this when NDS1 only estimate below 10%, how are they to govern natural resources to avoid leakages, what austerity are they to implement, which non core functions & activities do they intend to transfer resources from to education, how are they to shelve present and pressing debt retirement or needs to fund this mammoth need, what changes in budgeting model will be used to achieve this gigantic fund outlay, what will move us from a position we can't adequately pay teachers to fully funding education within just the next 6 months, how will this impact mega projects which still need funding, what is the outcome of that education if resources are transferred from job creation to basic education, does this also address a shortage of thousands of schools and what sort of system will be used to allocate resources to each and every shool and at what cost etc.
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My view is simple that in our context we need to fund education in a manner in which for example low density parents go 100% , medium density 70%, high density 50%, rural 30% and vulnerable people & areas 0% just like what they did with exam fees this year.At least for now! Not free for all.
A broke government can't promise this without a huge change in self inflicted and country specific ailments.Whats the plan with that.
With latest developments on parly loans, city of Harare land allocations, industrial land allocations to councillors and a city mayor being given 25 year least at a US$1 per month for 25 years we are on our own.
In 2023 we are simply voting for nothing and at best who can represent our corrupt tendencies better.
