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It was a bad year for the arts industry as it lost some of its renowned musicians who included Cephas Mashakada, Tongai Moyo       and only last week Tendai Mupfurutsa. On the political front, there were repeated and loud calls towards the end of the year to end the Global Political Agreement arrangement which politicians feel has become dysfunctional. The three political parties to the GPA which was signed on 15 September 2008, Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations, seem to be having serious disagreements on issues of governance and as such the coalition Government has become dysfunctional hence the calls for the disbandment of the GPA.

Zanu-PF has been calling for general elections saying the present arrangement is no longer working mainly because of ideological differences. The parties to the agreement, it seems, do not have a shared vision hence the discord that is being witnessed. The differences have not only caused confusion in Government but has impacted negatively on the implementation of Government programmes.
The three parties, as we have already alluded to, have failed to strike a common chord and as such their priorities are totally different thereby causing confusion when it comes to implementation of Government programmes. Zanu-PF is not happy that Government has failed to give priority to the agricultural sector when it comes to allocation of resources while MDC-T is opposed to the indigenisation  programme which it says scares away potential investors. It is because of these pronounced differences that Zanu-PF has called for general elections which it says should be held this year to end this “marriage of convenience” that has failed to live up to people’s expectations, while MDC formations are insisting that elections can only be held when all reforms agreed to under the GPA, such as the writing of the new constitution, have been implemented.

What is however, crucial is that parties to the GPA should realise that the people expect the coalition Government to deliver despite their differences. The Government should tick, Government programmes must be implemented and people should be provided with the different services they require. Those that have been appointed Cabinet Ministers should ensure their respective ministries deliver to the best of their abilities.

The parties to the GPA should therefore work towards narrowing their differences until such a time that the elections are held. It will be a criminal act for those individuals that have been entrusted with the mandate of running Government affairs while on Government payroll to sabotage Government programmes because their respective political parties are probably opposed to such programmes. Zimbabweans expect their lives to be better in 2012 compared to 2011 and this is only possible if those in Government play their part in implementing Government programmes meant to improve the welfare of the people. The GPA has received accolades for bringing about peace and stability but it should go beyond that and be praised for bringing about development.

It is the duty of politicians to decide when to end the GPA but what the people demand is that at no point should development be compromised by political differences. We want to once again remind the politicians that Zimbabweans’ interests should always come first. People are yearning for development and it is therefore incumbent on all those in public offices to ensure they deliver.