Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HARARE1322
2006-11-06 15:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:
KEY ZANU-PF MP ENCOURAGES USG SUPPORT FOR REFORM
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001322
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR M. COPSON AND E.LOKEN
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016
TAGS: CH EAGR ECON EFIN PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: KEY ZANU-PF MP ENCOURAGES USG SUPPORT FOR REFORM
PUSH IN PARLIAMENT
REF: HARARE 1317
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
-------
Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001322
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR M. COPSON AND E.LOKEN
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016
TAGS: CH EAGR ECON EFIN PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: KEY ZANU-PF MP ENCOURAGES USG SUPPORT FOR REFORM
PUSH IN PARLIAMENT
REF: HARARE 1317
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (C) U.S. Economics Professor Craig Richardson, who was in
Harare to speak at the October 5 American Business
Association of Zimbabwe (ABAZ) forum (reftel),along with
econoff, met October 4 with Walter Mzembi, the outspoken
ZANU-PF Chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Lands, Land Resettlement, Agriculture and Water Resources.
Mzembi said his Committee had drawn conclusions similar to
Richardson,s on needed reforms. He added that on a recent
trip to China, Chinese officials had also recommended market
reforms. Mzembi encouraged the Embassy to target 15-20
ruling party MPs to push for reform, and praised the
USAID-sponsored SUNY Center for International Development for
its effective work with the committees. End Summary
-------------- --------------
Committee Chair Agrees on Need for Ag Sector Reform
-------------- --------------
2. (SBU) Richardson shared with Mzembi visual evidence
(reftel) of the cost of destroying property rights in the
agricultural sector in Zimbabwe. Mzembi asked permission to
use Richardson's material in his own presentations, to which
Richardson agreed. Mzembi pointed out similarities between
several of Richardson's conclusions and those drawn by his
Committee in its recent Report on the State of Preparedness
by the Agricultural Sector for the 2006/7 Summer Crop Season
(e-mailed to AF/S separately),including especially the need
for farmers to have land tenure as a means to encourage
investment.
--------------
Message from China: Embrace Market
--------------
3. (C) Mzembi, who was a member of a recent GOZ delegation to
China, relayed the gist of those meetings, including with the
chairman of the Chinese People's Congress. According to
Mzembi, Chinese officials' advice to the delegation had been
to "follow the market route, and take an example from us and
what we have achieved." There was no "magic formula" for
driving up production other than putting the right
legislative framework in place and deregulating the market.
The Chinese reaction to the GOZ's request for loans had been
to "deal with the Zimbabwean mindset first," before China
would open its purse.
--------------
Request for USG Assistance
--------------
4. (C) Turning to Parliament, Mzembi encouraged the Embassy
to focus on ZANU-PF and to target 15-20 ruling party
parliamentarians to push for reform. He cautioned against
any inclination to write off Parliament. In that regard,
HARARE 00001322 002 OF 002
Mzembi said the USAID-funded SUNY Center for International
Development, which has assisted development of parliamentary
committees, had done excellent work in developing the
potential of the parliamentary committee structure to bring
the Executive branch to account. There was not a committee
that had not ruffled the Executive's feathers, thanks to the
good work of SUNY, he said. Mzembi appealed to the USG for
further support and suggested it send a delegation of MPs on
a study trip to the US Congress.
--------------
Comment
--------------
5. (C) Parliament could be a key factor in advancing a reform
agenda in Zimbabwe. MPs from across the political spectrum
have been increasingly restive at their lack of influence
over policy, openly critical of the executive branch, and
have increasingly called for reforms. To that end, we plan
to use the SUNY project to encourage greater parliamentary
independence as well as to increase the institution's
capacity for independent action.
DELL
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR M. COPSON AND E.LOKEN
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016
TAGS: CH EAGR ECON EFIN PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: KEY ZANU-PF MP ENCOURAGES USG SUPPORT FOR REFORM
PUSH IN PARLIAMENT
REF: HARARE 1317
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (C) U.S. Economics Professor Craig Richardson, who was in
Harare to speak at the October 5 American Business
Association of Zimbabwe (ABAZ) forum (reftel),along with
econoff, met October 4 with Walter Mzembi, the outspoken
ZANU-PF Chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Lands, Land Resettlement, Agriculture and Water Resources.
Mzembi said his Committee had drawn conclusions similar to
Richardson,s on needed reforms. He added that on a recent
trip to China, Chinese officials had also recommended market
reforms. Mzembi encouraged the Embassy to target 15-20
ruling party MPs to push for reform, and praised the
USAID-sponsored SUNY Center for International Development for
its effective work with the committees. End Summary
-------------- --------------
Committee Chair Agrees on Need for Ag Sector Reform
-------------- --------------
2. (SBU) Richardson shared with Mzembi visual evidence
(reftel) of the cost of destroying property rights in the
agricultural sector in Zimbabwe. Mzembi asked permission to
use Richardson's material in his own presentations, to which
Richardson agreed. Mzembi pointed out similarities between
several of Richardson's conclusions and those drawn by his
Committee in its recent Report on the State of Preparedness
by the Agricultural Sector for the 2006/7 Summer Crop Season
(e-mailed to AF/S separately),including especially the need
for farmers to have land tenure as a means to encourage
investment.
--------------
Message from China: Embrace Market
--------------
3. (C) Mzembi, who was a member of a recent GOZ delegation to
China, relayed the gist of those meetings, including with the
chairman of the Chinese People's Congress. According to
Mzembi, Chinese officials' advice to the delegation had been
to "follow the market route, and take an example from us and
what we have achieved." There was no "magic formula" for
driving up production other than putting the right
legislative framework in place and deregulating the market.
The Chinese reaction to the GOZ's request for loans had been
to "deal with the Zimbabwean mindset first," before China
would open its purse.
--------------
Request for USG Assistance
--------------
4. (C) Turning to Parliament, Mzembi encouraged the Embassy
to focus on ZANU-PF and to target 15-20 ruling party
parliamentarians to push for reform. He cautioned against
any inclination to write off Parliament. In that regard,
HARARE 00001322 002 OF 002
Mzembi said the USAID-funded SUNY Center for International
Development, which has assisted development of parliamentary
committees, had done excellent work in developing the
potential of the parliamentary committee structure to bring
the Executive branch to account. There was not a committee
that had not ruffled the Executive's feathers, thanks to the
good work of SUNY, he said. Mzembi appealed to the USG for
further support and suggested it send a delegation of MPs on
a study trip to the US Congress.
--------------
Comment
--------------
5. (C) Parliament could be a key factor in advancing a reform
agenda in Zimbabwe. MPs from across the political spectrum
have been increasingly restive at their lack of influence
over policy, openly critical of the executive branch, and
have increasingly called for reforms. To that end, we plan
to use the SUNY project to encourage greater parliamentary
independence as well as to increase the institution's
capacity for independent action.
DELL