By Miriam Zvomuya
Due to the socio-economic problems that are prevailing in Zimbabwe, the citizens of Zimbabwe, under the banner of the Citizens Manifesto, today launched the Citizens’ Cabinet.
While launching their cabinet today, the organisation’s deputy convener, Janet Zhou stressed out that the cabinet will be open for everyone to participate as long as they are citizens of Zimbabwe.
Zhou said, “This platform will allow everyone to participate with the license for membership and participation being a Zimbabwean citizen and also we will encourage a decentralised method of operation where it can either be from down to top or vice versa.
“The main objective of this launch is to build a better Zimbabwe for all and make it a good destination for foreigners who might later spread the beauty party of Zimbabwe, thereby giving a better picture and understanding by the outsiders, Zimbabwe being conducive for everyone,” Zhou remarks.
Briggs Bomba, manifesto convener concurred and highlighted the essence of utilising the cyberspace for publicity and awareness of their organisation which seeks to promote inclusion in terms of participation.
Bomba said, “We will utilise our knowledge of the cyberspace to communicate and disseminate all relevant information concerning the founding principles of our organisation and it will be a participative type of management.
“The Citizens Cabinet will use technology that is online platforms to crowd source citizens ‘view nationally and also some of the Cabinet members will be sent to provinces around Zimbabwe so that they engage with the Citizens .It will actively promote the establishment of Provincial Citizens Councils that will discuss local issues and champion a local policy agenda and inform National discourse guided by the local reality and priorities.
“The Citizens Cabinet is non-political based it is calling for all Zimbabwean Citizen to converge in the process of making Zimbabwe a better place for all regardless of their political affiliation,” said the Citizens Convenor, Briggs Bomba
“As an organisation, we are not affiliated to any political party and we welcome everyone on board for our common cause as citizens of this country,” Bomba added.
The Citizen’s Cabinet is a platform to give unprecedented collective national citizens voice on important matters affecting Zimbabwean Citizens lives’. The Deputy Convenor, Janet Zhou said, the Citizens Cabinet will constitute of a collective voice which is now needed more than ever, given the accelerated pace of top –down policy used by the government which marginalises citizens and results in pain and suffering of the majority .The bottom –up criteria which will be used by the Citizens Cabinet will offer a platform for citizens to participate and come up with effective solutions.
The Citizens ‘Cabinet has a mandate to make Zimbabwe a better place by engaging citizens to air their views regarding the socio-economic atmosphere in the country and come up with a new policy that benefits the people.
Members of the Citizens Cabinet will be announced next week .The operations of the Cabinet shall be characterised by participatory democracy .Some of the portfolios which will assist the cabinet include Finance and economic development, education ,health and the public sector .
