In April 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe was miffed. The country’s central bank governor, Dr. Gideon Gono, produced its first quarter monetary policy statement by reminding anyone who might read it that his actions were being duplicated the world over. Apparently still smarting over criticism by his central bank peers, Dr. Gono, an honorary degree, was more disturbed by that than the hyperinflation gripping his nation. By March 2008, when Bear Stearns failed, the consumer price index for Zimbabwe had already become largely incalculable.

Undoubtedly in full CYA mode, the monetary report leaves little to the imagination:

1.15 Banks, including those in the USA and the UK, are now not just talking of, but also actually implementing flexible and pragmatic central bank support programmes where these are deemed necessary in their National interests.

1.16 That is precisely the path that we began over 4 years ago in pursuit of our own national interest and we have not wavered on that critical path despite the untold misunderstanding, vilification and demonization we have endured from across the political divide…

1.18 A few months ago, the USA economy confronted a severe mortgage crisis, which threatened to spark an economy-wide recession.

1.19 The USA Central Bank again responded by injecting over US$160 billion between December, 2007 and March, 2008, to provide impetus to the American economy and prevent a worse crisis from happening…

1.21 Faced with a yawning threat of systemic bank failures on the back of the aftermaths of that country’s mortgage crisis, the Bank of England was directed by its Government to intervene by providing a £50 billion lifeline to the UK’s banking sector.

1.22 Here in Zimbabwe we had our near-bank failures a few years ago and we responded by providing the affected Banks with the Troubled Bank Fund (TBF) for which we were heavily criticized even by some multi-lateral institutions who today are silent when the Central Banks of UK and USA are going the same way and doing the same thing under very similar circumstances thereby continuing the unfortunate hypocrisy that what’s good for goose is not good for the gander.