Nkrumah was right povo should seek the political power first we did not and have paid dearly for it!

"Seek ye first the political freedom and everything else shall be added unto you" is a myth, a monumental lie, a delusion that assumes political power will necessarily result in economic freedom and development. That will not happen until we re-imagineer what we can be,” you said.

 

Who, may I ask, is “we” who is doing all this re-engineering of society and will define the roadmap that we lead us this Great Zimbabwe complete with $1 trillion GDP by 2045?

 

So with the economy now at $15 billion you are saying the Zimbabwe economy will grow 13.6% minimum average for 30 years under your mystic regime’s stewardship. After 35 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and ruthless tyrannical oppression that has left the nation impoverished and destitute these mystic economic gurus could not have come at a better time. Who are they?

 

Meanwhile, let me tell you about what happened back in 1980 when the nation attained her independence. We did have men and women who claimed to be jack of all trades and masters of them all led by none other than Robert Gabriel Mugabe himself; the man who really believes he is infallible and even at the advanced age of 91 years and sickly he still believes he is the only person competent to be president. He is helped greatly by the fact that he rigs both national and his own party, Zanu PF, elections to stay in power.

 

Back in 1980 Mugabe was convinced he will deliver mass prosperity, “Gutsa ruzhinji!” as he never tired of telling the nation. Like you, Vince, Mugabe did not care about freedom, liberty and human rights; these were luxury demanded by the “petty bourgeois” to side-track him from his set agenda of delivering gutsa ruzhinji! 

 

You may argue, and rightly so too, that Mugabe’s re-engineering and/or self-belief did not attain the correct energy and refinement level that your mystic geniuses have attained and that is why Mugabe failed and you will succeed. The thrust of my argument is not just that Mugabe failed to deliver of economic prosperity but most important of all that having eroded the people’s political rights the nation was stuck with the regime for 35 years regardless its track record of failure, corruption and brutal repression and even political murders!

 

“Chero tikaisa gudo tikati ndiro ratada, ndiro ramunovhotera." (If we (Zanu PF) nominate a baboon, you (the people) will be obliged to vote for it!) Boasted the late Zanu PF VP Simon Muzenda, just to underline how little say the ordinary people had in the governance of the country.

 

You are reading things back to front and that is why you have completely misunderstood President Nkrumah. The myth, which our own experience of the last 35 years has disproved beyond doubt, is that one can still expect economic prosperity even though they have lost all political power. We are poor and destitute today precisely because for the last 35 years Mugabe and Zanu PF have had the political power to do as they pleased.

 

Yes we have had regular elections but Mugabe has made it clear all along that there would be no regime change. The vote is the ultimate democratic means in the hands of the ordinary person he/she can use to force those in positions of power and authority to listen to him but only if that vote counts. Election in which there will be no regime change is an oxymoron and an insult to the electorate.

 

What we have now is a situation where it is those who are in power who not only do as the please but even hold the people to ransom. It is the dog that should wag the tail and not the tail wagging the dog!

 

After 35 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule the national economy in total meltdown, unemployment a nauseating 90% plus, millions living in abject poverty, millions are suffering the inconvenience of 18 hours a day with no electricity, etc. As long as Mugabe and Zanu PF remain in power the economic meltdown is set to get worse because Mugabe cannot end corruption, for example, without dismantling his own power base. Zimbabwe’s ruling elite have mutated into a cancerous tumour that must now be surgical removed.

 

The best way to remove Mugabe and Zanu PF from power is by implement all the 2008 GPA reforms and thus restore the people’s democratic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote and even the right to life. Mugabe will never win a free, fair and credible election.

 

I can guess who your mystic geniuses are whom you claim will deliver the $1 trillion GDP by 2045. Are you lot going to produce yet another economic blueprint, the latest crazy in Zimbabwe politics these days. We have JUICE — Jobs, Upliftment, Investment, Capital and Environment from MDC-T; BUILD - Blueprint to Unlock Investment and Leverage for Development from People First; ZimAsset - Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation from Mugabe and Zanu PF; etc.

 

Unless we implement the GPA reforms your super-duper economic blueprint will never see the light of day because Zanu PF will just rig the elections to stay in power.

 

There is a possibility with Zanu PF imploding the party will not be able to rig the next elections and thus allowing you and your mystic geniuses to get into power. I for one will continue to campaign for the GPA reforms to be implemented because should you fail to deliver on your mouth-watering 13.6% minimum economic growth rates; the nation must be free to kick you out of office without you too rigging elections to stay in power just like Mugabe.

 

Even if you delivered the miracle economic growths year after year I would still demand that the reforms be implemented but the only way the nation can be sure that you delivery year after year is when you that any slip up and you will be kicked out!

 

Oh yes, the people must seek and secure their right to a free and meaningful vote because it is the only whip they will ever have with which to ensure those holding public office serve them, the public, and not in office to enrich themselves at public expense. Yes President Kwame Nkrumah was right we, the masses, povo, must “seek ye first political power and the rest will follow!” QED!