“The
convention held under the auspices of a gathering of civil society
organisations, labour unions and churches, provided the new President with a
varied range of issues he may need to attend to as he formulates his government,”
reported The Zimbabwean.
“In
our view, your commitment to inclusivity would best be epitomized by the
formation of an inclusive government. Such a government will go a long way
towards fostering national unity, social cohesion as well as enhance our
national prospects for economic recovery. The nation has endured many years of
divisive politics and unnecessary polarization. We believe that this must
change and can change under your able leadership,” argued National People’s
Convention (NPC) in their letter to President Mnangagwa.
There
can be no question that all those involved in the NPC mean well and have the
best interests of the nation at heart. Still, it is a truth universally
acknowledged that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. NPC’s
intentions and noble but, nonetheless, totally misguided!
The
argument that we need an inclusive government for economic recovery, peace,
national unity, etc. is pandering to the same warped logic used to justify the
stifling of public debate, freedom of expression and free press, democratic
competition, etc. resulting in the creation of a de facto one past dictatorship
we have today.
Zanu
PF’s culture of rigging the vote and use of blatant violence have made it near impossible
for a meaningful and competent opposition to emerge. In the present parliament,
there is little more than a token opposition, the MDC MPs and the one
independent MP are hardly ever heard. To then suggest that even this flickering
opposition flame should be co-opted to join Zanu PF in an inclusive
administration is snuff out this democratic light leaving us all in total dictatorial
darkness.
God
only knows just how strong Zanu PF is already given the party’s nearly 75%
majority in parliament, its total control of all the State Institutions, the
dominance purely Zanu PF created undemocratic bodies such as Joint Operation
Command and all the party’s other dictatorial powers. The party will gain very
little from having the opposition under its wing; it is the nation instead that
will lose the only means to hold the regime to account.
“We
believe that a well thought-out transitional period and mechanism would offer
the nation sufficient time to establish a conducive environment for free, fair
and credible elections,” NPC argue.
NPC
profess to upholding the rule of law and yet the members are encouraging the
disregard of one of the central constitutional demands that the parliamentary
term must not exceed five years.
“A
general election must be held so that polling takes place not more than thirty
days before the expiry of the five-year period.” States the constitution
section 158 (1) (a).
To
argue that the fixed maximum term should be exceeded “to establish a conducive
environment” is a frivolous and flawed argument given that there has not been a
change of government since the last elections. Putting aside the undemocratic
events of the last three weeks resulting in the swearing in of President
Mnangagwa; no one can ever dispute that the government before and after the
coup is a Zanu PF government.
If the
Zanu PF government cannot carry out its constitutional duty to hold free and
fair elections on time then it must say so. It will be for the nation; not NPC,
Zanu PF or anyone else; to decide what is to be done to move the nation forward.
It
would have been useful to the nation had NPC directed its time, effort and resources
to helping build a democratic Zimbabwe by helping dismantle the Zanu PF
dictatorship by asking President Mnangagwa to relinquish Zanu PF’s control of
the public media, for example. A free and vibrant media is vital in a healthy
and functioning democracy; government has no business telling editors what to
write! NPC would be applauded if it had reminded President Mnangagwa that none
of the democratic reforms the last GNU were tasked to implement ever saw the
light of day. His presidency would be judged a failure if he failed to get all
the reforms implemented BEFORE the next elections!
It is
not for NPC or anyone else to tell President how to do his job but to hold him
to democratic account for failing to deliver on something as basic and
fundamental as ensuring there are free, fair and credible elections and such
elections are held on time.
1 comment:
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Asked Roman poet Juvenal.
This has been translated to "Who watches the watchmen?" "Who will guard the guards themselves?" Or the more fuller vision “Who will guard the guards themselves, if they should become corrupt?
What the NPC are doing here gives is turn the whole age old puzzle on its head. The nation look up to the NPC to hold the government to democratic account especially over matters such as safe guarding the rule of law. The President and his ministers are the guardians and NPC are the ones making use the guardians are doing their duties of upholding the constitution. Instead of making sure government up holds the constitution they are the ones encouraging the government to disregard the law.
So, in our case we must ask “Who will guard the guards themselves, from the corrupting influence of the guardian-instructor, the very people both society and the guardians look up to teach the guardians what they can and cannot do?”
If the Roman poet Juvenal was alive would be the first to tell society to fire all the guardian-instructors because they are making a mockery of the constitution and government. Tyrants thrive on the weaknesses of the constitution and/or those entrusted to interpret and enforce it.
It is no secret that povo are as ignorant of their freedoms and rights as stipulated in the constitution; even if it was the best-ever, which Zimbabwe’s new constitution is not; as a parrot would know the meaning of sin although it can recite all the ten commandments! When it comes to what is in their own best interests povo have looked up to opposition leaders and/or church leaders and other civic organisations.
Sadly, opposition politicians have again and again proven to be breathtakingly corrupt and/or incompetent as we have seen with Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. The opposition have exploited the Zimbabwe electorate’s naivety, they still continue command a huge following amongst povo regardless of the mountain of evidence they are sell-outs.
Church leaders and civic leaders have not been much help to povo they too have turned out to be stupendously incompetent. Many of Zimbabwe’s politicians on both sides of the political divide have maintain very close relationships with civic organisation leaders. Robert Mugabe and his wife numbered church leaders among their friends such as the Catholic Priest Father Fidelis Mukonori SJ who was the tyrant’s confidant!
President Mnangagwa probably knows by now that there is no lawful excuse for him to postpone next year’s elections still he would be shrewd enough to see that out of their own stupidity NPC are offering him a bold-hole. If he does not meet with the NPC, which is what the members are fishing for, he will send them a very courteous reply just to encourage them down their misguided and dangerous track. If he cannot exploit these stupendously incompetent civic leaders’ offer to postpone elections, he can still get them to help him rig the vote!
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