MDC ARGUED TO CONTINUE THE POWER SHARING TALKS: NGO or GONGO SPEAK!

Zimbabwe’s Civic Organisations met on 23 October in Masvingo and they decided, in their collective wisdom, that the best way out Zimbabwe’s present economic and political crisis is for MDC to continue the power sharing negotiations. Whilst the grouping accepted that Mugabe and Zanu PF were negotiating in bad faith, they still argued MDC to continue the talks.

Civic Societies are supposed to stand up for the common good and for those who can not, for whatever reason, stand up for themselves in the fight for justice, freedom and human dignity. And to offer the down trodden a helping hand. It is in the nature of Civic Societies work that they very often find themselves asking those in power and authority the awkward question and demand action.

Zimbabwe is facing a truly tragic humanitarian crisis in which millions of lives could well be lost to hunger and or disease. The crisis is almost wholly man-made and made even worse by the continued political interference in the organisation’s operation. One would expect the country’s Civic Organisations therefore to have condemned the power sharing deal’s failure to produce tangible results to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable in society - poor, the sick, the very young and the old.

The somewhat muted statement from the country’s Civic Organisation, at such a critical time was therefore disappointing, but wholly expected. Most of our Civic Organisations are renowned for saying and doing exactly what the Mugabe would want them to.

“There is no such thing as NGO (None Governmental Organisation) in Zimbabwe,” one very senior Civil Servant boosted to me once. “What we have is GONGO (Government Organised None Governmental Organisation).”

The Mugabe regime has been relentless in its determination to control the country’s Civic Society and, admitted, has largely succeeded. This sector, since it is largely funded from outside the country is the only one still paying a living wage making a bad situation even worse because many of the people employed there for the money and not for their commitment to justice, etc. The few who still have a calling are fearful of doing anything to upset the Zanu PF regime and make it close the organisation at a time when it would be near impossible to get another job.

So it was GONGO speaking in Masvingo arguing MDC to continue with the talks even though the delegates accepted Mugabe is negotiating in bad faith and the talks have achieving nothing. They had to say that, it was expected of them to say that; and they did not dare challenge the Mugabe regime!

What many Zimbabweans, especially the millions at the coal-face of this humanitarian tragedy, will not accept is GONGO insulting our intelligence. “It is my view that if the opposition pulls out of the talks the suffering of the people will continue to worsen”, said Gladys Hlatshwayo from Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. As if they cared about the suffering Zimbabweans!

Fortunately for Zimbabwe there are other NGOs like WOZA (Woman Of Zimbabwe Arise) how passionately care about what is happening in the country and the suffering and misery it is causing to the most vulnerable and helpless. And are prepared to do something about it!