Economic meltdown has Zanu PF in a panic, MDC is excited and povo is in despair

Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has been relentless; the situation cannot continue like this, there must be change. There is panic in the Zanu PF camp because political change will only mean one thing regime change and political power slipping out of their hands.

 

There is excitement in the MDC camp; they know the worsening economic situation is making the voters desperate for change. They will once again risk life and limp if necessary to get the change. The worsening economic situation will make them so desperate for change vote for anyone, even someone who has already proven beyond all doubt that they corrupt and incompetent as in this case, as long as they are not Zanu PF. This is exactly what MDC leaders have been hoping for given their checked political record of corruption, blundering incompetence and downright betrayals. 

 

What concerns me, and should concern every thinking Zimbabwean, is how both Zanu PF and MDC are using the electorate as pawns in their high stakes political game.

 

As Zanu PF feels the increasing pressure to accept meaningful political change the party will, no doubt, resort to violence, its tried and tested method of retained political power. Violence is still a tool in Zanu PF’s toolbox, because MDC failed to implement a raft of reforms during the GNU which would have restored the independence of the Police, Media, Judiciary and all the other state institution, freeing them to carry out their duties without fear or favour. Not even one reform was implemented and hence the Police, Media, etc. continue to operate as just another department of Zanu PF, there to serve the party's selfish interests above all else. 

 

Zanu PF leaders and supporters are free to use violence and other dirty tricks to rig elections and retain political power because they are above the law. MDC’s failure to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU has allowed this undemocratic situation to continue.

Mugabe took his foot off the political violence accelerator during the GNU and the 2013 elections but only because he did not want to panic Tsvangirai et al into implementing the reforms, particularly with the SADC GPA still in force. The tyrant was forced to use more subtle ways to rig the vote. He spent billions of dollars bribing the MDC leaders with the gravy train lifestyle; paid millions to PR companies in UK and USA to spruce up his image abroad; he paid NIKUV $13 million to tamper with the voters roll; spent billions of dollars on hired supporters bussed to attend the party’s rallies and then on election day bussed from one polling station to the next to vote; etc. It costed Mugabe an arm and a leg. 

Indeed the national coffers were empty when Mugabe formed his new government following the 31 July 2013 rigged elections. The country's economic fortunes have never recovered. 

Mugabe thought he could rig economic recovery with his ZimAsset plan. Instead of addressing the root causes of mismanagement, corruption and lawlessness behind the country’s sick economy Mugabe’s plan was to throw lots and lots of cash, $27 billion or nearly three times the country’s foreign debt, and swamp the wastefulness. Zimbabwe’s debt had been capped at $10 billion only because no lenders would extend any more credit to the regime because it was a bad debtor, otherwise the debt would have gone through the roof.

 

The catch with Mugabe’s ZimAsset plan was he was hoping to finance the whole plan with borrowed money, the Zimbabwe government was broke. The plan never took off because he failed to get any donor to bankroll his hare-brain scheme.

 

With ZimAsset well and truly dead and buried the economic meltdown has taken centre stage with vengeance. Companies have continued to close throwing more and more workers on the 90% plus mountain high unemployed heap; millions are now so poor they cannot afford even one decent meal a day; basic services like clean running water and electricity are now a novelty and with which passing day things are getting worse.  The situation is socially and politically unsustainable, that is obvious.

 

"As the MDC increases its visibility countrywide, and particularly in Harare, the regime is fearful that this could trigger a civil uprising similar to the Arab Spring. Hence the regime's security apparatus is now on high alert, as they ruthlessly clamp down on all public activities by the MDC," Obert Gutu, the MDC-T spokesperson, said yesterday.

"As the MDC, we are confident that the collapsing Zanu-PF regime can never stop an idea whose time has arrived. Democratic change in Zimbabwe is beckoning and it might actually happen earlier than 2018."

 

Democratic change should have happened in 2013 if the elections had been free and fair, if you, Mr Gutu, and your corrupt and incompetent MDC friends had implemented the democratic reforms. The pressure of Zanu PF to accept democratic change now is not coming from MDC’s “increased visibility countrywide” but from the worsening economic situation; MDC is just an opportunist jumping on to the bandwagon.

 

Indeed Zimbabweans must be wary of both Zanu PF and MDC in the turbulent months ahead. In its desperate effort to hold on to power Zanu PF will resort to violence; woe betide onto all those who shed innocent blood in pursuit of a shameful and lost cause.

 

As for the ordinary Zimbabweans, Zanu PF thugs are itching for a fight do not give them the excuse they are looking for. Stay at home. Zanu PF is imploding under the pincer action of the dog-eat-dog infighting triggered by Mugabe’s own insatiable greed for power and disregard of the party’s constitution on the one hand and the worsening economic meltdown on the other.

 

MDC has been holding countrywide rallies but has said nothing of substance. After the rally leaders like Tsvangirai go back to his $4 million Highland mansion, he got it from selling out on reforms during the GNU; it is the MDC supporters who will have to face the Zanu PF thugs alone. His advice to the supporters is that they must fight back. Stupid advice because this will give the Police and all the state machinery to descend on MDC supporter like a sledge hammer!

 

MDC has been calling for an “Arab spring” uprising in support of its electoral law reforms. This move is designed to increase MDC’s political profile and nothing more. By calling for these inadequate and incomplete reforms MDC it will not advance the cause for democratic change but, worse still, they are undermining the cause because after implemented the wrong reforms Zanu PF will be even more reluctant to implement the right reforms.

 

Zimbabweans have done the right thing by ignoring MDC’s calls for street demonstrations. If people are going to risk life and limp then it must be for right cause with clear objectives.

 

We are in this political and economic hell-on-earth because we, the people, have allowed ourselves to be used like pawns in a high stake political game by leaders who did not care about our suffering and deaths. All these corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical leaders care about is political power and the wealth it brings. If we are serious about getting out of this hell-hole then we, the Zimbabwe electorate, must opened their eyes, ears and, most important of all, minds and stop being used like pawns.

 

US President, Abraham Lincoln said “Democracy is the government by the people for the people!” He meant people with eyes to see, ears to hear and minds to think for themselves and not naïve and gullible people who follow leaders like sheep to the slaughter!