"Since 1980 Mugabe has lacked legitimacy," admit Professor Moyo - cathartic effect of life in exile

“I am back from College!” said one renowned Zimbabwean after serving time behind bars (name and committed crime withheld because there are not important). He may have said as a middle finger salute to the powers-that-be, but I believe he also meant “I sobered up and learnt a lot!” There is certainly some cathartic value with life’s experiences, particularly the challenging experiences.

It is now five months since Professor Jonathan Moyo, a long time Robert Mugabe’s self-proclaimed chief of propaganda and brainwasher, was forced to leave his ministerial post and all the comforts of wielding absolute power brings to go into exile. His nightmare is not over for him because there some in Zanu PF who tried to kill before and would do it. Still the five months has certainly had a sobering cathartic effect on the Professor.

“Since 2000, the country's constitutional, institutional and political edifice has been crumbling under the weight of the unfulfilled expectations based on the founding values and ideals of the country's liberation struggle, whose quintessential purpose was the restoration of the civil, political and socio-economic rights of the indigenous population,” wrote Professor Moyo in Bulawayo 24.

“At issue by 2000 was that the gains of Independence had not included the enjoyment of civil and political rights, notably the freedoms of assembly, association and expression; nor had they included socio-economic rights, particularly land redistribution and economic empowerment.

“The means for legitimately getting into, staying in and getting out of political office in Zimbabwe, in government and mainstream political parties, have remained contested since 1980. Just about all holders of elective public office in politics, especially but not only at the level of the presidency, are illegitimate. The problem has been so pervasive that it has found expression even in appointed offices in the civil and security services. It is notable that key members of the ZDF "command element" that staged the November coup had outlived their tenure and were thus in the command illegitimately.”

The five months in exile away from the distractions of absolute power and the comforts it brings are certainly helping the Professor to think straight again after all the years talking propaganda nonsense. It is gratifying to know that these ruling elite members KNOW and appreciate the critical importance of holding free, fair and credible elections as a way of resolving the nation’s illegitimacy problems and bad governance problems.

Now that he is out of office, Professor Moyo readily acknowledges Zanu PF has failed to hold free and fair elections since 1980. When Mai Mujuru was booted out of Zanu PF, she too acknowledged Zanu PF had rigged elections, that corruption was rampant, etc. Many others have done the same thing, proof that these leaders only pretend not to understand such fundamental problems as the denial of the people’s basic freedoms and human rights when they are in power as long as they are enjoying the benefits the lawlessness and oppression.

It is disappointing that people like Moyo acknowledge these serious political problems only when they are out of office and are thus powerless to make a difference. Still it is great to know their denial of these fundamental problems is out of selfish greed and expedience and not a sign of ossified brain.

 “Zimbabwe is in trouble. This is because, among the country's litany of woes, a particularly insidious malady is the dearth of intellectual practice. There's no scholarship in Zimbabwe today to talk about and this has worsened the country's political crisis,” continue Moyo.

“The Socratic presumption that an unexamined life is not worth living not only captures what is wrong with Zimbabwe today, but also explains why the country is in a cruel Machiavellian Moment and why — under this interregnum — the existential quandary of Zimbabweans is that they are living an unexamined life.”

When it comes to Zimbabweans being one of the brainwashed nations on earth Professor Moyo has a lot to answer for. He is one of Mugabe’s long serving and notorious Minister of Information who have done a lot to stifle public debate by muzzling the media and deny freedom of expression.

Of the raft of democratic reforms this country must implement to dismantle the Zanu PF autocracy freeing the media must be one of the first to be implemented. The need for the people to participate in the implementation of the rest of the reforms is important as their own individual political journey from slavery into the Promised Land.

The 15 November 2017 coup was about President Mnangagwa and his Lacoste faction wrestling power from Robert Mugabe who want to hand it over to his wife and her G40 factions and not about transforming Zanu PF from a dictatorship into a democracy. Professor Moyo confirms this.

“When Chiwenga met Mugabe the day after the coup on November 16, he presented a two-page list of grievances with seven talking points, six of which were about succession politics in Zanu PF in favour of Emmerson Mnangagwa and veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war who claim to be the country's stockholders; and one grievance was about security of tenure for the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) "command element" and their fear of future prosecution for treason.”

By extension the junta will not honour its promise to hold free, fair and credible elections because, should Zanu PF lose the elections, they will be back in trouble on all seven points! Given Zimbabwe’s serious economic situation; with unemployment a nauseating 90%, ¾ of the people living on US$1.00 a day, there is no question that the economic rot in the country cannot be allowed to continue. The only way to end the economic rot is to end the political rot that is causing it.

Zimbabwe must implement the democratic reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections. Five months out of power has help Professor Moyo to accept the need for free and fair elections. No doubt a similar cooling off period will allow President Mnangagwa, VP Chiwenga and the rest in the junta to see the wisdom of accepting democratic change because one way or the other political change must happen!