"We are free to comment on ED FaceBook page," says Mike - is that all you ever wanted N Garikai

“The English writer George Orwell once famously wrote, "if liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.",” wrote Mike Harare in a well received and appropriately titled piece “The new-found freedom to speak our mind”. See Bulawayo 24.

“We Zimbabweans understand the truth of this statement all too well. For years, we have not had true liberty. Not only could we not have told our former president what he did not want to hear, but we couldn't even mention his name. We were scared to say the word Mugabe – on the street, at work and even at home. To do so meant risking our lives.

“Today things are different. Whatever our views of ED and his 'new dispensation', we can all acknowledge that things have changed. All you need to do is open the newspaper, walk down the street, sit in the barber, travel in a kombi, or even look at ED's Facebook page. Wherever you look you hear and see freedom. People debating, questioning, arguing and criticising. If you don't believe me, scroll down the comments on ED's Facebook to see that people now feel free - could anyone imagine Robert Mugabe having a Facebook page, let alone openly writing what they thought of him on it?”

My brother, you are like someone who has been cooked up in the dark for a long time (for black Zimbabweans it has been a lifetime since we had no freedom of speech before or after independence); they are so glad to be out in the light although they can see nothing! Calm down, close your eyes and take a more careful and considered look; you will see that things are NOT that different.

When was the last time you opened The Herald, The Chronicle or any of all the other public media but Zanu PF controlled newspapers? You will not find many “people debating, questioning, arguing and criticising” ED and Zanu PF there. I do know what I am talking about because I have send my opinion pieces to Bulawayo 24, Zimeye and few other independent publications plus “zimpaper”. Not even one of my articles has ever seen the light of day, there are millions of others who have been similarly shut out. The situation is even worse on ZBC radio and tv!  So much to your “new-found freedom to speak our mind”!

The nation is holding elections in a few weeks’ time and still we do not have freedom of expression and a free public media. How can the elections be judged free, fair and credible if the voters are allowed to know only the good about the Zanu PF candidates and the bad or nothing about the other candidates?

The full extent of freedom and liberty is NOT just to speak one’s mind, or as you say, “to openly write what one thinks of a leader on his/her Facebook page!” Being afforded the opportunity to speaking one’s mind is an essential start but must never ever be an end in itself.

The most important thing here is that all those aspiring or holding public office are duty bound, as contrast to doing the people a favour, to afford the people the opportunity to have meaningful say in the governance of the country – the ultimate meaningful say if a free, fair and credible vote whose consequence is freely elect or reject the leader.

Whilst no one would deny that people were scared of talking openly of Mugabe’s reign of terror still the worst part was not that they could not talk about but that they were stuck with the regime. For nearly four decades the nation has failed to remove this incompetent, corrupt and murderous regime from office because it rigged elections. It should be noted that Mugabe’s captain of the guard who carried out all the vote rigging, looting and political murders was none other than President Mnangagwa assisted by VP Chiwenga, Minister Shiri, Minister S B Moyo and many of those now in the “new dispensation”.  

“Zanu PF ichatonga! Igotonga! Imi muchingo hukura! Nokuhukura!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule! Whilst you (calling for reforms) bark! And bark!) said President Mnangagwa soon after the November coup.

Millions of dollars in treasure were lost and tens of thousands lives lost in the fight for independence and even more in treasure and human lives were lost since then in the fight to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. If all the nation get out of all this sacrifice is the freedom to comment on ED’s Facebook page then it was not worth the candle!

No wonder the country is in a real mess, with such naïve and myopic citizens like Mike, this country is ripe for dictators and tyrants to rule forever. And worse still, the nation will never ever get out of the mess with braindead citizens like Mike around. Never ever!