There is a growing hunger by an ever increasing pool Zimbabweans to engage
in serious debate and search for the country’s way out of this hell-on-earth
mess the nation finds itself in. This is just what the doctor ordered!
Last week Terence Simbi, wrote a first class article entitled “Zidera
2018 amendments Act, What does this mean for Zimbabwe?” in Bulawayo 24. Today
there is another first class article by Vivid Gwede “Mnangagwa’s new political project”,
again in Bulawayo 24. In the article Gwede makes it as plain as the nose on
your face why Mnangagwa will never ever bring about democratic change, a just
and prosperous Zimbabwe that has eluded us for the last 38 years – Mnangagwa is
a corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrant who thinks he can deliver democracy
and yet still hold on to the dictatorship.
“The hunger for power and its subsequent misuse, even above national
interest and institutions, is what has been at the centre of Zimbabwe's decline,”
writes Gwede.
“Yet, there appears to be some belief that change can occur without addressing this fault.
“Events since November through to the July election can testify to how the "new" ruling circle represents that rule-less politics.”
“Yet, there appears to be some belief that change can occur without addressing this fault.
“Events since November through to the July election can testify to how the "new" ruling circle represents that rule-less politics.”
Actually the Zanu PF leaders’ love of absolute power and the blind pursuit
of power regardless of the consequences goes back to the formative days of the
party itself. It is no secret that Mugabe and his fellow nationalist have
always wanted to impose a one-party state for no other reason than that it was
the only political system that would guarantee absolute power for themselves.
Yes, Mugabe and the rest in Zanu PF started off, in the fight to end
white colonial rule, with “One person, one vote!” Of course, they knew that
they could not have their one-party state and still have “One person, one vote!”
They ditched the latter!
When the Lancaster House Constitution imposed the multi-party democratic
system on the country, Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies set out to achieve the de
facto one-party dictatorship by foul means; the systematic undermining of the
democratic institutions, Gukurahundi massacre which force PF Zapu to join Zanu
PF, etc.
The country has had many golden opportunities to dismantle the Zanu PF
dictatorship the best of which was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The late Morgan
Tsvangirai and his fellow MDC leaders were tasked to implement a raft of
democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF’s dictatorial control over the
corrupted state institutions, etc. They had five years to implement the reforms
and yet failed to get even one reform implemented. Not one!
Yes, of course, MDC leaders are corrupt and incompetent and the sold-out
during the GNU and on numerous other occasions. But one has to look deeper!
“Zimbabwe has been sailing shy of that orbit of democratic conduct and
contestation, preferring rather a continuation of unfair tactics and political
entitlement by a few people,” wrote Gwede.
“Ruling political elites assume themselves to have an infinite and inexhaustible anointment to rule the country by virtue of (an otherwise heroic national contribution of) being former liberation war fighters.”
“Ruling political elites assume themselves to have an infinite and inexhaustible anointment to rule the country by virtue of (an otherwise heroic national contribution of) being former liberation war fighters.”
Beside the reasons of being corrupt, etc. given above there was also one
more reason Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends, many of whom did not fight
in the war of liberation, failed to implement the democratic reforms – deep down
they all believed Zanu PF leaders are entitled to rule. MDC leaders were not
interested in dismantling the Zanu PF dictatorship but in getting Zanu PF to
accept them into this exclusive ruling elite club!
“Morgan Tsvangirai was stupid to agree to take part in the 2013
elections with no voters’ roll. I will not repeat the same mistake!” said
Nelson Chamisa before this year’s elections.
Of course Tsvangirai was stupid, but not that stupid not to have known
that Zanu PF was legally obliged to release the voters’ roll and that without
the voters’ roll Zanu PF will blatantly rig the elections. The voters’ roll was
the smoking gun. Tsvangirai and his MDC friends knowingly agreed to let Zanu PF
rig the elections and have no smoking gun to prove the rigging because MDC was
not interested in democratic change, free and fair elections, etc.
MDC leaders were after the few gravy train seats they knew Zanu PF would
give away to entice the opposition to take party in the elections regardless
how flawed and illegal the election process happened to be.
Nelson Chamisa and his MDC Alliance participated in this year’s
elections, knowingly repeating the same stupid mistake they made in 2013!
“The people will never be thankful that they are fed abundantly from the
same hand that seeks to disempower, disenfranchise, dehumanise and delimit
their freedom,” concluded Gwede
“If the political project of producing a happy and well-fed oppressed subject failed in Rhodesia, or elsewhere in colonial Africa, it should be even more awkward in Zimbabwe now. People want freedom and food.
“Not freedom or food. This is why the so-called New Dispensation's political project of food minus votes is unacceptable.”
“If the political project of producing a happy and well-fed oppressed subject failed in Rhodesia, or elsewhere in colonial Africa, it should be even more awkward in Zimbabwe now. People want freedom and food.
“Not freedom or food. This is why the so-called New Dispensation's political project of food minus votes is unacceptable.”
I would argue that those who believe that Zimbabwe can achieve economic
prosperity without freedom and naïve and insane. Zimbabwe is in this economic
and political mess because for 38 years we have allowed Zanu PF to deny us a meaningful
say in the governance of the country in the vain hope the regime will deliver
economic prosperity. Of course, it is insane to still hold on to the foolish
notion that corrupt, vote rigging and murderous tyrants like Mnangagwa will
bring economic prosperity even after 38 years of failing to do so!
As long as the people cannot hold those governing them to democratic
account the latter will, more often than not, always act in their selfish
interest.
“Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall
be added unto you,” said Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of independent
Ghana.
The second point is that Zimbabweans must develop the political
sophistication to jangle with two balls, ideas. It is not only enough to
realise that Zanu PF is a party of corrupt and voting rigging thugs but also to
realise that the party has managed to stay in power these last two decades thanks
to MDC leaders who too, like Zanu PF, have sold-out on the national struggle of
freedom, liberty and justice for all.
12 comments:
Chamisa went into these elections without even insisting on ZEC releasing a verified voters' roll. Of course, he knew the elections would be rigged. He was cocksure he would win the rigged elections. He was being very foolish and reckless in thinking he could win rigged elections.
No one in their right mind would respect Mnangagwa for rigging the elections but no one in their right mind would respect Chamisa for being so foolish and reckless in dragging the nation into such a flawed and illegal election process!
Residents of Bulawayo went on the rampage in the early hours of Sunday morning damaging several shops and vehicles following a power failure I the middle of a hugely attended South African music group, The Soul Brothers.
The country's infrastructure is falling apart after decades of neglect!
What is interesting here is that Zimbabwe should protest because a music concert was interrupted and yet have done nothing when the country's sewage, water, health, etc. have failed resulting in the outbreak of such medieval period diseases such as cholera. It goes to show this is a nation with its priorities up side down!
Poor Chamisa, he is now desperate for political relevance.
It is one thing to say "King David inspires me!" if you can say one thing you have ever done to show you were inspired.
"Tsvangirai was stupid to take part in the 2013 elections with no verified voters' roll. I will never make the same mistake!" you said.
You went on to participate in this year's election with no verified voters' roll. How stupid was that?
I hope you are not suggesting that it was King David who has inspired you to do all these foolish things!
Chiefs from Masvingo Province have demanded that Government builds new and bigger houses to match the trendy Isuzu Twin Cabs they got from government recently.
The chiefs made the demands to the new Minister of State for Masvingo Province Ezra Chanzamira at a meeting held in the city to familiarise with the chiefs.
Well, if Mnangagwa can afford to charter a plane for a cool US$1.4 million at the drop of a hat, the chiefs must feel the tyrant has plenty of cash and they deserve more than just the twin cab Isuzu trucks. After all these Chiefs have lost all the nation's respect and relevance by allowing themselves to be used as Zanu PF's proxies in the dictatorship. The Chiefs have reduced the rural voters to nothing more than serfs beholden the oppressive Zanu PF landlords!
"They are saying they want me to go to Parliament and I said: 'Are you sick?' I was elected to go to State House and not Parliament," he said.
"Hold forth because we are not easily convinced. I have no fear because I know you are solidly behind me," said Chamisa.
Chamisa is being totally irrational here.
Whilst many would agree that Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections it is nonsensical that he should be declared the winner! Zanu PF denied 2 to 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, for example, who is to say they would have all voted for Chamisa?
The elections were rigged, these elections should have never gone ahead without first implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. The elections went ahead because of Chamisa would not listen to the warning because of his foolishness and greed. Now he wants to be declared the winner of rigged elections!
"When I talk about investors, I am not talking about fly-by-nights. I am not talking about one person coming in and employing one person and possibly moving into space that should be occupied by Zimbabwean entrepreneurs," said former Botswana president Ian Khama.
"I am talking about people, investors who will come in and genuinely add value to your economy and allow your economy to grow, who will contribute to your economy and will also contribute to employment creation. Every government is responsible for finding ways of creating employment for its people and not for creating employment for outsiders."
Sadly, Zimbabwe is a pariah state and when you are a pariah state the only type of investors who comes knocking at your door is the dodgy one!
THE once powerful Joice Mujuru's political career is collapsing like a deck of cards. Her close allies are lining up to desert her following a poor showing in the July 30 elections.
Former Zanu-PF politburo member and ex-Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire last week became the latest party official to dump Mujuru announcing he had joined the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa.
The former vice-president contested her first presidential election as an opposition leader after putting together a coalition of fringe parties that constituted the People's Rainbow Coalition (PRC) but came out severely bruised.
Mujuru was humiliated in the polls won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, her former fierce rival in Zanu-PF.
She blamed her loss on a skewed electoral playing field and alleged rigging by Zanu-PF, but former senior NPP leaders that have abandoned her to seek new political homes in the ruling party and MDC Alliance believe she was her own worst enemy.
Itai Munyoro, a former NPP senior official, said Mujuru's refusal to join the MDC Alliance ahead of the elections was to blame for her misfortunes.
The elections were rigged but it is nonsensical for Mai Mujuri or any of the opposition candidates to complain of that now when they were warned this would happen and they refused to listen.
The speech was devoid of the characteristic belligerent rhetoric that was synonymous with his predecessor.
Besides regurgitating Mugabe's mantra about the lifting of sanctions, he used the trip to the Big Apple to reassure the world's political and financial leaders that his "Zimbabwe is open for business" agenda was an embrace of international cooperation.
He ditched the vitriol and combative nationalism to make way to the let's-make-a-deal businessman, as he invited world and business leaders to invest in what he called a Second Republic of Zimbabwe.
Yes Mnangagwa's speech was "devoid of the characteristic (Mugabe) belligerent rhetoric" but, sadly, it was still devoid of any sense too. What is the point of telling the world "Zimbabwe is open for business!" when it is not? Mnangagwa has just rigged the recent elections and thus confirming the country is still a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs.
The British had tried to mislead the world into believing the Mnangagwa regime was different from the Mugabe one but even they could not deny the elections were rigged. By public telling the regime it had rigged the elections the British hammered the last nail in the regime's coffin, no investor will ever want to invest in a pariah state.
Matabeleland South Senator Simon Khaya Moyo has hailed President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his State of the Nation address which he said was loaded with a lot of promises.
"We the Members of Parliament of Zimbabwe, desire to express our loyalty to Zimbabwe and beg leave to offer our respectful thanks for the speech, which you have been pleased to address to Parliament," he said.
"On 18th September, 2018 at 12 noon, the Parliament of Zimbabwe in a joint sitting and the nation at large listened to a lucid, focused and well- tailored presentation on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) eloquently delivered by His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. It was an address loaded with substance and delivered with much authority, marking the official opening of the Ninth Parliament and outlining a comprehensive legislative agenda, with 27 Bills expected to be tabled."
Zanu PF leaders are used to having to grovel before their leaders in the true chairman Mao Zedong tradition. A speech "loaded with substance" and yet poor Simon Khaya Moyo would have failed to name even one substantive issue even if his life depended on it! After all the years of grovelling to Robert Mugabe now they have to do it all over again to the new top dog. Just as well humans no longer sport a thick coat of hair, Zanu PF leaders would have distinct hairless knee pads similar to those on front legs of goats after all these decades of grovelling.
Zimbabwe is in serious political and economic trouble and we are sleep walking deeper and deeper into this hell. It is not so much that our problems cannot be solved, they can all be easily solve, our real problem is we are doing nothing to address them.
Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the recent elections and yet there many people out there to whom it is water off a duck's back. We have no hope of ever getting a competent government if we do not even know what constitute free, fair and credible elections!
It was the British who wanted Zanu PF to invite MDC into some sort of coalition arrangement be is by offering MDC Alliance some ministerial post of offering Chamisa the "Leader of the Opposition" post complete with the ministerial perks just to avoid naming the Mnangagwa government as the winner of the recent elections. By saying the government was a coalition the British hope that would make calling the winner unnecessary. The coalition took forever to materialise and the British had no choice but to admit Zanu rigged the elections.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, forming the coalition will not change the fact that Zanu PF rigged the elections and is therefore illegitimate.
Zimbabwe's economic recovery depends on attracting foreign investors. No investor will ever want to do business with in a pariah state even one with a few opposition sell-outs as coalition partners!
Those interested in the political kingdom are interested in the long term those whose interests are for the here, now and me focus on the economic interests. When you have an electorate that is more interested in getting a T-shirt, food and drink it is near impossible to engage them on policy or any big issues of the day. The poor tend to focus on the bread and salt economic needs and are not interested in the detail of how, when, etc. and so are easily fooled.
The situation is made worse when there is no freedom of expression and the government of the day has total control of the media and therefore can brainwash the people, as is the case in Zimbabwe.
Nearly four decades of poverty and brainwashing by Zanu PF has reduced the majority of the Zimbabwean voters into mindless sheep who will always do as their are told by the political leaders. Both Zanu PF and MDC have a pool of supporters who have supported the party no questions asked. The concept of holding leaders to account, political power, is completely alien to these people.
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