"In the end, the solution shall
not come from Sadc or the UN but by Zimbabweans themselves," said Farai
Maguwu.
Farai is right that SADC, UN and the world at large are looking at Zimbabweans themselves taking the lead in defining why they want to go, especially in the light of the failed 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC got involved then and Zimbabweans let them down by failing to implement even one reform in five years. MDC leaders including Morgan Tsvangirai even had the chutzpah to blame SADC for their own incompetence.
Zimbabweans have yet to come up with a workable way out that SADC and the UN can support. The two solutions Zimbabweans are supporting in numbers right now are both unworkable. No outsiders will support ever support the call by a number of Zimbabwe's opposition parties for electoral reforms. None of those parties have ever produced any convincing argument to show that these reforms would change anything because these reforms will change nothing.
Indeed, the call for electoral reforms is nothing but MDC leaders hiding behind their fingers, a carry on from their pathetic performance during the GNU.
Some Zimbabweans have taken to the street protest with zeal. This is an effective way forward when the protesters have a clear view of what is wrong and what should be done to put things to right. The people's call for 2.2 million jobs Zanu PF promised before the 2013 elections, for example, is too general. After 36 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule the world expects the people’s call for free and fair elections to be as clear as the bell in the morning air.
Farai is right that SADC, UN and the world at large are looking at Zimbabweans themselves taking the lead in defining why they want to go, especially in the light of the failed 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC got involved then and Zimbabweans let them down by failing to implement even one reform in five years. MDC leaders including Morgan Tsvangirai even had the chutzpah to blame SADC for their own incompetence.
Zimbabweans have yet to come up with a workable way out that SADC and the UN can support. The two solutions Zimbabweans are supporting in numbers right now are both unworkable. No outsiders will support ever support the call by a number of Zimbabwe's opposition parties for electoral reforms. None of those parties have ever produced any convincing argument to show that these reforms would change anything because these reforms will change nothing.
Indeed, the call for electoral reforms is nothing but MDC leaders hiding behind their fingers, a carry on from their pathetic performance during the GNU.
Some Zimbabweans have taken to the street protest with zeal. This is an effective way forward when the protesters have a clear view of what is wrong and what should be done to put things to right. The people's call for 2.2 million jobs Zanu PF promised before the 2013 elections, for example, is too general. After 36 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule the world expects the people’s call for free and fair elections to be as clear as the bell in the morning air.
SADC and the UN would be tempted to
support the proposed National Transitional Authority (NTA) but not in the
format proposed by Ibbo Mandaza and his friends. The NTA will not deliver any
meaningful democratic changes whilst it subject to the authority of parliament
and other Zanu PF control institutions, which is what Mandaza is proposing.
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess in
which unemployment has soared to the world record levels of 90% and 76% of the
population are so poor they cannot afford one decent meal a day. Zimbabwe’s
economic mess is at odds with one would have expected given the nation’s rich
wealth of national resources of agricultural lands, minerals and a hardworking
people. This national tragedy has come to pass because we have had the great misfortune
of being stuck with a corrupt and incompetent regime for 36 years, unable to
remove it from office regardless of all the evidence of the regime’s disastrous
failures.
When the nation attained its
independence in 1980 we should not have paid attention only to removing the
white colonial regime but also to what kind of government we wanted to replace
it. We are in this mess because we did not take the necessary steps to ensure
post-independent Zimbabwe was ruling by competent leaders democratically
accountable to the people.
After 36 years of gross mismanagement and
rampant corruption that has dragged the nation into the depths of economic
despair, we have still not learnt the critical importance of good governance,
free and fair elections to demand it for ourselves. The truth is we are not
getting out of this economic mess until we take the task of ensuring we have an
accountable government with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands. Zimbabweans
have to make a conscious decision to democratic change; SADC and the UN will,
at best, play a supporting role but never the lead role.
President Mugabe very lucky on two fronts;
ReplyDelete1) He inherited a strong economy and has used this wealth to bribe many, many people to do his dirty bidding.
2) He has had some of the world's most corrupt and incompetent opponents complete with some of the world's naive and gullible electorate.
As a nation, we have not taken the responsibility of ensuring we have a healthy and functional democratic system with the seriousness and urgency the matter demands. 36 years after independence and we are still as negligent of our duty is unforgivable but worst thing is we have paid dearly for our e still, we have paid dearly for our negligence. We have denied ourselves of hope and future.
ReplyDeleteSADC has teeth and was prepared to use them too to get Mugabe to honor his half of the GPA. When it was clear that MDC was not interested in implementing any reforms, regardless of the pressure SADC brought to bear on Tsvangirai and his friends to do so, there was very little SADC could do.
ReplyDeleteMugabe bribed MDC to kick reforms into the tall grass and once that was done there was little SADC could do to force them to act. Indeed SADC is loathed to be involved in Zimbabwe's mess for fear Zimbabwe's corrupt and incompetent opposition will sell-out again.
What Zimbabweans have failed to appreciate all along is just how useless their political leaders are, both ruling party and opposition. SADC would want the Zimbabwe crisis resolved once and once for all but they cannot do so on their on, they need competent Zimbabwean leaders to work with. It is for the people of Zimbabwe to elect competent leaders. We have not do so.
We have nit only elected corrupt and incompetent leaders but have even recycled the same failed leaders over and over again. SADC has teeth but it has the good sense to know it cannot use those teeth on the voters to force them to elect competent leaders!
@ Godfrey
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe's political parties, both ruling and the opposition, have all proven to be corrupt and incompetent; guess who elected these people! Zimbabwe is in serious trouble because of the gross mismanagement and rampant corruption and both the leaders and us the people are to blame for it!