"Seek ye first the political kingdom" advised Nkrumah - after 38 years of blundering, the penny has finally dropped W Mukori

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.