“The nature of our politics today demands, in my view, greater tolerance, cross-fertilisation of ideas from different corners of political and economic thought and inclusiveness. If I had my way into the ears of our politicians, as in 2008, I would recommend going the GNU way,” argued Gideon Gono, former RBZ governor.
This is the kind of foolishness that has landed Zimbabwe in this man-made hell-on-earth and the kind of foolishness that has kept us there, stuck!
The 2008 to 2013 GNU did bring about considerable economic recovery, no one would deny that, but no one would deny the country had sunk to nauseating depths. Before the GNU inflation had soared to the dizzying heights of 500 billion percent, it was near impossible to conduct any meaningful business transaction. The scrapping of the Z$ alone was enough to bring back confidence and sanity in the economy!
The reason why Zimbabwe is in the same economic and political mess it was in before the 2008 GNU is that no meaningful political reforms were implemented during the GNU. A new GNU, extended to ten years instead of five, by the same Zanu PF and MDC players will not implement any meaningful reforms and so, at the end of the GNU we will be back to where we are today.
As for the new GNU delivering any economic recovery, it will be marginal at best because the economic situation now is totally different from that in 2008.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess is the failure to remove the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF from office because the party rigged the elections. 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and rank lawlessness have reduced Zimbabwe into a pariah state in economic ruins.
The proposed new GNU to last until 2030 is just an excuse to keep Zanu PF in power just as the 2008 GNU was an excuse to keep the party in power after it had blatantly rigged the 2008 elections. At least back then SADC leaders had forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to sign the Global Political Agreement agreeing to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the curse of rigged elections.
It is a great tragedy that Morgan Tsvangirai and his corrupt and incompetent MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.
At least the 2008 GNU had implementing the reforms as a set objective. Mnangagwa has already made it clear that the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible; other than Chamisa’s dispute over the presidential vote count, a position endorsed by all Zimbabwe’s opposition parties; and so there will be no meaningful reforms implemented throughout this new GNU.
So after yet another GNU, lasting ten years, we will be back where we are today, this a dysfunctional political system with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of 130, at the last count, equally corrupt and incompetent opposition parties!
“We are too polarised for a winner-take-all type of approach. No electioneering for next 10 years as we rebuild our economy,” continue Dr Gono.
“We ought to suspend elections till 2030 and rather focus on the economy and the survival of our people in a climate of peace, mutual respect, trust, good governance, tolerance of diversity, human, gender and property rights while deepening our international respectability and acceptance by the West, East, South and North. How we can achieve that is a matter of detail with failure not being an option.
“We must in that period ban all manner and spectrum of violence, shun any acts, real or perceptions of abductions, harassments of citizens, abuses of office, violence or negative feelings against and fears of our law enforcement agencies and make them darlings of our people regardless of colour, creed or political affiliation, make it everyone's job to create jobs for our youths, women, war vets, and the landless while creating an atmosphere of true healing and mutual forgiveness between and among us Zimbabweans.
“There is so much we can do in 10 years before we decide to go back into the divisive competition for these political office again. Let's pause and find and help each other. There is too much hatred, suspicion, abuses, gossip and negativity out there it's not healthy!”
Dr Gono, spare us your truckload of bull!
There is one reason why democracy; free, fair and credible elections; freedom of expression and association; open debate; democratic competition; etc. have failed in Zimbabwe - Zanu PF leaders have refused to be bound by rule of law and democracy. After 40 years of allowing Zanu PF to ride roughshod of the people’s freedoms, rights and dreams to appease the Zanu PF demons at the expense of the nation well being and survival you still want the madness to continue. NO! Enough is enough!
The way forward for Zimbabwe is to tell Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies that they rigged the July 2018 elections, they have no democratic mandate to govern, they are illegitimate and they must step down. The country needs an interim administration that will implement the reforms culminating in the holding of free, fair and credible elections.
The way out of this man-made hell-on-earth Zanu PF has landed us in is to dismantle the dictatorship and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government. The dictatorship must be dismantled and not given yet another lease of live under the guise of a new GNU!
@ Nomazulu
ReplyDeleteHätte der Hund nicht geschießen, hätte der Haufen nicht gegeben, this is a German adage it means we regret bitterly the decisions we made in previous times. Indeed if the dog had not shot, the heap would not have given. Joshua Nkomo warned the people of Mashonaland about their decision to vote Zanu PF into power as early as 1980. To quote him verbatim he said: "This pasi newe is dangerous. This very slogan will come and hound the very people its purporting to have liberated today and the Gukurahundi grand plan that seemed to quench the long-awaited revenge of peoples of Mashonaland against the Ndebele's.
Zanu PF has poisoned Zimbabwe politics and the sooner the country can revive the economy the sooner we can start washing the poison out of our system. The four decades of Zanu PF misrule has not done us any good, four decades of the poison sloshing in our veins has been really tough!
Chinono and Ngarivhume in leg irons at Chikurumbi.
ReplyDeleteThis is not necessary.
ReplyDeleteA South African broadcaster has claimed that some countries in the world were likely to push for Zimbabwe to be put on the United Nations Security Council agenda over gross human rights violations.
Zimbabwe was last put on the UN Security Council agenda in 2008 after several opposition members and supporters were killed during a run-off election which was later boycotted by the late opposition leader MDC Alliance president Morgan Tsvangirai over the killings.
The broadcaster, Sophie Mokoena tweeted after the hashtag campaign #ZimbabweanLivesMatter continued trending yesterday to raise alarm to the world over the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has been on the regional agenda for donkey years now; we need the matter addressed decisively! The matter is simple enough, we have a regime that will not accept that it is democratically accountable to the people and hence has failed to hold free, fair and credible elections. Having a corrupt and incompetent opposition camp has not helped the matter!
Said Khama, “I saw this as an opportunity for Zimbabwe to break from the past ways of doing things as there were indications that the country will be on the path to prosperity again.
ReplyDelete“Sadly, that part of the letter which hoped that there would be a new dispensation unfortunately has not happened and Zimbabweans are saying their situation is now worse than it was under Mugabe.”
Khama said Zimbabwe needed free and fair elections to allow its citizens to exercise their democratic right to choose their leaders.
“The problem is that there has been rigging of elections which has not allowed that to happen as we now hear from Zimbabweans who have come to work here,” Khama said.
The ex-leader said Zimbabweans were suffering from a lot of difficulties.
“That country has so much potential, the biggest and greatest resource are the people who are able to turn things around. I think that is a starting point,” he said.
He urged Zimbabweans to keep trying their best despite hanging on to hardships for too long.
The root cause of all Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The country has been stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime for the last 40 years and counting. Zanu PF has rigged elections to stay in power against the democratic wishes of the people.
The 2008 to 2013 GNU was meant to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and stop the rigging of elections. Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC cohort of opportunists failed to implement even one reform in five years.
Of all the SADC leaders, President Ian Khama was one of the few who really understood the critical importance of free and fair elections as the key to ending Zimbabwe’s crisis. It is a great pity that he stood alone during the GNU and stands alone now!