Give a fool rope enough, and he will hang himself; so goes the old adage. Zimbabwe’s political fools are swinging in the breeze!
“The activities of NGOs in our country, in the majority of cases, have not been developmental. The US and other Western countries have been splashing money to elements of the opposition with a view to effect regime change. That has nothing to do with promotion of democracy,’ fired (or rather misfired) Patrick Chinamasa, Zanu PF’s acting spokes person.
“In Zimbabwe, if one wants to buy a house or a car without working for it, he or she just needs to join an NGO and give out to that NGO that he was opposed to the ruling party and money will be provided.”
Chinamasa was commending on US Senator Rand Paul’s criticism of USAID for spending US$10 million trying to democratise Zimbabwe.
There is no denying that millions if not billions of USD in donor funds have been poured into Zimbabwe to promote democracy and good governance and there is precious little to show for it. Still, that does not mean there is no need for democracy and good governance in the country.
Indeed, with 50% of the country’s population now living in extreme poverty, with the country’s education and health care all but completely collapsed after decades of being starved of funds, etc. the need for good governance is greater now than ever before.
Yes the Zimbabwe’s NGOs and opposition leaders are corrupt and incompetent but nothing compared to the Zanu PF ruling elite and Comrade Chinamasa knows it! .
“In Zimbabwe, if one wants to buy not a house but a sprawling Blue Roof house mansion worth US$2 billion, not just have a car but a fleet of posh cars, have five star overseas education and health care services, have multiple farms, a multimillion dollar business empire, have an extravagant lifestyle, etc., etc. without working for it, he or she just needs to join Zanu PF. And to top it all, will be minister for donkey years!” Chinamasa should have added, after all he was minister for 38 years!
And there lays the nub of it all! Of course, the ordinary Zimbabweans would have never voted for the building of the US$2 billions Blue Roof whilst the country’s hospitals and schools rotted and decayed from neglect.
When the nation was fighting to end white colonial oppression “One man! One vote!” was the clarion call and everyone believed in the freedom and dignity of all the citizens. Sadly, by the time the country gained her independence, Zanu PF had forgotten all that in pursuit of absolute power.
Zanu PF’s campaign message in 1980 was that the civil war would continue is the party failed to win the elections and so the people voted to end the war and kissed “one man! One vote!” good bye. Zanu PF has rigged all the elections ever since.
Zanu PF has made “regime change” a dirty phase when in reality it is the very essence of free, fair and credible elections. Free and fair elections are a right and not a privilege to be given to some and denied to other as those in power see fit. The ultimate expression of the free vote is for the voters to remove anyone from office if they so wished!
"On paper, the reason being advanced for this colossal funding is because America wants to help in developing Zimbabwe's democratic institutions. In reality, however, the real reason for this funding is to enable America to create, fund and control a pliant and puppet government in Zimbabwe, a government that will play to the whims and fantasies of America's neo- imperialist agenda," chipped in Obert Gutu.
Gutu was the MDC-T a deputy minister in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect Gutu and his fellow MDC leaders into power on the understanding they would bring about the democratic changes the nation was dying for.
However when MDC leaders got into power, Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and they forgot about implementing the reforms to fighting to maintain the de facto one party dictatorship.
Power, wealth and privilege stopped MDC leaders seeing the evil of the dictatorship and the human suffering and deaths it had brought to the nation just as the same trio had blinded Chinamasa and his fellow Zanu PF cronies.
It was US ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, “was a flawed and indecisive character who would be an albatross round Zimbabwe’s neck if he ever got into power”. MDC did get into power in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The party failed to implement even one the democratic reforms in five years, proving ambassador Dell was right!
USAID had no business working with the MDC’s corrupt and incompetent leaders, especially after the GNU debacle. And so USA Senators Rand Paul was right in his scathing criticism of USAID for working with MDC leaders even to this day!
In Zimbabwe, Zanu PF ruling elite have Blue Roof mansion, fleet of cars, …. The rest, povo, are doomed to live and die in extreme poverty, hopelessness and dumb anguish. This is the reality in Zimbabwe; it does have to be this way and, unless people demand meaningful democratic change, this it will remain.
@ Mbofana
ReplyDelete“However, the system itself, of partisan politics, thrives on opportunism, whose hallmark is driving a wedge between the population - a system of divide and conquer - whereby, purely artificial and manufactured differences are created, so as to foment hatred and distrust amongst the people, thereby making it relatively easier for us to lose focus on the main issues that surround our livelihoods and future, whilst the politicians greedily and selfishly feed off the country's treasure trough.
“Since when have opposition parties 'cooperated' with ruling parties?
“If the other system, of adversary and contestation between political parties, had been farcical - what we are now seeing in Zimbabwe is downright absurd, laughable, and crazy.
“What are we to make of the leader of the country's ruling party congratulating - and, practically endorsing - an opposition party's internal elections, and the victory of its new leader, with apparently endearing promises of ‘cooperation’?"
Both Zanu PF and MDC leaders have proven themselves to be unfit to govern many times over but they are still in positions of power and authority only because the Zimbabwe electorate are naive and gullible.
By the late 1980s when the true picture of what Zanu PF had been doing during Gukurahundi, no nation worth its salt would have allowed Mugabe and his cronies to remain in power by hook or by crook. Zimbabweans turned a blind eye to it all!
The 2008 to 2013 presented the nation with its best opportunity ever to implement the democratic reforms and end the de facto one party dictatorship. Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold out big time. The Zimbabwe electorate are so shallow, thick and slow that, to this day, many still have no idea what the GNU was about!
Nations get the government they deserve and we certainly deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the equally corrupt and incompetent MDC plus the rest on the utterly useless opposition parties.
Zimbabweans are not yet ready for democracy and good governance. Even if the nation was to get a democratic system in a silver platter in the morning by the evening the dictatorship will be back and thriving!
Mwonzora calls Mnangagwa, President!
ReplyDeleteSo the July 2018 elections were free, fair and credible, as far as Mwonzora and his faction of the MDC-T are concerned? This being so, then Zanu PF does not have to implement any reforms before the next elections and we can expect the same blatant rigging - no verified voters' roll, Zimbabweans in the diaspora denied the vote, abuse of state sponsored assistance for Zanu PF political gain, Chiefs and other traditional leaders harassing the voters, etc.
MDC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform when they had the chance to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and thus proved beyond all doubt that they are corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. The problem is with us Zimbabweans, we have failed to accept the reality that MDC leaders are useless and so are hoping against hope that they will deliver free and fair elections! The question is for how long are we going to bury our heads in the sand?
@ Luke Tamborinyoka
ReplyDeleteYou are 100% correct, Zanu PF is “an inept regime with a penchant for repression and violence.”
My beef with you Mr Tamborinyoka and your fellow MDC leaders is you are “an inept opposition with a penchant for headlines but will never implement the reforms even when given a golden opportunity to do so!”
MDC failed to get even one reform implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Not even one reform in 5 years! By participating in the 2013 and then 2018 flawed and illegal elections you gave legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF regime.
Indeed, all your “Luke - ing the beast in the eye!” articles are not about fight for reforms without which there is no hope of the country getting out of this mess; it is to position yourself to contest the 2023 elections with no reforms!
You lot have given up the fight to implement the democratic reforms so we can have free, fair and credible elections for the sake of a few gravy train seats Zanu PF is offering for participating in flawed elections. All you care about is power and will willingly sacrifice the rest of the nation to get into power. Enough is enough!
None of our black nationalist leaders ever believed in "One man! One vote!" and the right to free, fair and credible elections. They only paid lip service to the idea. Long before the country attained her independence, both Zanu PF and PF Zapu were angling to make Zimbabwe a one-party state with their own respective party as the dominant party. Several attempts were made to unite the two party as a compromise position but it never work because they did not agree on how the spoils would be shared.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections after the November 2017 military coup, that was just a tongue in check.
As far as Zanu PF is concerned Zimbabweans can have free, fair and credible elections as long as that does not result in regime change. The nation can stamp out corruption as long as the ruling elite are allowed to loot to bankroll their mansions, fleet of cars, etc. After 40 years of uninterrupted rule Zanu PF thugs are now addicted to absolute power and their lifestyle of unparalleled luxury and comfort. They now view rigging elections to secure their iron grip on power and looting, how else can they maintain their lavish lifestyles, as their divine right!
Yes the 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical rule have turned Zimbabwe into a Banana Republic whose economy has all but collapsed pushing millions into a life of abject poverty, hopelessness and despair. For 40 years Zimbabweans have allowed Zanu PF thugs to ride roughshod over their hopes and dreams and have done nothing to stop the madness.
In the long run, nations get the government they deserve. In Zimbabwe we certainly deserve this Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its entourage of equally corrupt and incompetent opposition parties.
It is high time we told Mnangagwa, Chinamasa and the rest of Zanu PF thugs that Zimbabwe will implement the democratic reforms and hold its first ever free, fair and credible elections. If the people elect to have regime change they will have regime change; Zanu PF has no say in the matter! None!