There are many, many reasons one can give why Zimbabwe is a Banana Republic, a pariah state, ruled by corrupt and tyrannical thugs and in a serious economic mess. And, most despairing of all, at complete loss why the country is in such a mess much less how to climb out of the economic and political hell-on-earth the nation finds itself stuck in.
Number one on the list of reason why Zimbabwe is a Banana Republic and stuck there is the nation’s shocking inability to grasp detail. There is a mountain of evidence from which one can easily identify why the country is in this political and economic mess but when one’s reading and grasp of the evidence is so shockingly shallow, almost childish, it is no surprise that the nation again and again gone off at a tangent.
“After almost two decades of a de facto one-party State in Zimbabwe's post-colony, the new millennium's arrival of the MDC coincided with citizens' desperation for a new generation of leadership that is young and vibrant, which could meet their needs of a thriving economy,” argued Mawunganidze and Rinemhota, International Relations students at Africa University.
“Opposition parties give alternative policies that aggregate and respect minority interest; they are part and parcel of the nation-building exercise.
“Despite a challenging political environment in Africa, in general, and Zimbabwe in particular, the opposition parties' critical role cannot be undermined.”
It is obvious that Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies were themselves “young and vibrant” when they took over from the whites in 1980. Emmerson Mnangagwa and many of the Zanu PF leaders were in their 30s and 40s in 1980, the same age as their MDC challengers.
And yet the reason why the nation was so desperate to see the back of Zanu PF is because the country’s economic and political decline was already self-evident regardless of the party having “young and vibrant” leaders. Of course, having young and vibrant leaders is no panacea of political success and it is foolish to suggest so.
Indeed, there is a mountain of evidence proving that MDC “young and vibrant” leaders were completely outwitted by Zanu PF’s old geezers. It was Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were given the task of implementing the democratic reforms and thus dismantle the de facto Zanu PF dictatorship. The had the golden opportunity to do this during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and yet failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and the rest is history!
Our scholars, Mawunganidze and Rinemhota, and many others out there of the same persuasion, are ignoring the historic fact that MDC leaders have already proven beyond doubt that they are corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs. All these serious faults are trumped by the MDC leaders’ supreme virtue, “young and vibrant” the virtue of all virtues.
Of course, we are just arguing in circles since the MDC leaders had the virtue of virtue, youth and vigour during the GNU but it failed to stop them being outwitted. In other words our intellectuals are so shallow, thick and slow they are failing to see they are arguing in circles a fallacious argument.
By the same token Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF old geezers have failed to revive the country’s comatose economy. He cocksure his “Zimbabwe is open for business”! clarion call would open the flood gate of investors and kick start the comatose economy. The 41 years has seen the Zanu PF leaders move from young and vibrant to the old geezers and the country’s economic trajectory has a steady decline throughout – proof age Zanu PF leaders were corrupt and incompetent in their youth and have so remained to old age!
If someone can be corrupt and incompetent in their youth, middle age and old age just as others can be competent and visionary in the youth, middle age and old age; it is self-evident age has nothing to do one’s competence or otherwise. Why something that has become self-evident since the dawn of human civilisation, notably with the Greeks 2 500 years ago, is still an unfathomable mystery to Zimbabwean scholars like Mawunganidze and Rinemhota and a measure of just how shallow, thick and slow they are.
I must say Zimbabwe’s institutions of higher learning are notorious for chaining out Degree and PhD graduates and Professors who are very shallow, thick and slow. A consequence of Zanu PF’s obsession with quantity and disdain for quality.
“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” Said the Greek Philosopher Socrates, 2 500 years ago.
2 500 years latter, we in Zimbabwe have not even reached the level of “weak minds” discussing people. We have a fixation with age; “young and vibrant” is a virtue to be valued above people, events and ideas! It is no wonder we are not only in a political and economic mess but are stuck.
As long as we have an electorate that lacks the common sense to see being young and vibrant is not a virtue and guarantee for competent and quality leaders; there is no hope of Zimbabwe getting out of the mess we are in. None!
If great minds discuss ideas and weak minds discuss people then one has to say idiots discuss something as irrelevant as age, gender, tribe, race, etc. Something some people have failed to raise above even with the benefit of thousands of years of human civilization.
"The rural strategies and mobilisation department aims to increase party visibility in the rural areas through building a robust rural support base.
ReplyDelete"The MDC Alliance is fully aware of the damaging effects of political violence and rural poverty and is focused on fighting for violence-free communities in which the freedom to associate with a political party of one's choice is respected.
"The party is geared to win all rural district council seats to transform rural governance, as Zanu-PF is abusing food aid for political expediency and failing to bring meaningful development," Chidziva said
MDC leaders know that without first implementing the democratic reforms designed to end Zanu PF abuse of State resources and Institutions for selfish political gain the country will never have free, fair and credible elections.
MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms themselves during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to implement even one reform because they sold out. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and with their heads in the feeding trough the forgot about the reforms.
Ever since the GNU debacle MDC leaders have all but given up on getting any reforms implemented and settled for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to entice the opposition to participate. By participating the opposition gives Zanu PF legitimacy.
MDC leaders do not want to admit they are selling out of reforms and so have been coming up with a big song and dance about devising strategies to win rigged elections. This time it is “increase party visibility in the rural areas through building a robust rural support base”! No doubt we will be hearing more about this and many other feeble excuses.
The challenge is for the Zimbabweans themselves, especially those in the urban centres and diaspora to open their eyes and see MDC A and the rest of the opposition for the corrupt and sell-out they are. MDC A is after the few seats Zanu PF is offering and does not care that the elections are rigged. Zimbabweans must openly denounce MDC A’s selling out and refuse to participate in these flawed and illegal elections.
Mawunganidze and Rinemhota are but a representative sample of the MDC “wildebeest herd”, they are programmed to repeat cheat slogans and follow blindly whatever leader is put before them. To expect them to ask any questions or think for themselves is to expect blood from a rock!
ReplyDeleteOur Africa University star students have a fixation with “young and vibrant leaders” and Chamisa is their man and no amount of evidence to the contrary will persuade them to reconsider.
Chamisa said MDC A wanted to see comprehensive reforms to be implemented to end the culture of disputed elections and the MDC herd cheered and applauded to signify their approval. This was a rehash of the 2014 “No reform no elections!” party congress resolution.
In the next breathe the ”young and vibrant” Chamisa announced that the MDC A is gearing for 2023 elections and take over state house and government. There was thunderous cheering and applause from the herd; blissfully unaware of the contradiction with the commitment to implement reforms. And so the nation is being dragged into yet another flawed and illegal elections which Zanu PF will rig and MDC will complain the elections were stolen and so the cycle is completed.
The MDC wildebeest mentality is a copy-cat from Zanu PF. Zanu PF supporters have latched on the nonsense that the root cause of the country’s economic meltdown is the sanctions and not even Mugabe’s own admission the country lost US$15 billion in looted diamonds alone would shake the herd from blaming the sanctions.
Chamisa shot himself in the foot with the unconstitutional seizure of power after Tsvangirai’s death pushing the self-distract button. The last year has seen MDC A go into one convulsion after another; the party in imploding. Instead of admitting Chamisa was the root cause of the mess the MDC herd is blaming Zanu PF for destroying the party.
Democracy demands an informed, diligent and open minded electorate and in Zimbabwe we have a nation with a wildebeest mentality, easily impressed by foolish ideas and very single track minded. It is easy to see why Zimbabwe is a Banana Republic, a population with a wildebeest mentality is the perfect candidate for a Banana Republic. If there was no Zanu PF Banana Republic we would have an MDC Banana Republic!
China made the giant strides to be the economic power house it is today when Chairman Deng Xiaoping famously said that it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white so long as it catches mice.
ReplyDeleteThat was a quantum leap forward, sadly for china Chair Deng Xiaoping was able to push this through in the economic sector but not in the political one. He managed to set the ten year time limit for one holding the top job, a very significant achievement, but, as we now know this did not last long. Chairman Xi Jinping has already scrapped the time limit.
If Chairman Xi Jinping does not become a ruthless tyrant (assuming he is not one already) it will not be long before one emerges and all the economic gains China has made will be undone. Progress is hard work and torturously slow. Destroying something is ease and quick, child’s play, even a village idiot can do it!
Chairman Deng Xiaoping was a man of ideas and understood that the colour of the cat was irrelevant to one looking to get rid of the rat infestation.
MDC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform even with the SADC leaders nagging them at every turn “to follow the Global Political Agreement roadmap”! Indeed, not only did the MDC leaders fail to implement even one reform in the five years of the GNU, they had the chutzpah to blame the SADC leaders for the GNU’s failure.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC A are giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy and thus help perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship.
Why ignoramus individuals like our Africa University upstarts have completely failed to see MDC leaders for the corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs they are even with all the benefit of hindsight beggars belief. Unless Zimbabweans open the eyes and mind this nation is going to remain in this hell-hole for generations to come.
Countries like China have managed to emerge out of the shadows thanks to insightful leaders like Chairman Deng Xiaoping and China’s new colonies like Zimbabwe supplying with the resources. If the penny was to finally drop and Zimbabwe finally got a leader with some common sense, at least, the country’s recovery will not be as quick as that of China – there will be no colony for Zimbabwe to exploit!
@ Knowledge Hakata
ReplyDelete“With a flood of optimism being poured to the new MDC'T President Douglas Mwonzora from the majority of both the MDC'T standing committee and the supporters at large the young and charismatic leader should put the MDC'T house in order as a matter of urgency. Despite internal squabbles in the part the other two presidents should now accept the current change which caught them by surprise. According to Laswell he defines politics as a game of, 'who gets what, when and how' and timing and calculations are two major components in this game and it is very unfortunate that the other co-vice presidents failed to execute their game plan well, just like the way Grace Mugabe failed to execute her game plan, Khupe and crew should quickly join the winning team.”
Mwonzora and his MDC-T colleagues are in the same boat as Chamisa and his MDC A colleagues; they all failed to get even one reform implemented during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. In doing so, they have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they are corrupt, breathtakingly incompetent and sell-outs.
The only reason why Mwonzora, Chamisa, Biti, etc. are still on the political stage is because many Zimbabweans failed to understand what the 2008 to 2013 GNU was about and thus failed to appreciate the MDC leaders’ treasonous betrayal. The truth is slowing coming out, the mental blinds are coming up, and Zimbabweans are seeing MDC leaders for whom they are. Who would want a corrupt, breathtakingly incompetent and sell-out for a leader!!!
Nelson Chamisa and his fellow MDC A are the only one who still, occasionally, talk of implementing comprehensive reforms to make sure elections are not disputed. They are bluffing; they cannot name even one reform because they cannot think of one. Chamisa and his MDC A is gearing to participate in the coming elections with no reforms just like Mwonzora and the rest.
None of the MDC leaders want any democratic reforms implemented because they all know they will not win free, fair and credible elections – not with their checked track record as corruption, incompetence and selling outs!
Both MDC A and MDC-T have lost political credibility, especially this last year. The real big question now is will their participation in flawed and illegal 2023 elections still give the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy? I am with those arguing that they cannot. It is an outrage to keep punishing the rest of innocent Zimbabweans for the sins of the MDC leaders!
He claimed that the MDC-T strategy was predicated on the historical success of dialogue and claimed Chamisa had no strategy.
ReplyDeleteMwonzora recalled 41 MDC Alliance legislators from Parliament and 165 councillors and claimed his party was ready for by-elections to replace them.
His MDC-T only got two seats in the 2018 elections, all on proportional representation and all legislators it claims, including Mwonzora himself, were voted on the MDC Alliance ticket.
"I know we are underestimated. We are eager to be tested on the field. We are tired of people who always say we are we going to defeat you. We are ready for by-elections," Mwonzora said.
Mwonzora and his MDC-T grouping and Chamisa and his MDC A grouping differ in many ways but they all have one thing in common – both participated in the 2018 elections knowing fully well that the process was flawed and illegal. ZEC had failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, for Pete’s sake. They all knew that Zanu PF was giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate – these they found irresistible.
Of course, they all knew that by participating in the flawed elections they will be giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
Chamisa has accepted the legitimacy of the local council and parliamentary elections but refused to extend that to the presidential race claiming that he had more votes that Mnangagwa. He failed to produce all the V11 forms, summary of the vote casts at each Polling Station, to support his claim. Apparently, ZEC too failed to produce about 10% of the V11 forms to support their claim Mnangagwa was the winner. The failure to produce all the V11 forms was just one more piece of evidence the whole process was flawed and illegal.
There is all the evidence to suggest both Chamisa and Mwonzora and their respective parties are going to participate in the coming elections knowing, as before the process is flawed and illegal and that doing so will give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF. They will be participating for the same reason as before – greed. After this, whatever differences there are between the two leaders and their parties; is all inconsequential given they are selling out on free, fair and credible elections.
Zimbabwe cannot afford another flawed and illegal elections process so these MDC sell outs can fight over which one of them will have the few gravy train seats this time! Surely the long suffering people of Zimbabwe deserve free, fair and credible elections and the good governance that it brings. We need to finally start the urgent and arduous task of digging ourselves out of the hell-hole Zanu PF land us and not to be wasting time on foolish and meaningless elections!
@ Hugh
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing Zimbabwe can do is allow themselves to be dragged into yet another meaningless, flawed and illegal election process. MDC leaders have talked of reforms to ensure free, fair and credible election but have done nothing except pay lip service. Both Chamisa and Mwonzora are going to participate in the coming elections with not even a token reform in place and Zanu PF knows this and is taking full advantage of it!
We cannot stop Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC A holding these flawed and illegal elections. However we can make sure these elections are declared null and void. Zimbabweans must insist on the reform before elections and this is not negotiable!