Dear Nomazulu Thata
Thank you for your thought provoking article “Professor Arthur Mutambara, Dr Nkosana Moyo and Advocate Nelson Chamisa are speaking” in Bulawayo 24.
I agree that both Dr Nkosana Moyo and Professor Arthur Mutambara have offered some interesting economic policies and ideas on how to revive the Zimbabwe economy. However, I do not agree that they are what Zimbabwe need at this point because the two gentlemen have completely failed to understand the political challenges the nation is facing much less offer the solutions.
Zimbabwe is in a real economic mess and many of the economic policies that have landed us in this mess are foolish, voodoo economic, defying common sense. One did not need to know Professor Mutambara’s prosperity hexagon to know the printing of money led by then Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Dr Gideon Gono was going to led to economic ruin, for example.
For those who did not read Nomazulu or Professor Mutambara’s article here is the prosperity hexagon - “An alternative shared national vision;- A corresponding national strategy (social, political, economic and technological) the game plan; - Clearly articulated alternative, well-thought out and coherent national policies; - A national implementation matrix (who, what, when, how, resources, timelines, milestones, definition of success, success markers, etc); - A national monitoring, evaluation and feedback system; and tested, ethical, competent and technocratic leaders.”
Zimbabwe is up to her eyes in this economic mess because the nation has been stuck for 41 years and counting with a corrupt, breathtakingly incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF regimes. The nation could not remove the regime from office because Zanu PF rigged the election.
The nation can have a whole battalion of technocrats with the most detailed four dimensional election manifesto but unless the team comes up with a plan to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections; not even one policy in the master plan manifesto will ever see the light of day. Not even one!
Zanu PF will rig the elections and the nation will be back to voodoo economics, blaming sanctions for the country’s woes, etc.
Dr Nkosana Moyo was warned repeatedly that participating in the 2018 elections with no reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections was insane. He did not listen. Like the rest of the opposition politicians who participated he maintain en masse voter turnout will overwhelm Zanu PF’s vote rigging capabilities. Tsvangirai got 73% of the votes in 2008 and that was not good enough - that is the target the opposition have to beat! Of course, it is insane to even accept participating in such a blatantly unfair contest!
For Pete’s sake! Zanu PF does not have the right to rig the elections. Free, fair and credible elections are not just a democratic and fundamental right of every Zimbabwean but more significantly it is the basis for good governance.
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess precisely because for the last 41 years the nation has been stuck with a corrupt and incompetent government. Free, fair and credible elections is our ticket out of this man-made hell-on-earth Zanu PF dictatorship has landed us into.
Dr Nkosana Moyo, Nelson Chamisa and 20 other opposition opportunists joined the presidential rat race with thousands other joining the parliamentary and local government races. As expected, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections to secure the presidency and 2/3 majority in parliament and senate. Zanu PF allowed the opposition to share the remaining 1/3 or so gravy train seats, to entice them to participate.
By participating the flawed and illegal elections Dr Moyo and company gave the elections process credibility, why otherwise would the opposition keep participating if the process was flawed; and, extension gave vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
Professor Arthur Mutambara has his prosperity hexagon but good was that to the nation to one with not an iota of common sense! Mutambara was Deputy Prime Minister in the 2008 to 2013 GNU whose primary task was to implement the democratic reforms designed to end the Zanu PF dictatorial powers to deny Zimbabweans their freedoms and rights including the right to free elections and even the right to life! Mutambara and company failed to implement even one token reform in five years because they are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent!
If Mutambara and his fellow MDC friends had implemented the democratic reforms during the GNU, the 2013 elections would have been free, fair and credible. If the elections did not produce a competent government at least Zimbabweans would know they can remove the failed regime and try a different one. As it is, Zanu PF has emerged out of the GNU with all its dictatorial powers untouched and so the nation is still stuck with Zanu PF!
“It is sad to come to terms with a gullible electorate we have in Zimbabwe,” continued Nomazulu.
“We have Moyo, we have Mutambara, they are technocrats and many more at home and in the Diaspora: these are experts who can turn around our economy with ease. Zimbabwe does not need politicians of the moulds of Chamisa, he is economically illiterate.
“The electorate is hell bent to vote for him, come 2023. How myopic can we still be, we are unable to see where our genuine potential lies in solving the economic quad mire, we find ourselves in. Voter stupidity is a very powerful force that politicians play around with, with abject abandon.”
You hit the nail on the head there! The Zimbabwe electorate is naive and gullible and politicians from both sides of the political divide, Zanu PF and MDC, have taken advantage of the people. Indeed, both politicians have brainwashed the people for the sole purpose exploiting them; the politicians wanted followers who would follow them blindly like sheep to the slaughter no questions asked. And that is what they have.
Yes, many Zimbabweans are “hell-bent” on voting for Chamisa come 2023. They would not vote for him or any of the MDC leaders if they knew what the GNU was about and why the country is still in this mess because MDC leaders sold-out by failing to implement even one reform.
Indeed, the people would not participate in these flawed and illegal elections if they understood that by participating they are per se giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF regime!
What the people need is education; the antidote to ignorance. One of the key democratic reforms that must be implemented is one free the country’s media so it can be the platform for freedom of expression and most important of all free to perform the important task of informing and educating the people - not brainwash them!
“Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all else shall be added unto you”, said Ghana's first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah was right! What good is Professor Arthur Mutambara’s Keynesian tried and approved prosperity pentagon manifesto if none of it will ever see light of day because some buffoon will blatantly rig the elections, for the umpteenth time, claim “The voice of the people is the voice of God!” and continue imposing his ruinous voodoo economic policies!
What Zimbabwe needs is men and women who will implement the democratic reforms and guarantee free, fair and credible elections for ourselves and for posterity! Nothing of any substance or value can ever be accomplished until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance. Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
We cannot stop Zanu PF holding the 2023 elections none can we stop the entourage of opposition opportunists participating. However, what we can do is make sure the election process is seen for what it is - a farce - and condemned as illegitimate.
The nation will then need to appoint an interim government whose primary task will be to implement all the democratic reforms to restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
"Recently, I moved a motion in Parliament to debate the Constitution's section 129(1)(k). It is the part responsible for the incessant recalling of elected members. However, it was disturbing and unfortunate that only (Dzivarasekwa MP) Hon (Edwin) Mushoriwa had the guts to debate it," said Themba Mliswa.
ReplyDelete"As an independent MP, the section has no relevance to me. However, their docility warrants that there is no mercy for their plight. They should have the resolve in their party. They have shown none and I will close the debate in Parliament.”
The motion would have been supported by all those who have already been recalled and so they did not support it because they are not there. It would have been shot down by those who have benefited from the recall and that is exactly what they did by ignoring it!
Zimbabwe is in a real mess, basic services like education and health care have collapsed and 49% of our people now live in grinding poverty and instead of parliament addressing these serious issues MPs like Mliswa keep coming up with idiotic motions and make a mountain out of a molehill.
Not that the quality of the opposition changed before or after the recalls just as the November 2017 military coup changed nothing in Zanu PF. How can you get quality when all you are doing is recycle the same deadwood.
We really must push to implement the democratic reforms and drain the sewage political swamp Zanu PF has created!
MDC-T national chairman Morgen Komichi has announced the impending pro-MDC-Alliance MPs from both parliament and local councils in October.
ReplyDeleteKomichi announced this development at the weekend at Harvest house at the anniversary celebrations of the MDC founding.
"Mudzimu waro bonga kuwana huku dzichirwa!" (It is the great fortune of the weasel to find chicken fighting!) When it comes to MDC leaders fighting amongst themselves they fight to the death!
When Tendai Biti left MDC -T to form his own party he made no secret of how much he hated Morgan Tsvangirai and even praise Mugabe. Tsvangirai hit back by recalling Tendai Biti and his group from parliament and senate knowing fully well he was gifting the seat to Zanu PF!
The MDC leaders prove beyond all reasonable doubt that they are corrupt and utterly useless during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they failed to implement even one token reform in 5 years! What they have done after that was remind us all of our folly in having ever elected them into office!
By participating in flawed and illegal elections MDC are giving vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy. This is insane and we must stop it. And stop it, we will!
Change in Africa is not coming fast enough to deal with the fast changing world. For the last 41 years Zimbabwe has been busy destroying the economy and denying the next generation a decent education. How the hell is the nation going to rebuild the economy and meet the needs of a fast growing population with an illiterate population?
ReplyDeleteTrust Dr Mavaza to make a mountain out of a molehill! The regime is banning church gathering by those who have not been vaccinated and yet it has become the norm to see a mass of people waiting for the few ZUPCO buses.
ReplyDeleteIt is understandable for those countries like the USA who have vaccinated 80% of the population and have vaccines to push the remaining people to get vaccinated. It is idiotic for Zimbabwe to be punishing people for not being vaccinated when the country has only vaccinated 20% and many people seeking to be vaccinated are turned away because there are no vaccines. Zimbabwe is following America out of the love to use force at every turn!
@ Ringson Ngozo
ReplyDelete“What Zimbabwe needs sir is the creation of a civil society organisation created by the masses. The civil society should be non partisan and non political and free from the pungent influence of the so called Zimbabwean politicians both in the ruling and opposition outfit. Zimbabwe has been failed by politics and by politicians. Zanu PF is not so much an elephant in the room. The real problem is the people of Zimbabwe who must all be cleansed and exorcised from the demons of politics. Everything in Zimbabwe is politics and political influenced. People must forget that politics will change anything.”
Interesting! What exactly will this “civil society organisation created by the masses” do?
I totally agree that the politicians from both sides of the political divide have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they are corrupt and breathtakingly incompetent. The trouble is with the political system; if you are fishing in a sewage swamp, which is what Zimbabwe under Zanu PF has become, you will never catch any quality fish there. The solution is to drain the sewage swamp and refill it with clean water!
The people are naive and gullible and will never elect quality leaders. The solution is to educate the people; they are ignorant but not stupid.
I am confident Zimbabwe would be a totally different nation if the democratic reforms are implemented and the people have their freedoms, rights and, most important of all, are freed from the brainwashing and are finally free to think for themselves. I bet my bottom dollar that in 50 years time the country will be doing brain surgery and after that, the sky is the limit!
@ Arthur Dobbs
ReplyDelete“This is blame everyone policy by those close to ZANU PF. Chamisa does not have to be economist to understand and implement policies.”
True Nelson Chamisa does not need to be an Economist or whatever to be a good leader! He must, however, be a competent leader, smart enough to understand the challenges before him and solve them. We should not forget that Chamisa was one of the MDC Ministers throughout the 2008 to 2013 GNU. What democratic changes did he and his colleagues implement then? Not a sausage.
Nelson Chamisa was the MDC A presidential candidate in the 2018 elections. He is the one who insisted in participating in the flawed and illegal elections, so flawed ZEC did not even have something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.
“MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!” he boasted. It was all nonsense as Zanu Pf went on to rig the elections.
Chamisa is dragging the nation into yet another flawed and illegal 2023 elections. This time he is claiming to have a “SOLID PLAN” to win rigged elections although he will not say what it is. He is the only one who knows the plan and therefore the only to implement it in a process involving millions of other people!
Of course, he has no plan beyond the tried and failed mass mobilisation to register to vote, to vote and then guard the vote. The vote rigging is already underway!
Zanu PF has already block 3 million plus Zimbabwean in the diaspora from voting for no better reason than that the party fears they would vote for the opposition and it will not have no easy way to rig the vote. Chamisa and others will participate in the 2023 elections to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy!
Even if all five buses were given to just the Police in Harare alone many of they offices will still find themselves stuck in the now common place queues for ZUPCO buses! This is just a publicity stunt!
ReplyDelete"Mnangagwa spoils army, police with brand new buses!" Yeah right!
“The regime continues to stifle citizens constitutional rights. Today, ZEC turned away Sunningdale youths who wanted to register to vote. Harare has only two registration centres. This must stop. #RegisterToVoteZW”
ReplyDeleteThis is an all familiar tale, one of the many ways Zanu PF is already rigging the elections.
Harare has a population of 2 million, how is it possible that there are only two voter registration centres. Voters in the urban centres where Zanu PF’s intimidation tactics are not so effective have always had to jump through many hoops just to register to vote. Even after going through all the hoops one has still failed to vote because your details are not in the polling station you expected or was not even on the voters’ roll.
None of the clear evidence Zanu PF is rigging the elections will stop Chamisa and his fellow opposition opportunists participating in these elections. Nothing! They all know Zanu PF is giving away a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate to get legitimacy, and the opposition find these irresistible!
Chamisa and company do not give a damn that elections are rigged and the people denied a manful say in the governance of the country as long as they get a share of the spoils of power - it was for the same reason MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform during the GNU!
Mugabe was a neurotic village idiot whose love of absolute power and the wealth and influence it brought led him to destroy the country and shed the blood of so many innocent Zimbabweans. The economic ruins will take generations to rebuild if at all we can dismantle the corrupt and tyrannical autocracy he fostered on the nation.
ReplyDeleteLook at nations like the Philippines and Haiti, they had corrupt and murderous tyrants of the own and decades after the dictators' death they are still in a political and economic mess. Mugabe has landed Zimbabwe in a similar situation.
How anyone, anyone at all, can ever have any doubt that Mugabe was neurotic, corrupt, incompetent and a murderous dictator; can only be because they are blind and of little intellect to fully comprehend damage Mugabe has done to Zimbabwe.
The Election Resource Centre (ERC), Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) and Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) said democracy was under siege, hence the need for action.
ReplyDelete"We urge the Second Republic to enact electoral reforms and reinstate by-elections to ensure a return to participatory democracy and that citizens are equally represented in council and Parliament," ERC said.
Organisations like ERC are a waste of space and time and the nation would be better off if they just disappeared and never ever heard from ever again.
In the 41 years of Zimbabwe’s independence the country is yet to hold free, fair and credible elections. In the 1980 elections, Zanu PF bolded stated that the bush war would continue if the party lost the elections. Of course, the people voted to end the bush war.
There are some wooly mammoth minded individuals who tried to down play the Zanu PF threat as mere political banter; they were left in no doubt of Zanu PF’s dictatorial intentions when the party launched the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre.
Zimbabwe has always been a de facto one-party dictatorship and in a dictatorship there is no such thing as “participatory democracy” and the wooly mammoths at ERC should be calling for implementing democratic reforms and not by-elections. What is the point of holding the by-elections when you know Zanu PF will rig the process?
@ Seke Mutema
ReplyDelete“Wilbert Mukori When the opposition got into the GNU, they found there was absolutely nothing to reform. This is precisely because the songs and dances we indulge in when in opposition activism bare totally different from the songs and dances of statecraft. Chamisa idol Hichilema is just discovering in Zambia.”
Zanu PF had just blatantly rigged the 2008 elections and even SADC had refused to recognise the Mugabe regime as legitimate because of the blatant cheating and wanton violence. The number one task of the GNU was to implement a raft of democratic reforms to ensure the next elections would not be a repeat of the 2008. Of course, there were plenty of reforms to be implemented!