There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin, one of America's founding fathers, was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it."
“The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health,” commented Professor Richard Beeman.
If Benjamin Franklin was alive today, he would be the first one to admit that his fellow Americans have done very well indeed in keeping the republic. And he would, no doubt, agree with Professor Beeman that the secrete of their success is in “the active and informed involvement of the people”.
Zimbabwe “is unitary, democratic and sovereign republic” according to our Constitution. If the truth be told we lost all that before we ever got it!
It is no secrete that the 1980 elections to elect the country’s post independence black majority rule government were not free, fair and credible. Robert Mugabe and his fellow Zanu PF leaders did not withdraw all his freedom fighters into assembly points as agreed. These cadres were deployed for one purpose and one purpose only - to remind the electorate that if Zanu PF did not win the elections the civil war would continue.
Such was the prevalent influence of the Zanu PF cadres, vast swathes of the country were no-go areas for Zanu PF’s political rivals. The people of Zimbabwe voted to end the civil war; the very antithesis of what a democratic election should be.
Some people have argued that the threat by Zanu PF cadres in 1980 was just a bluff with very little or no effect on the populous. Zanu PF launched the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre; there was no doubt then of the party’s murderous intent.
The primary purpose of Gukurahundi was to crash PF Zapu, Zanu PF’s main political rival, and impose the one-party state. PF Zapu was forced to sign the unity accord and, Walla, Mugabe got the de facto one-party state he was after.
As soon as Zanu PF got into power in April 1980, the party has worked tireless to undermine the country’s democratic constitution, institutions and usurped the people’s freedoms and rights to establish and retain the de facto one party dictatorship.
When Emmerson Mnangagwa removed Zimbabwe’s last dictator, Robert Mugabe in the November 2017 military coup; he promised the nation “a new dispensation, a Second Republic, free, fair and credible elections, etc.” Mnangagwa was Mugabe’s right hand man and chief enforcer throughout the failed first Republic; no one expected him to keep any of his promises. He did not! The Second Republic was a still-birth.
Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs. Forty years of corrupt and tyrannical rule have reduced the country into one of the poorest nation with soaring unemployment rates and basic services such as health care all but collapsed.
Zimbabwe is not a peaceful and prosperous republic because the nation’s founding fathers never intended it to be anything other than a dictatorship masquerading as a republic.
If we are serious about ending the Zanu PF dictatorship then we must force the regime to step down so we can implement the democratic reforms necessary to ensure free, fair and credible elections. Nothing of any substance will ever be accomplished in Zimbabwe until we cure ourselves of the curse of rigged elections.
"As DIRCO we acted on the SADC decision, but we felt that we may need to go one step beyond such a call and begin a process on reflecting on the solutions that could be considered to actively address the challenges. We have all become very competent at addressing and adopting resolutions yet far too inadequate in informed reflection on what solutions or approaches may be practicable."
ReplyDeleteCommenting on Zimbabwe's situation, Minister Pandor noted that the political formations in Zimbabwe remain at loggerheads and have apparent deep antipathy toward each other which makes joint decision making and planning extremely difficult.
"It seems clear that even as we support the call for an end to economic sanctions, the political dynamics are inextricably linked to the economic and thus should be confronted simultaneously." She said.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state riled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs the country will continue to sink deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Unemployment has soared to dizzying heights of 90, with the firing of the doctors and nurses the regime has just delivered the coup de grace on the country’s health care services, inflation is soaring to 400% plus, etc. The country is now standing on the very edge of the dangerous precipice; the danger of Zimbabwe moving up a gear from a failed state to an unstable nation like Libya or Syria is real.
Zimbabwe needs to address the curse of rigged elections with the sense of urgency the matter demands. Sanctions is but a decoy and it is very disappointing that SADC leaders have allowed themselves to be conned by Zanu PF into believing that sanctions were country’s number one problems, especially given the mountain of evidence proving otherwise.
Many Zimbabweans are, for the first time, facing up to the country’s corrupt and tyrannical ruling elite and demanding free, fair and credible elections. It is really infuriating that their courage and sacrifice is being undermined by our own fellow Africans, especially those who have routinely enjoyed democratic elections as a matter of cause.
In continuing to foolishly support the sanctions, Minister Pandor, like President Cyril Ramaphosa, has shown once again just how foolish she is. Sadly for Africa, we have had more than our fair share of foolish leaders and hence the reason the continent has remained the dark continent, forever blundering for pillar to post.
Chin'ono said, "Empty and Ghostly, this is Parirenyatwa Hospital this evening! Only tired army doctors who are providing an auxiliary service. Ward after ward, it was empty! Not only doctors are off work, even the hard working nurses have left their stations due to wage incapacitation!”\
ReplyDeleteIf there were any doubters that Zanu PF has no clue how to revive the nation’s economy the firing of doctors and nurses to deliver the coup de grace on the country’s health care service removed all the doubt. If a big referral hospital like Parerenyatwa is in this sorry state, what more the backwater rural hospitals.
It is unforgivable that Zimbabweans have allowed themselves to be dragged this deep into the economic and political mess. The nation has paid dearly for its folly and it will take generation, if at all, for the nation to recover out of this mess.
If there is anything that Zimbabweans should have regrettably learnt the hard way, over the past years, is never to support or celebrate ZANU PF internal factional fighting, especially when this culminates in military intervention (in other words, a coup d'etat) - as these not only have absolutely nothing to do with the welfare and wellbeing of the over-burdened ordinary people, but actually intensifies our suffering.
ReplyDeleteThe November 2017 military coup did not give us a better government or any hope of ever getting one. The very fact that those involved in the coup believed that the new dispensation was going to revive the nation’s economic fortunes only goes to show how naive and gullible they are. If there was ever any doubt of just how hopelessly incompetent this Mnangagwa regime is the firing of the doctors and thus delivering the coup de grace on the health care service was the last straw.
@ Dobbs Arthur
ReplyDelete“There is nothing to learn from ED. Let's us all join People Power Movement coordinated by Matapo and remove evil ED and ZANU PF system using international laws.”
I agree “there is nothing to learn from ED” per se, but there is plenty to learn from the nation has gone through these last 40 years. Those who fail to earn from the past are destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
There is nothing in what Matapo has said so far to convince me that he understands why Zimbabwe is stuck in this mess. He has talked endlessly of “removing ED and Zanu PF” but has yet to say how! The devil is always in the detail. Zimbabweans are desperate for change but, I hope, not so desperate as to join this People Power Movement on the basis of Matapo’s word that he alone KNOWS what needs to be done and we should all blindly follow him.
If the Zimbabwean populous had been an active and informed people they would have wrestled their freedoms and rights from Zanu PF by now. Yes Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies are ruthless tyrants but they are also corrupt and incompetent. If the people of Zimbabwe were smart enough to know what constitutes free, fair and credible elections they would not have been cheated of the fundamental right so easily and repeatedly for 40 years!
ReplyDeleteIn the long run, nations get the government they deserve. Zimbabweans deserve this corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its entourage of corrupt, incompetent and sell-out opposition politicians!
The contrast between America's founding fathers and Zimbabwe's could not be more stark- whilst the former strived to create a free and stable nation the later have strived to enrich themselves and have ridden roughshod over the people and nation's hopes and dreams!
ReplyDeleteWhilst Benjamin Franklin was encouraging the Americans to strive to keep the republic we in Zimbabwe have been fighting Zanu PF and now MDC politicians to dismantle the autocracy so we can replace it with a democracy!
It must be said, we have been fighting a losing battle given most Zimbabweans have proven to be so naive and gullible they have continued to follow MDC leaders blindly even when they have sold-out! We certainly do not have an active and informed electorate!
@ Mukwirivindi
ReplyDelete"Cde Machakachaka, you removed all the words from my mouth. No one can further explain it better. And I hope those who masquerade as activists for democracy, yet their were and are sympathisers of Muzorewa and Smith got factually hit where it matters most. I see they go on stammering trying makes lose their ulterior motive."
Rubbish! Mugabe did not murder over 20 000 PF Zapu members and supporters because he mistook them for Muzorewa or Smith sympathisers! Even if they were Muzorewa or Smith sympathisers and it is a crime to be one; he should have had them arrested, charged and convicted in a court of law.
The real tragedy in Zimbabwe is that power was seized by corrupt, incompetent and murderous tyrants who never cared about freedom, justice and creating a democratic nation. All they have ever cared about is seizing absolute power so they can loot!
Now as the Zanu PF dictatorship is collapsing the thugs are in a panic - they are desperate to hang on to their looted wealth and worse still desperately trying to keep their corrupt and murderous past covered! The truth is coming out! "Rinemanyanga hariputirwi!" as one would say in Shona.
Zimbabweans are certainly not an "active and informed" lot and it is therefore not surprising that Mugabe and his Zanu PF was able to usurp the people's democratic freedoms and rights with easy and get away with it.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends too were able to sell-out on the promise to deliver democratic change and even with the benefit of hindsight there are still people out there who still continue to follow MDC blindly like sheep!
Nations tend to get the government they deserve and Zimbabweans certainly deserve this Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of corrupt and incompetent opposition parties, 130 of them in last year's elections.
President Mnangagwa has just allocated Z$88 million to POLAD in last week's budget, just to keep the opposition interested in contesting elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process got.
According to a current member of Mnangagwa’s Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC), and a former adviser to his office now based in Mauritius, the ruling Zanu PF leader is reportedly using the luxury private jets, hired by government using taxpayer money, to siphon millions in forex and suspected precious minerals, which the private planes are said to be dropping off at various foreign destinations with trusted security and protection.
ReplyDeleteThe shocking revelations, come on the backcloth of reports last month that Mnangagwa, has had a bitter fallout with his PAC team over confidential information leaks to the press, telling them “to resign from their posts as advisers if they are unable to keep secrets”.
“Don’t get me wrong I’m doing this for Zimbabwe,” said the PAC official who is contemplating to resign. “This country is being looted dry by those at the top using private jets, to smuggle the riches to safe tax and financial havens abroad. It’s an unreported scandal, something I’d like to call ‘JetGate’, because there is a jet for foreign currency looting, and another jet for pilfering precious minerals.”
About 10 000 carats of gem diamonds with an estimated value of US$10m have disappeared at Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) after the precious stones were reportedly shipped out of the country, to China under the pretext that they were for educational use by students in the Asian country, local publication, Business Times reported in late October.
“I think he is sensing that power is fast slipping away, and that like his predecessor’s before him he has to secure his life and future before losing office,” he said. “A complex web of actors are involved, and a prominent cabinet minister is helping Mnangagwa to offload and transfer the funds to especially Switzerland, Japan and the Middle East namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hong Kong.”
The only realistic hope of putting an end to the Zanu PF mismanagement and looting is for the regime to step down so we can appoint an independent and competent administration that can then be trusted to implement the democratic reforms and reset our corrupt and dysfunctional political system.