Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) members meet at Mnangagwa’s Sherwood farm, near Kwekwe. The grouping will never come up with any solution to the nation’s many teething problems!
“It was a request made by POLAD members. The programme is very simple, a couple of hours of business and then another couple of hours touring the farm. So it is almost like a farmers’ field day after the serious business of talks,” explained George Charamba.
“It does clinch the notion of productivity which has been the President’s watchword that we should work, work and work for our economy to grow.”
Charamba is Mnangagwa’s spokesperson and spin doctors. He is never short of an explanation, often irrational as is the case here.
Zimbabwe is a banana republic complete with Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland type institutions and characters.
Here is what we know about POLAD; it is a gathering of individuals, exact number is unknown, mostly presidential candidates in last year’s rigged elections. All who join are required to public affirm the elections were free, fair and credible and that one Emerson Mnangagwa is the legitimate President of the banana republic.
POLAD is a talk-shop with not rules, no minutes are taken, no quorum, no power to call anyone to appear before gathering and no one is expected to tell the truth or talk sense. Most important of all, Mnangagwa, the chairperson of POLAD by virtue of being the founder and funder, will, as a rule of thumb, ignore everything said in the talk-shop.
This compares very favourably with Lewis Carroll’s fairytale.
“Alice and the other animals are still wet, prompting the Dodo to suggest a Caucus race. The Dodo marks out a course, sets everyone in place, and yells “go.” explained sparknotes.
“The animals run around haphazardly until the Dodo declares half an hour later that the race is over. The Dodo says that all of them have won the Caucus race and elects Alice to confer prizes.
“Alice passes mints to all the animals, leaving herself without a prize. Finding a thimble, she hands it to the Dodo, who in turn presents it back to her as her prize. Alice solemnly accepts the thimble but cannot help feeling that the gesture is absurd.”
Zimbabwe is a country in serious, serious economic trouble. Unemployment has been 80% plus for the last two decades now. 34% of the population are now living in extreme poverty, according to a recent WB report. The country’s health care has all but completely collapsed, hundreds are dying everyday of easily treatable ailments. If the country is ever going to get out of this mess and end the tragic human suffering and deaths, it needs a forum where there is going to be serious debate.
The root cause of the country’s economic meltdown is the failure by key state institutions like parliament and cabinet to come up with solutions to the nations many problems. The Zanu PF dictatorship has usurped the people’s power to elect competent MPs and parliament is now full of party loyalists whose primary concern is to please and appease the dictator. There is no quality debate in parliament. Cabinet is not any better!
Whatever little parliamentary and cabinet debates there was still, it is all going as POLAD, the talk-shop, takes over as the supreme policy and decision making body in the land.
“It is almost like a farmers’ field day after the serious business of talks!” Yeah, right! Name one “serious business” POLAD has accomplished; one year after it was launched and with millions of taxpayers’ money spent on its talk-shops?
If Zimbabwe is to ever get out of the economic and political mess, four decades of Zanu PF dictatorship have landed the nation in; we must end the curse of rigged elections, the foundation on which the dictatorship stands, and restore good governance.
POLAD seeks to stifle all meaningful debate and democratic discourse under the pretext of unity. It is just another foolish “caucus race” from the Dodo Mnangagwa at a time the country is desperate for a way out of this man-made hell-on-earth.
Dr Nkosana Moyo State Of The Nation Address
ReplyDeleteDr Moyo, you talk too much and, like all such people who talk too much, say a lot of rubbish.
Elections are a contestation, as you rightly said, but like every other contest the result only becomes meaningful if the contest was played according to the set and agreed rules. Zanu PF rigged last lear's elections and has been doing this for years now.
Zanu PF has also learned that as long as the party gives away a few seats as bait there will be opposition candidates who will contest the elections regardless of the flaws and illegalities.
Worst of all, the opposition candidate KNEW that by contesting they were giving the rigged elections credibility.
Of course, you knew Zanu PF was rigging the elections, you contested regardless out of selfish greed and you have since endorsed last year's rigged elections as having been free, fair and credible.
Zimbabwe is stuck with this corrupt, tyrannical and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship because there are opposition candidates who are allowing Zanu PF to get away with rigged elections for thirty pieces of silver! You, Dr Nkosana Moyo and all the other opposition candidates in last year's rigged elections are sell-outs.
Dear Victor
ReplyDeleteWe must surely admit that appeasing Zanu PF by letting the regime rig elections and rewarding it with absolute power has not worked and, after 39 years of corrupt and tyrannical rule, it is insane carry on!
The way forward is to refuse to let Zanu PF get away with last year's rigged elections. Zanu PF must be told in no uncertain terms that the party rigged last year's elections, it is illegitimate and must step down. The regime is under pressure already to step down from the worsening economic situation, from the international community who roundly condemned the regime for rigging the elections and the only people not putting the regime under pressure is us, Zimbabweans! As you know the opposition parties in Zimbabwe have all endorsed last year's elections as free, fair and credible even when ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll!
We are stuck with this corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship because we deserve nothing better. A people who have no clue what constitutes free, fair and credible elections, in this day and age, do not deserve a health and functioning democratic system of government.
Ever is this dictatorship was to go away tomorrow; it will be back the following day! If the people do not know what constitutes free and fair elections how then will they stop a tyrant rigging elections and impose himself on the nation!!!
Zanu PF leaders have become filthy rich and little wonder they are determined to continue rigging elections. POLAD is just another way of neutralising the opposition and guaranteeing Zanu PF's continued dominance and strangle hold on power.
ReplyDeletePOLAD will drive Mnangagwa's objective of consolidating the Zanu PF dictatorship by forcing everyone to speak with one voice - the Zanu PF voice. It will, per se, undermine Zimbabwe's hopes of building a democracy nation by stifling all debate and democratic discourse.
Nick Mangwana listed the following as POLAD achievements
ReplyDeleteThe coming together of Political Actors under one banner (POLAD) and the official launch symbolised the unity of purpose.
The formulation of a Code of Conduct and subsequent adoption and signing of the same.
Visit to Cyclone Idai POLAD delegates led to conscientisation of the nation about the problem and the need for urgent intervention by different stakeholders.
Improved understanding by POLAD on issues affecting the country through an interface with the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Minister of
Industry and Commerce and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and other Government Official.
Acceptance and endorsement of POLAD by both SADC and AU, thereby giving impetus and relevance to POLAD as a vehicle for solving local problems without external interference.
Increased call for the removal of sanctions through participation at the SADC Anti-sanctions march in Harare.
Increased visibility of POLAD through social responsibility activities such as the monthly Clean-up day.
Increased public awareness of POLAD through extensive media coverage and debates.
In short POLAD has been a self serving body that has soaked up millions dollars of taxpayers’ money to set.launch and sustain and the nation has benefited or is ever likely to benefit from its existence.
Chamisa cannot be pretend MDC is not responsible for Zimbabwe's political mess. MDC failed to implement even one reform during the last GNU. And ever since, MDC has participated in elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF would rig the elections. MDC, like all the other opposition candidates who participated in last year's elections, were after the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe needs to implement the democratic reforms to end the curse of rigged elections. Since Zanu PF and MDC have failed to get this job done, the country needs a new body that will implement the reforms; anything else is a waste of time!
What came first; the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre or the 22 nd December 1987 Unity Accord between PF Zapu and Zanu PF? To listen to Mnangagwa's speech the Unity Accord came out of the leaders of the two parties wanting to work as one; he has completely airbrushed Gukurahundi massacre! The correct historic fact is that the Unity Accord was a child of the Gukurahundi massacre!
ReplyDeleteThe primary purpose of the Gukurahundi massacre was to either wipe out PF Zapu and its supporters or force the party to completely capitulate, dissolve itself as a political party and join Zanu PF. After five years of some of the most shocking cases of wanton violence and brutality against defenceless civilians that left over 20 000 dead and hundreds of thousands crippled and raped and millions beaten and a lot of property and livelihoods destroyed; PF Zapu leaders did capitulate.
The united Zanu PF party used the Unity Accord as the excuse to impose a de facto one-party dictatorship.
Zanu PF has never ever believed in the individual freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful vote and even the right to life if the exercise of such rights threatened the party's hold on power. PF Zapu was the greatest threat to Zanu PF and Gukurahundi massacre was the party's response.
The respect of the individual freedoms and rights is the basis of good governance, peace and economic prosperity. Zimbabwe has had no peace, no good governance and is suffering from serious economic meltdown right. Mnangagwa and his apologists insist, like all tyrants always do, that the country has enjoyed unparalleled peace, development and good governance.
The 1987 Unity Accord opened the door to the imposition of the de facto one-party dictatorship and Zanu PF is defending the continued imposition under the guise Zanu PF is defending the national unity and peace.
It was Zanu PF that brought the Gukurahundi massacre to create the political space to impose the one-party dictatorship. It is no surprise that again and again Zanu PF has resorted to brutality to retain the dictatorship. Zanu PF has held this nation to ransom for decades and the nation has paid dearly as the bad governance has crippled the nation economically and politically. The only way to stop the economic rot is to end the bad governance and that means ending the dictatorship.
The dictatorship must go and Zanu PF leaders must be told in no uncertain terms that they are holding the nation to ransom.
What useful idea has POLAD came up with since its formation a year ago?
ReplyDeleteMnangagwa is using POLAD to keep Zimbabwe's corrupt and incompetent oppsition silence about the country's worsening economic situation and silent on the need for the democratic reforms. He knows that as long as the opposition politicians have their snouts in the feeding trough, they will say nothing, do nothing and hear nothing!
Mugabe kept the MDC leaders well fed during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and for five years failed to get even one reform implemented. Mnangagwa is going to do the same with POLAD.
ED was speaking to members of the media at the Statehouse after delivering the Unity day speech when he said:
ReplyDeleteHe (Mr Mbeki) never pushed for talks when he met me.
We are very old friends, indeed he discussed the political situation in the country and I explained to him that with regard to dialogue, we have a platform where every political party freely can come into that platform including MDC under Chamisa . That (POLAD) is the only platform where political dialogue will take place.
Mugabe was able to placate MDC leaders during the 2008 to 2013 by denying them nothing; gave them ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a US$4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. Whilst the MDC leaders had the snout in the feeding trough, they forgot about implementing the reforms.
"Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!" (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train spoils of power; they will not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF cronies, when asked why MDC leaders were not implemented any reforms during the GNU.
Mnangagwa is hoping to pull off a similar trick with POLAD. It is no secrete that Mnangagwa is dangling the "Official Leader of the opposition" title to Chamisa, comparable to that in the British system. The position will mean Chamisa will be entitled to ministerial limo, salary and other perks. MDC will have shadow ministers, who too will be entitled to ministerial limo and perks.
Mnangagwa knows that with the snouts in the feeding trough MDC A and the rest in the opposition camp will say nothing, hear nothing, see nothing and do nothing! They will not even notice the country's worsening economic meltdown and they will say nothing about implemented the dread democratic reforms!