By Wilfred Mukori| “Today Zimbabwe stands on the edge of the precipice, and it is no time for prevaricating, but one for action. The political crisis must be addressed with urgency, and we can see no other way than the steps we have outlined,” surmised Ibbo Mandaza in an article titled “There is no other way than a National Transitional Authority (NTA) in Zimbabwe” in Bulawayo 24.
Yes, Zimbabwe is standing on the edge of the precipitous abyss but unless we know and understand what we did wrong, all these last 40 years to get to the edge of the precipice; our next urgent, without prevarication, step could well take us over the edge. He acknowledges that the nation is on the precipice because of bad governance and proposes this NTA a solution.
“Behind all the problems lies the failure of governance and political leadership, and the latter is not exclusive to Zanu-PF, but bedevils all political parties without exception,” argued Mandaza.
“It is this realisation that prompted the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHCoD) call for the Sabbath, the establishment of the National Convergence Platform (NCP) last year, and the call for political settlement, national dialogue and a transitional arrangement. This call is now more urgent than ever in the face of the apparent inability of the government to address the Covid-19 crisis.”
This is just nonsense. If Mandaza believes, as stated above, that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems is bad governance and that both Zanu PF and the entourage of opposition parties are all beyond the pale then he can not endorse ZHCoD’s NTA proposal too. The Church leaders are calling for Zanu PF and MDC leaders to settle their differences and form the NTA.
It was Zanu PF and MDC’s failed leadership that frog marched the nation these last 40 years to get us where we are today, standing on the edge of the precipice it is insane to even suggest the same failed leaders, or be it under a new title, will lead us away from the precipice.
As long as Zanu PF and MDC leaders are allowed to play any role in the NTA, it will be a Zanu PF government in all but name, and the next step will be over the edge into the abyss!
“The partial solutions to previous crises — Lancaster House, the Unity Accord, the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and the coup — did not address the fundamental problem: the politics and the lack of a genuine, people-centred social contract,” continued Mandaza.
The primary purpose of the 2008 GPA was for the GNU partners to implement the raft of democratic reforms designed to end the blatant cheating and wanton violence and ensure future elections were free, fair and credible. The GPA was not perfect but it could have achieved its primary objective. It failed to so for two reasons, one, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out. They failed to implement even one reform in five years. Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office, ministerial limos, generous salaries, a US$ 4 million mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, MDC leaders forgot about the reforms.
The second reason for the failure was the people themselves. For all the decades of clamouring for democratic change, the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans had no clue the primary purpose of the GPA was to implement the reforms, what those reforms were, how they were to be implemented, etc., etc. The people failed to effectively supervise Tsvangirai et al to make sure they implemented the reforms and not just waste time enjoying themselves.
A healthy and functioning democracy demands an informed and diligent electorate. A democracy is a government by the people for the people; the people are the master and those holding public office are their servants. How can the people hold the politicians to democratic account if they have no clue what the politicians are doing?
Of course, we the people, have let ourselves down badly by failing to take our responsibility to make sure we have good, competent and accountable leaders at all times. We are standing on the edge of the precipitous abyss today not because we took a wrong turn two or five years ago! We have been down this ruinous path for the last 40 years.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political hell-on-earth because of 40 years of gross mismanagement, rampant corruptions and tyrannical rule by Zanu PF. The party blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, the party does not have the democratic mandate to govern, it is illegitimate. The corona virus outbreak has brought into sharp focus the critical importance of a competent government because Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence have made a bad situation worse.
“The global pandemic will take a heavy toll on the health sector, with many lives being lost and raise poverty to levels not seen in recent times, including worsening food security. A domestic collapse also would have potentially adverse regional effects, where spill-overs are significant,” confessed Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, a begging letter to IMF. He was begging for a bailout to avoid Zimbabwe imploding.
The IMF has ignored him completely because IMF and the international community regards Zimbabwe as a Banana Republic ruled by corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state then the country will into implode into economic and political chaos.
What the country needs to do is take a step back; Zanu PF must step down and allow the appointment of an totally independent body that the IMF and the international community can trust to implement the democratic reforms and thus end the country’s pariah state curse. To admit Zanu PF leaders are corrupt and incompetent and yet still want them back in the NTA is the kind of irrational thinking that got us to the edge of the precipice in the first place and, if followed, will take over the edge.
“Think, that you may not walk over the edge of the precipitous abyss: the spirit indeed is willing, but the intellect is weak!” to paraphrase Jesus’ warning.