By Nomusa Garikai- “My critical thinking would be, opposition should focus on talking points and references and guidelines and framework of the agenda.

Whether POLAD or GPA or any other frameworks, dialogue remains dialogue, I think the focus should be on the framework. POLAD is a creation of Zanu PF as an institution, and they are using it as a basis of any talks with regards to the court outcome of July 30 elections, and anything outside that is anon-starter,” argued Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo

“So whoever would be advising opposition must focus on the talking points. Suppose there is a resurgence on the economy, what is going to happen to the opposition?”

Well you are spot on, Zanu PF hardliners are interested in talks for talks-sake; they will never ever agree to meaningful political reforms much less get them implemented. Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office. 

Zanu PF will never ever win a free, fair and credible elections, of that there can be no if, but or maybe. After 40 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, given a chance in a free, fair and credible election, the people will vote for anyone, anyone at all, just to rid themselves of Zanu PF.  

So, what will be the purpose of advising the opposition on what talking points to focus on, when one already knows these will be talks for talk-sake! 

President Mnangagwa launched POLAD in May last year, nine months ago; at a time when the economy was already in serious trouble as witnessed by the soaring cost of living, shortages, January 2019 fuel price hike protests, etc. If POLAD was expected to address the nation’s teething economic problems, then the forum members were expected to hit the ground running and, by now, the nation would be expecting significant signs of economic recovery. 

There are no signs of economic recovery. Indeed, there are signs of the economic meltdown getting even worse than ever. 

POLAD was talk for talk-sake and thus it is no surprise Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has continued on its nose dive POLAD or no POLAD. Launching yet another talk for talk-sake platform will too have no effect on the country’s worsening economic meltdown. None! 

“Suppose there is a resurgence on the economy!”

“The Mnangagwa administration has virtually no productive tax base and no one who will lend to it on the scale required, so policy on the fly is the order of the day—layers of contradiction, distortion, graft and increasing chaos—a ‘ramshackle edifice’ that will grow larger and more precarious as the months roll by,” predicted Stuart Doran, in The Strategist ASPI.

“Downward trends and further economic shocks may trigger more instability before the year is out, but they are, ultimately, symptoms, not causes. They are weather vanes that speak of the present and warn us of the imminent, yet they are not seminal and are poor indicators of the longer term.

“For those who would try to read the swirling tea leaves, broader and deeper factors are the better bet. The word ‘system’ is inadequate because the core of it is more profound, more organic and more enduring than that. Zimbabwe is what it is because of a political subculture, centred on the ruling party, that has hegemony and subjugation as its highest ideals. Violence, disdain, paranoia and plunder are among its natural progeny. It is fundamentally antithetical to genuine political competition, dissent and notions of stewardship.”

In short the ramshackle edifice is collapsing, it is nonsense to talk of Zimbabwe’s economic resurgence, not whilst Zanu PF remains in power. Economic resurgence; might as well ask what happens if  water started to flow upstream and worry about Mount Everest drowning! 

Still, it is the country’s worsening economic situation which, in the end, will hold swear as to what happens in the end. Zanu PF has so far used its coercive power to brow beat the populous into submission. But there is no denying that worsening economic situation is forcing more and more people to voice their dissent with the dictatorship. 

In the end the people will overcome their fear of the Zanu PF regime and demand an end to their economic hardships.

No matter how powerful a tyrannical regime happens to be, in the end; the regime will fall and the people will prevail. 

“It is the economy, stupid!” as former US President Bill Clinton, once said!