Academic Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes :
Dr Walter Mzembi’s quotes
Our eyes must be focused on creating a progressive generation, rather than focusing on elections. Our worry must be the future, generation of ideas, participate in progressive development, uniting together to achieve one common goal “development”.
We have a duty and obligation to deliver the best four country. We can still be resonate and do the best for our country. We need a better, Zimbabwe, a future, a hope and a new narrative. It is high time we must come back to our sense to give hope to the young generation by practicing progressive politics and change of mindset.
I have seen people in hotels going to bathrooms carrying their drinks, even mineral water for fear of being poisoned. I have seen people refusing to offer transport to an opposition member or ruling party. In other countries, they campaign on same platforms during elections, they exchange regalia. We are not tolerant, we use hate language, and this has spilled even to sports and recreation, for those who have been watching our recent soccer matches involving our senior team, I have seen people waving political symbols in the national sports stadium. We cannot speak using same language, with one voice.
My simple question is who owns Zimbabwe? What defines Zimbabwe? If participating on the national tree planting day can result in shootings, then I think we have to suspend politics. Firing bullets, firing doctors, firing salvages etc. can’t we adopt a developmental stance? What is that we are fighting for? Zimbabwe is buffeted by toxic politics, indecisive fundamentals, conflicts and disputes and we have a duty and obligation to come up with progressive matrix which gives birth to development narrative.
Its over three solid decades and we have achieved nothing close to development. We need a better Zimbabwe, and it is my humble plea, we come together and focus on the development agenda and forget about elections. If I may ask you how much money has gone into elections? Last year we had over 500 million which was set aside for elections which could have achieved a lot. The same applies to 1980,1985,1990,1995,2000,2008 scenarios and this has given birth to disputes, conflicts, social imbalances, toxic politics and other misfortunes.
No one would want to hear of Murambatsvina, 2002 elections, land invasions, 2008 presidential run off, and the 2018 August 1 shootings as a result of disputed polls. I’m of the idea that we avoid polls mainly because as we speak, the ruling Zanu PF is already in the electoral mode, defining the 2023 narrative and one would then ask what about the promises that were fed to people during the drum up support towards 2018 watershed elections?
Hon MP from the MDC Alliance Memory Mbondiah posted a picture dishing out sanitary wear to women in rural areas. She was putting her MDC regalia and she was giving sanitary wear to a Zanu PF woman who was putting on a Zanu PF regalia, smiling. This was actually good and it created an atmosphere of unity, respect and love. I know some questioned the motive, but basing on the image, it should be the norm in our daily routines. I’m not sure what happened to the lady who received pads from the MDC Legislator, but this was a clear message to the leadership of this country, we are one and we must suspend politics and develop our country. Some people have been denied food handouts particularly in rural set up mainly because they are members of the opposition party. Is it a crime to belong to opposition politics?
Change of Mindset
We need a paradigm shift or approach on development. We have a toxic environment, there is no soberness to deal with the current situation, and our environment is marred by violence, lack of understanding, political dominance, deaths, shootings and other imbalances. I remember there are some senior Government officials who lost their jobs as a result of being seen with an mdc member, or posing for a photo with an MDC person. I remember that police officer who was in trouble for saluting the then Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai. My simple question is, Tsvangirai was the Prime Minister for which country? We have failed to contain ourselves, to reflect soberness and level headed, and we have gone to the extreme with national politics. I was following Mnangagwa’s Facebook posts, and his recent updates on social media on his engagements, and as of late, 97% of the comments you find on social media are insults. He has been showered with all sorts of insults.
Recently Mwonzora was out of the country on Government, I supposed parliamentary business, with the speaker of Parliament, if I’m not mistaken it was an anti-sanction program, and he was in hot soup with some die hard supporters. My simple question the speaker of parliament is from which country? Do we deserve sanctions? Fine, we have to go through the effects of sanctions on the socio-economic development arena of our country, but do we deserve them? Few days ago, the SG for MDC, Charlton Hwende paid a courtesy call to the Zimbabwe diplomat, checking on students in Germany and other issues of diplomacy and International relations, what was wrong with that meeting? I’m not defending the meeting, I would ask a simple question, how many times have the USA President Donald Trump met the democrats and republicans? So many times, and have you heard any noise about it? They are progressive and they adopted a national development mindset to sustain their lives without any interference. It is only in Zimbabwe, where you see a senior Zanu PF member or opposition figure being summoned or suspended for posing for a picture with another person from another political party who does not subscribe to your political affiliation or ideology. This can only happen in Zimbabwe.
Why would you fire live ammunition to a fellow Zimbabwean? If I may say Nelson Chamisa is a 41 year old Zimbabwe who is participating in national politics. Anything bad about it? So why would you tamper with people’s peace for the sake of eliminating your own opponent, to achieve what? When I went through the August 1, shootings, it was a sad event, where some children were left vulnerable to so many kinds of trauma and social imbalances just because of a vote. Killing someone because of power? To achieve what? The other day I saw Dr Energy Mutodi posing for a picture with Advocate Nelson Chamisa the current MDC President on Tuku funeral, he was bashed on social media and some even said, “Do not contaminate our People’s president? What was wrong about it?
Do we need elections?
I’m of the opinion that we must suspend elections for ten years and build Zimbabwe. It’s high time, students, academics, politicians, civic society, business community come together and decide the future of our country. If I may ask what has elections achieved in this country other than leaving Zimbabweans with so many scars, torture and trauma. Each time we have elections in Zimbabwe, we have a story to tell. In 2000, we had serious problems when the boat was about to sink, in 2002, we had controversial land reform which spilled into elections leaving many people dead, displaced and some even fleeing the country. In 2008, we had the presidential run off, which left many opposition members dead, and in 2013, we had few issues mainly because we were coming from a power sharing agreement. In 2017, we had a military coup which gave birth to the so called new dispensation which left over 7 people dead on August 1 as a result of shootings. Today as we speak, the economy is literally dead, and what have we achieved so far after 2018 elections, other than relying on bandages from Botswana and other handouts from other countries. Billions of dollars have gone missing in the central bank of Zimbabwe, as a result of looting.
Conclusion
In a nutshell we are saying, we can do the best for our country. Look at Zambia, South Africa, Namibia and others within our region, they are doing the best. Look at the roadmap Lungu has achieved in Zambia. Every district has a hospital, he launched a 4000 road network for the entire Zambia for road rehabilitation, and look at the new Kenneth Kaunda airport refurbishment etc. we are still fighting over small issues, looting our country to the core, grabbing farms, mines etc.
Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo – D.Phil Candidate (Women’s University in Africa)
Email: [email protected]