By Nomusa Garikai- Give a fool rope enough, and he will hang himself; so goes the old adage. Zimbabwe’s political fools are swinging in the breeze!
“The activities of NGOs in our country, in the majority of cases, have not been developmental. The US and other Western countries have been splashing money to elements of the opposition with a view to effect regime change. That has nothing to do with promotion of democracy,’ fired (or rather misfired) Patrick Chinamasa, Zanu PF’s acting spokes person.
“In Zimbabwe, if one wants to buy a house or a car without working for it, he or she just needs to join an NGO and give out to that NGO that he was opposed to the ruling party and money will be provided.”
Chinamasa was commending on US Senator Rand Paul’s criticism of USAID for spending US$10 million trying to democratise Zimbabwe.
There is no denying that millions if not billions of USD in donor funds have been poured into Zimbabwe to promote democracy and good governance and there is precious little to show for it. Still, that does not mean there is no need for democracy and good governance in the country.
Indeed, with 50% of the country’s population now living in extreme poverty, with the country’s education and health care all but completely collapsed after decades of being starved of funds, etc. the need for good governance is greater now than ever before.
Yes the Zimbabwe’s NGOs and opposition leaders are corrupt and incompetent but nothing compared to the Zanu PF ruling elite and Comrade Chinamasa knows it! .
“In Zimbabwe, if one wants to buy not a house but a sprawling Blue Roof house mansion worth US$2 billion, not just have a car but a fleet of posh cars, have five star overseas education and health care services, have multiple farms, a multimillion dollar business empire, have an extravagant lifestyle, etc., etc. without working for it, he or she just needs to join Zanu PF. And to top it all, will be minister for donkey years!” Chinamasa should have added, after all he was minister for 38 years!
And there lays the nub of it all! Of course, the ordinary Zimbabweans would have never voted for the building of the US$2 billions Blue Roof whilst the country’s hospitals and schools rotted and decayed from neglect.
When the nation was fighting to end white colonial oppression “One man! One vote!” was the clarion call and everyone believed in the freedom and dignity of all the citizens. Sadly, by the time the country gained her independence, Zanu PF had forgotten all that in pursuit of absolute power.
Zanu PF’s campaign message in 1980 was that the civil war would continue is the party failed to win the elections and so the people voted to end the war and kissed “one man! One vote!” good bye. Zanu PF has rigged all the elections ever since.
Zanu PF has made “regime change” a dirty phase when in reality it is the very essence of free, fair and credible elections. Free and fair elections are a right and not a privilege to be given to some and denied to other as those in power see fit. The ultimate expression of the free vote is for the voters to remove anyone from office if they so wished!
“On paper, the reason being advanced for this colossal funding is because America wants to help in developing Zimbabwe’s democratic institutions. In reality, however, the real reason for this funding is to enable America to create, fund and control a pliant and puppet government in Zimbabwe, a government that will play to the whims and fantasies of America’s neo- imperialist agenda,” chipped in Obert Gutu.
Gutu was the MDC-T a deputy minister in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The people of Zimbabwe risked life and limb to elect Gutu and his fellow MDC leaders into power on the understanding they would bring about the democratic changes the nation was dying for.
However when MDC leaders got into power, Mugabe bribed them with the trappings of high office and they forgot about implementing the reforms to fighting to maintain the de facto one party dictatorship.
Power, wealth and privilege stopped MDC leaders seeing the evil of the dictatorship and the human suffering and deaths it had brought to the nation just as the same trio had blinded Chinamasa and his fellow Zanu PF cronies.
It was US ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, “was a flawed and indecisive character who would be an albatross round Zimbabwe’s neck if he ever got into power”. MDC did get into power in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The party failed to implement even one the democratic reforms in five years, proving ambassador Dell was right!
USAID had no business working with the MDC’s corrupt and incompetent leaders, especially after the GNU debacle. And so USA Senators Rand Paul was right in his scathing criticism of USAID for working with MDC leaders even to this day!
There is a crying need for democratic change and good governance in Zimbabwe, now more than ever. USAID and the people of Zimbabwe must, from now on, be more shrewd and savvy in who they work with in the fight for democratic change in Zimbabwe.