Musewe: The comedy in Zimbabwe continues
By Vince Musewe
We have accepted a substandard life and we are getting the leadership that we deserve.
The commander in chief of the armed forces, the first secretary of ZANU (PF), the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency,Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe saw it fit to “donate” USD 20 million worth of seeds to poor Zimbabweans as a token of his appreciation of the suffering that they are enduring as a result of illegal sanctions imposed by the imperialist British and the West. There have been accusations by mischievous and misguided detractors in the media, that the USD20 million was secured from diamond revenues. This has proved once more, how the West continues to influence and control our media in their wish for regime change.
On giving out the seeds to registered ZANU (PF) members only in Highfileds recently, an old woman was accused of being an MDC supporter and was accordingly beaten up. She reported this to the police, who insisted that she first get a doctor’s report on her injuries before they could arrest the perpetrators. She returned with a doctor’s note and the police, on noting that the medical report had been provided by a private doctor, further insisted that they would only accept a report written by a doctor from a government hospital before they could take any action. She gave up.
The attorney general came out guns blazing the other day, and stated that those who speak against the interests of the country will face dire consequences in the future and be charged with treason. This was after some accusations that Marange diamonds were conflict diamonds, something the honorable gentleman did not take kindly to.
We have all been duly warned, that the authorities have been rather lax to date and will tighten the screws on those that seek to discredit this regime. This of course, involves anyone who sees it fit to exercise their constitutional right and criticize ZANU (PF) or point out where they are going wrong. Such is our democracy and how those who swore to protect the constitution of the country behave. Our banana republic thrives.
The Essar deal worth billions of dollars is on hold once more. This is because the government has suddenly realized that they must perform a due diligence on the transaction? The minister responsible clearly under priced the asset and in normal circumstances, he would have resigned but his silence on the matter is rather deafening. The cabinet also approved the transaction and even held a reception to celebrate it, but there has been no progress to consummate the deal. Now the Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe is not impressed and it is likely that we will not be receiving any investors from India in the near future. What a joke.
The silly season is upon us once more. I am not talking about Christmas here, but primary elections where we are meant to select those individuals that will stand for parliamentary seats in the next elections. It is time to connive and be crafty, time to back stab and climb up the political ladder. It is time to give out food hampers, tractors and seeds.
It is opportune to hold babies and once again, promise poor communities projects that will be embarked upon to improve their lot but only after the elections. This formula works all the time. I am also reliably informed, that it is only in Zimbabwe where, an MP does not have to reside in their constituency and therefore has no clue of his or her community’s day to day issues. Talk about absentee MPs’. It’s frightening.
The inscrutable bishop Kunonga’s chickens have come home to roost. What amazes me is that during this whole despicable saga, the police ferociously guarded the properties he had taken over and did not allow other Anglican parishioners to worship in their churches. The lesson here is that; you can expropriate anyone’s property and be protected by the police during your illegal occupation.
The courts will take about five years to evict you. In the mean time, you can collect rent and make a bundle and nobody will ask for the money back. Now that’s indigenization for you. The astounding development is that the not so venerable bishop is now actually fighting back a Supreme Court Judgment. The same happened to our commercial farmers I guess, so nothing is new here.
Now these things make me laugh, not because it’s funny, but it so tragic that I have to release some stress. I have been in Harare for the last six months and if I were normal, I would be on my way out of here once more. That is not about to happen this time, simply because I believe that this country of ours needs us now more so than ever.
It is distressing to hear what’s going on in every sector of our economy and on the political front. It is even more distressing when you look around and see nobody protesting and most re going on with their lives as if all is well. We are truly damned.
I have sadly realized that our problem is not ZANU (PF) as such, but Zimbabweans in general. We have accepted a substandard life and we are getting the leadership that we deserve. I have been talking to a lot of Zimbabweans locally and abroad, funny enough, we all agree on what is wrong with Zimbabwe, but it seems none of us are prepared to do anything about it.
We are all waiting for somebody somewhere to emerge and do something for us. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Watching the recent developments in Egypt and how they will not accept anything but democracy, has made me realize that Zimbabweans are doomed unless they unite and act against a dictatorship which must now end. However, this will not guarantee us democracy, because to be honest, we have never really tasted true democracy.
In my opinion, we would not be able to live up to it. It is highly likely therefore, that even a new government in Zimbabwe will continue to dominate and dictate and Zimbabweans will continue on with their lives as usual. I think being educated sucks because you rationalize, theorize and criticize, sit back and wait.
If there is anything ZANU (PF) has managed to do over the last thirty two years, it is to steal the dreams, passion and aspirations of most Zimbabweans. It is so frightening that one has to deliberately escape from that mindset or one can easily become average and also accept substandard politicians whose main concerns are their purses and stomachs. That is the power that ZANU (PF) continues to wield over the majority of Zimbabweans.
To Zimbabweans in the Diaspora I say that, as Americans have shown us, you must begin to support democratic organizations in Zimbabwe financially as individuals. Criticizing from the sidelines is important, but it will not change things on the ground. Contribute the little you can and your numbers will speak for themselves. You can change Zimbabwe politics overnight by doing so little and the good news is that you don’t have to be physically here for now to achieve that.
To those waiting for change locally my challenge is that, unless you become involved in politics, we will continue to get the bad leadership that we deserve. We all must be activists; nobody is going to change things for us. Yes, voting is important but it will not be enough, because those you vote for may not necessarily be the best of breed and once they are in power, they are no assurances they will act in your interests or benefit the country at large.
As for me, I refuse to accept ZANU (PF) leadership, I refuse to believe that the MDC as our only solution for a better future. My spirit tells me that we deserve much better and it is not impossible for us to create the Zimbabwe we desire. We can no longer accept a majority party in government; we have tasted its bitter fruit over the last thirty two years. We must set high standards of democracy and high expectations for the masses. It is imperative that we all contribute our multiple voices and resources to change our circumstances for the better. Yes we can.
Hmmm, there is much to done, so God help me!
Vince Musewe is an independent economist in Harare and you can contact him on [email protected]
