My Dream For Zimbabwe

By Mutsa Murenje

I have a dream for this beloved and beleaguered country of ours dear Zimbabweans, my fellow citizens. A dream that requires, on our part, absolute dedication and focus. For I remember reading elsewhere that: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe”.

One thing for sure is that it is not so much the conditions we face but the spirit in which we face that determines our success or failure. My dream is that of a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning. A dream that looks beyond our immediate locality and if taken seriously, is capable of having an impact on the entire nation.

I envision a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning in which there will be a democratic system reflecting the aspirations and expectations of its people. Indeed a state in which equality is entrenched regardless of one’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender or socio-economic status; a nation that not only respects but also harnesses the diversity of its peoples’ values, traditions and aspirations for the benefit of all (what we in the World Youth Alliance call the common good).

I have in mind a democratic system that is issue-based, people-centred, result-oriented and accountable to the public. An issue-based system being one in which political differences are about means to meet the widest public interest. People-centred goals are concerned with the system’s responsiveness to the needs and rights of citizens whose participation in all public policies and resource allocation processes is both fully appreciated and facilitated. A result-oriented system is stable, predictable and whose performance is based on measurable outcomes.

An accountable system is one that is open and transparent and one that permits free flow of information. It should be a system in which leaders are accountable to citizens. An ambitious dream, isn’t it? Is this achievable, if so how?

This ambitious dream is achievable and our first port-of-call should be electoral reforms. But, why electoral reforms? Ndopane nyaya ipapo! This has to be especially when taking into cognisance the fact that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is too bureaucratic and inefficient to handle a conclusive and credible election. ZEC is retrogressive and is beyond doubt a hindrance to a smooth transition from dictatorship to democracy. With ZEC in place there is no doubt that we will continue to have election petitions that will not be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

How many election petitions were filed from the June 2000 Parliamentary election, March 2002 Presidential election, March 2005 Parliamentary election and the historic harmonised elections of March 2008? We need an independent electoral commission, one that is credible and can assure Zimbabweans that they will have a free and fair election.

As an implacable and vehement advocate of good governance, I call with unflinching courage and unfailing commitment for institutionalisation of genuinely competitive and issue-based politics. From the foregoing, it becomes clearer that the enactment and operationalisation of the necessary policy, legal and institutional framework to support issue-based political processes is mandatory and not optional.

To this end, I have in mind the following specific strategies: introducing laws and regulations covering political parties; enhancing the legal and regulatory framework covering the electoral process; conducting civic education programmes to widen knowledge and participation among citizens thereby leading to an informed and active citizenry; strengthening laws on non-discrimination to promote inclusion of women and disadvantaged groups in electoral and political processes; and enriching the quality of Parliamentary debate by increasing access by MPs to policy-relevant information, including documents.

It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? No! Fructification of this ambitious dream of national transformation requires: a fundamental shift from business-as-usual to “business unusual” (from multiple and often uncoordinated levels of decision-making to a centralized implementation process); a new management philosophy (from a limited sense of urgency to relentless follow up); legislation (from slow, reactive to fast, proactive legislating); special budgeting (from low and dispersed to high and “ring-fenced” investments), as well as management of top talent (from shortage of skills to a war for talent).

The ball is in our hands. The time to decide is now or never. We want a course that will, at the time and under the circumstances, provide us with the most suitable solution of the problem at hand. The ultimate purpose of decision-making is, in the words of Goel (1994:165) “…to ensure rational, feasible, acceptable and practical decisions”. As C. Foster puts it, “Deciding what you want most in life is the first step toward achieving it”. I rest my case and I put it to you dear Zimbabweans.