Recall of opposition MPs could have been done after reforms

By Tanonoka Joseph Whande

The mediocrity of Zimbabwe’s politicians is progressively becoming not only frightening but extremely dangerous to the country.

Our political leaders, in opposition and in government, must not take their responsibilities so lightly.

I fear giving up on our politicians; I honestly wish we had alternatives.

None of our politicians seems blessed with something called ‘foresight’ – a necessity to anyone aspiring to be a leader.

Why are we stranded with Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai in a country full of young intellectuals like ours?

After Mugabe betrayed us to his own self, his family and friends, Zimbabweans, in the absence of any viable leader or meaningful opposition political party, are now left with no alternative but Tsvangirai.

It’s all about numbers and Tsvangirai apparently has the numbers.

Zanu-PF supporters may sing hymns in praise of Mugabe all they want but they know it is not out of conviction but is a means of survival.

Tsvangirai’s MDC supporters can flash their red cards until their cards turn blue but they know they have no alternative.

Zimbabweans are peaceful and compliant to a fault; proudly, we are what we are and apologise to none for that.

But why are we not happy with our politicians?

It is 35+ years since independence and we still see the Dabengwas, the Mahofas, the Makonis or the Mnangagwas still struggling to stay relevant.

We are politically stagnant.

Our educated young have been ground into the dirt and offered no passage to grow or contribute towards their nation. While we might be champions of yester year, they are champions of today.

Where we once were “accomplished businessmen” who owned bottle stores in Chisumbanje and drove buses to Muzarabani, they are into international finance and provide communications networks to countries around the world.

Our cabinet is a nursing home for the old where a 90+ year-old president is regurgitating into cabinet the elderly who cannot even walk up a staircase.

If expected leadership change follows the Zanu-PF script, we are set to inherit none other than my home-boy, Emerson Mnangagwa, another oldie who, 35 years on, has achieved nothing of note in both government and cabinet.

With all the brilliant minds in our country, is this really what we deserve in 2015 – old men and women with carry-on catheters in their pockets?

Even snakes know better and regularly shed their old skins for new ones.

Be that as it may, is there any leader in Africa that Zimbabweans wished was their president?

After all, we have heard that a prophet is without honour in his own land.

Abracadabra!

I have established the African Presidential Exchange Programme, or APEP – we love acronyms in Africa, don’t we?

APEP allows our presidents to move from one African country to another for a period of service, much like our famed Non-Governmental Organisations, which never go back home – indicating their failure to achieve their own original goals.

Tell me, Zimbabwe, which African president would you prefer for a stint at Harare’s State House?

Are there any African countries out there whose leaders or politicians we envy more than our own?

Conversely, which country do we hate the most to send our own president to?

Imagine Mugabe being the expatriate president of Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia or Kenya.

Wow!

Shall we, for example, trade Mugabe for Ian Khama?

Or maybe we want Jacob Zuma, instead?

My compatriots, I am guilty because dissatisfaction defeats me; I apologise.

I do not mind saying Zimbabwe’s politicians lack foresight and none of them is good enough for Zimbabwe. Their mediocrity is now alarming.

What was Tsvangirai’s reasoning when he got opposition MPs fired before electoral reforms had been agreed to? Why could he not wait until such time that the electoral laws and voters’ roll had been dealt with, after all, those opposition MPs also agreed with him on this issue? He could have used them to effect the change in Parliament.

Our young, fresh minds have been, and continue to be, squeezed out of the political equation and are prevented from contributing to the welfare of our nation because of patronage where mongrels, underachievers, praise singers and thieves, among others, are given leeway at progress’s expense.

At the time of writing, Mugabe had visited five countries in March alone.

What for? Not for Zimbabwe.

And what business do SADC and the AU have for or with Africa?

The man is always on a plane to places where he is not wanted or places where he has no role to play.

Zimbabweans in Ethiopia were recently asked to contribute $50 each to host Mugabe.

For some reason, we expect Mugabe to “stay home and deal with the pressing issues the nation is facing”.

Are you kidding me? He is the problem.

Both Mugabe and his wife are now ailing with undisclosed illnesses. Why they hide it from us is a mystery. I guess they do not need our prayers.

But they need our money – a point Mugabe made in Ethiopia when he urged Zimbabweans in the diaspora to send money home to relatives as if we do not know who is waiting to pounce on those remittances.

Aah, baba ava zvenyu!

Meanwhile, the opposition rejoices in opposing each other, oblivious to how their disunity benefits the party they want to replace.

Tsvangirai’s opposition party mutated into at least four political parties: Ncube’s is on life support – the situation is hopeless and getting worse; Sikhala saw the hopelessness of his crusade and has “rejoined” Tsvangirai; Biti’s is hesitating (they, surely, can’t be running out of steam before the race?) and Mutambara…where is Mutambara?

He took with him into oblivion another piece of the MDC!

Where is Mutambara?

Are the differences among this horde of MDC factions so deep that they all prefer the total annihilation of the others while leaving Zanu-PF intact?

We just fight for a leader or a party but worry little about those who elected us.

Forgetting about uniting to remove a common enemy, Tsvangirai courts those people humiliated by Mugabe while at the same time wishing Armageddon on Biti and his followers.

He found it best for him to petition Parliament to have those opposition MPs expelled from Parliament because they had “crossed the floor” by joining another political party.

Mugabe, as expected, obliged and dismissed the 21 MPs from parliament.

A few days later, Tsvangirai’s faction re-stated that they will not be participating in the forthcoming by-elections because the voters’ roll is in a shambles and needs to be updated.

If foresight had been employed, this could have been done for maximum effect against Zanu-PF but with less impact on opposition but…this from a man seeking alliances with other opposition parties!

Notorious Zanu-PF motor mouth, Jonathan Moyo, could only thank Tsvangirai for “donating parliamentary seats to Zanu-Pf” while Saviour Kasukuwere announced that Tsvangirai was a Zanu-PF political Commissar who delivered a bundle of seats to his old party that he served since his days in Bindura.

I am not amused by the closeness to truth this is.

But, already, Nikuv, is reported to have started “cleaning up” the voters’ roll in readiness for the by-elections.

The recall of opposition MPs could have been done after reforms. Now, there is no one in parliament to oppose the government, something that could have benefitted the people and even Tsvangirai himself; is he happier now?

Tsvangirai is not the only person opposing Mugabe and what his party did is retrogressive, especially that he seeks to “unite” with other opposition parties but will undermine them at the first chance he gets.

Hindsight is regret; foresight eliminates that.