What the Zanu PF and MDC-T marches failed to address
By Roy Muroyi
Yesterday we witnessed hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans taking part in the so called million man march. Different “radical” speakers took to the podium in solidarity with the octogenarian leader.
It is imperative to note two things however, its either those that marched with Robert Mugabe truly admire him or they are bootlickers who will stop at nothing when it comes to consolidating their ill gotten wealth. My biggest question today was, “Is this march a direct response to the MDC-T’s recent march?”
If my answer for the above question is yes then we have got a serious governance crisis in Zimbabwe. When the economy is in shambles like this I do not think that the two main political parties should be taking the streets to flex their muscles in a bid to try and outnumber each other’s gatherings.
Zimbabweans across the land should say no to these meaningless marches that at the end of the day do not yield anything of significance to their livelihoods. In light of the one million march and the MDC big tent march I have decided to pen down a serious policy issue that the future government should try and include in their governance model.
As a youth of this country I feel policy issues should be at the core of addressing the country‘s economic situation not some meaningless marches that are imposed on the people signifying nothing!
More often have we criticized the government of the day without coming up with a possible solution to the policy issues for policy makers to take into consideration. On behalf of other young policy makers like myself I take this opportunity to present this piece to the future Zimbabwean governments as a possible governance system that could possibly turn Zimbabwe’s fortunes around.
The struggle for a free society should begin with a government system that is decentralized. In order to try and curb the problem of dictatorship, government powers should be limited and decentralized. In theory, the extremist theory of decentralizing everything should be adopted in Zimbabwe as decentralization allows for most powers to be vested in the people and highly decentralized government institutions.
My main contention for a decentralized system for Zimbabwe stems from the background that Zimbabwe has got a long history of political violence and dominance by some groups which has been a major hindrance to political and economic prosperity. Future political dispensations should insure that all political parties are living in a system that gives a level playing field and remove domination in all facets of governance.
Decentralization gives room for diversity which characterizes a free society and does not impose laws on the people. In a decentralized government system, different regions have got their laws that represent their values, special needs as well as their environment.
No society in the world is ideal, but some political and economic systems create a higher degree of freedom and prosperity than others. In ideal society would be one in which there is freedom, peace and prosperity for all.
An ideal policy for Zimbabwe is the one which would enshrine the core values of democracy and have them respected, it should be based on the political, economic and legal systems that are likely to achieve the best conditions for the most people.
Most democracies have a decentralized government system. The more the heterogeneous the society the greater the need for a decentralized system such is in the case of Zimbabwe which has got a lot of political parties, a number of tribes and also different ethnicities represented. In Zimbabwe the idea of devolution has been received with mixed feelings due to tribal issues arising from the suggesting parties.
According to Dr Jephias Mapuva 2015 The claim for de facto devolution/ sovereignty assumed different dimensions and manifested itself either through militant behavior, such as was witnessed in the Anglo-Ndebele War of 1893, or through legal contestations, such as the one staged by the Mthwakhazi political group in the legitimate challenges in2014. This made it very difficult for the idea of devolution to be embraced in Zimbabwe.
I propose the Canton system which we could possibly borrow from Switzerland. The Swiss canton system serves as a solution to the Zimbabwean economy, social and political crisis as it advocates for total decentralization of power in all facets of governance.
I am sure everyone would agree with me that it is easier to influence a small grouping of people than it is to influence large number of people. in the same light it is easy to influence a small government such as a provincial or homeland government than influence a national government.
Zimbabwe is a unique country with its own unique problems, It is our mandate as patriotic Zimbabweans to find a relevant government policy that will work to address its unique problems.
The Canton system was designed for Switzerland which is just as diverse as Zimbabwe. In this light we do not need to re-invent the wheel but take what we can from the Swiss system. In a Canton system people are allowed to live in their own communities according to their mutual value, mutual peace and prosperity.
The diversity of this country may actually become its own strength. Switzerland has got four main languages: German, French, Italian and Rhaeto- Romanish with six percent of the population being migrant workers speaking their own home languages. Within the main four languages there are many dialects.
The canton system became functional in 1921 after an alliance by three cantons with the principle of equality being the central principle. The canton system has formed “a nation by will” Small communities live voluntarily in mutual respect complimenting each other economically and culturally.
Having grown up in a country where policies are introduced on a try and error basis I have taken it upon myself as an upcoming policy maker to find and implement a governance system which best suits the needs of hopeless resilient Zimbabweans and I am convinced that the Swiss system is extraordinarily appropriate for Zimbabwe.
Just like Zimbabwe, Switzerland is a small land locked country. The major difference however is that unlike Zimbabwe Switzerland has no mineral wealth and poor agricultural potential. Their population is highly heterogeneous while approximately two thirds of the population is German speaking; however no single group has a majority in all cantons or communes. With all these negatives, Switzerland has not only survived but prospered.
It is extremely rich and has got some of the highest living standards in Europe. The economy is flourishing and there is very low unemployment. The country has remained at peace amidst all the conflicts and wars around it. I have noted that their economic and political success lies within their government system and Zimbabwe could learn a lot from it.
In a canton system , each canton will have its own parliament, constitution as determined by the referendum. These would obviously vary from district to district as different political parties will bring in different proposals in their districts.
This will facilitate a kaleidoscope of opinion and ideologies. On voting, each canton would decide on how their residents would vote as well as the voting system to be adopted. Each canton would then send representatives to the central government chosen as per each canton’s policy and constitution.
The focus of political party action would be at canton level. Some political parties would take up representation in different cantons depending on their proposals and viability. Pressure groups would also be accommodated and become very active.
The central government functions would be very much limited as the cantons will be in control of their administration. Cantons can also be given the authority to devolve power to local authorities or communities. Dennis Beckett in Permant Peace proposes devolution of power method in all aspects of administration.
Becket further suggests a maximal democracy theory whereby local authorities representing large areas would devolve administration power to smaller groups that would concern themselves issues to do with, sporting activities, racial policy, cleaning the city and so on.
Economically each canton would take care of its people with the , develop their area without external interference and would also be responsible for developing its own area, for example the Chiadzwa – Marange diamonds would have been used to develop the lives of the people of Manicaland as well as the infrastructure of the province.
Towards the 2013 constitution making process Zanu pf and Mugabe vehemently denied this idea of devolution of power .Probably because it brings about transparency and accountability which the present government is strongly opposed to. The canton would probably stipulate its own economic policies this would protect the people from abuse from the central government.
A canton would be able to grant or refuse citizenship to newcomers this could be very effective in reducing migration as well as maintain their own political character. In as much as there should be freedom of movement which will be constitutionally entrenched cantons should be able to create their own revenue by selling their citizenship, that is the more attractive a canton and its policies are, the more the more revenue it would raise.
A free society is characterized by the rule of law and common law, and an unfree society is characterized by the rule of man, statutory law and discretionary law. In Zimbabwe there is presently a mixture of both. In order for us to achieve true justice, we must reduce the rule of man and increase the rule of law.
Around the world, countries which are characterized by a high degree of personal freedom , peace and prosperity are those which the power of government has been effectively curtailed in some way. The model I propose above however does not require that every Zimbabwean share this view but it is a proposal to be considered by future governments.
Roy Muroyi is a pro-democracy promoter who also believes in youth emancipation and participation in all facets of governance. He is also the Secretary General of a youth movement called Youth Democratic Front –Zimbabwe. He writes in his own capacity and can be contacted on [email protected]
