Nelson Chamisa New Year reflections – from Big Men to Big Ideas…. conversation in politics

By Nelson Chamisa

Fellow citizens, I trust you had an edifying and restful holiday. I am back in the city from my holiday in the countryside. Life rocks in the rural areas!

Welcome to 2018. Months ahead are full of surprises, earth-shaking, eye-popping and tongue-twisting developments. Tough decisions have to be made. 2018 is a year of big drama. A year of opportunity, a game changer, a turning point and a year of the great shift.

In 2017, we witnessed ‘change’ without change after the exit of the Big man and end of BIG MEN politics. Welcome to the Big IDEA season.

2018 is the year of new ideas, new direction , new dynamism and renewed hope for total change, real change and absolute transformation. Let’s make history and make 2018 a memorable year.

2018 is going to be a great contest of ideas, better and best policies for our beautiful Zimbabwe.Discourse will be more on ‘bread and butter’ issues, tangibles on how to deal with daily challenges and great questions of the day.

Dealing with corruption, sorting out the economy, providing a palpable and credible ENTREPRENEURSHIP and JOBS plan, mainstreaming youth and women issues, role of the millennials in elections, the risk, hazard and possibility of political violence, meaning of and conditions for free and fair elections and intra-party dynamics in the major parties are likely to be key momentum markers in determining the course of national compass, and in the making or breaking of our beloved nation this 2018.

As a nation, we must abandon name calling, finger pointing and this habitual label and condemn disposition as natural currency in the transaction of politics in Zimbabwe. Hate language must be jettisoned from our political discourse and leadership vocabulary. We must stop these ‘pasi naningi’ ‘Roverai pasi hezvoko bwaa’ politics.These connote violence.These are anti-peace slogans.

We must not fight amongst ourselves on the basis of personalities or unnecessarily and unprofitably quarrel amongst ourselves.Right makes might. Principle first Principal later should be our dictum.We must, however, not shy away from robust national debate on critical issues and strategic osmosis of ideas built on democratic centralism and constructive criticism.

Different parties and politicians from different shades of political persuasion must be on public media, ZBC TV and radio to offer us their menu of policies and cocktail of ideas to enable citizens to make informed choices. We must be a nation of ideas. A people of ideas and generation about ideas.It is my wish to see inclusive politics pre and post election time. We must be this robust and indomitable ONE team NEW Zimbabwe. There must be one winner after the election. Zimbabwe must be the WINNER!

Our God is love. We serve a God of love, peace, unity and forgiveness. God blesses the united, the peaceful, the forgiving and the loving.Teams win on the foundations of focus, strategic thinking, truth, unity and love.

Yes, It is common to mistakenly step on others’ toes and violate others’ spaces. To those of us offended by unguarded zeal, my errors of omission or commission and those I rubbed the wrong way wittingly or unwittingly, kindly accept my apology. I have since discovered that in public life, a lot of things said about oneself are malicious fabrication, stinking fiction and outright lies.

Cases in point include the noble US trip which was so bastardized by naysayers and competitors, the lie about myself being a big successful business mogul and that I am linked to either Lacoste or G40 or Gushungo. My politics is not politics of hatred and enmity.

I relate with my comrades the same way I relate with my fellow citizens in Zanu PF are not enemies but fellow countrymen who see things differently.

We are on opposite sides of the same one country. Zimbabwe is built by all hands not some hands. I don’t transact politics as a partisan but as a progressive nationalist driven by the great feelings of unbridled patriotism. I forgive all those who maliciously peddle lies about my person.Forgiveness heals and cures humanity.Forgiveness pacifies a nation.

Whereas it is understandable and pardonable, regrettable as it is, when one is cheated by another, it is completely preposterous,unpardonable and intolerable when one cheats themselves.

Let those of us who are driven by hate,
those of us who are fueled by jealousy,
those of us who think that in oder to rise others must fall,
those of us who think that to make their names they must unmake and break others,
those of us who soil and spoil others’ names to uplift theirs,

And those of us who crave a position of greater responsibility, possibly greater than their capacities, consider and understand that “promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalm 75:6, 7. Each of us has their place in the eternal plan of God.Be Blessed and be a blessing to each other.

I wish to take this opportunity to appreciate your presence in my life. You make life meaningful. No one can survive outside family and friends. Your contribution to my happiness has no replacement. Lets remain together. We are one.Lets build each other, support each other, be there for each other and above all pray for each other.

Thank you all for the confidence in the people’s project, your indefatigable and unwavering support against all odds. Thank you for supporting the people’s President Dr MR Tsvangirai. He needs our prayers and deserves all our support. As a people, as a nation,SUCCESS upon VICTORY is our story this 2018 going forward.I see and hear national prosperity and country success being the talk and story of the entire world.

Wishing you a fabulous 2018. May God, through this 2018, surpass your expectations and imaginations even surprise you beyond comprehension!!God bless you. Have a happy hassle-free 2018.May the new year bring you an abundance of amazing opportunities, beautiful moments and joyful experiences. Let’s celebrate God’s amazing grace in our lives.

Let the journey begin…Travel well and cruise in safety.
With love
Asante Sana
Iwe neni tine basa rekuvaka Zimbabwe!
Advocate Nelson Chamisa 1 January 2018.