News / Regional
'It's cold out there' says Prof Moyo
30 Jun 2013 at 07:11hrs | Views
Zanu-PF candidate for Tsholotsho North Constituency, Professor Jonathan Moyo has made a passionate plea to fellow comrades from his party who filed nomination papers to stand as independent candidates in the forthcoming elections for them to withdraw their candidacies describing his similar move in 2005 as a "horrible and miserable" experience.
Professor Moyo, who in 2005 decided to stand as an independent candidate in Tsholotsho North after Zanu-PF had chosen Musa Ncube as its candidate to fill its women's quota system said the comrades who have decided to stand as independents should "take it from me" and "not try to replicate a unique and unusual case which in fact was a bad precedent."
After filing to stand as an independent candidate in 2005, Prof Moyo automatically fired himself from the party as his move was against the party's rules and procedures.
Subsequently, Prof Moyo, who was then the Zanu-PF deputy secretary for information and publicity and Minister of State for Information and Publicity was dismissed from Government.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail yesterday, Prof Moyo said by filing their nomination papers last Friday to stand as independent candidates, the comrades had made their point and "now they must make their party's and people's point" by withdrawing their candidature.
He described the move by the comrades to stand as independent candidates as "unfortunate, unwise, misguided and career threatening to those concerned."
He added that while he was aware that losing a primary election or not qualifying for a primary election was a painful experience in personal terms, the move to stand as an independent candidate is irrational as it goes against the party's rules and regulations that are debated and adopted in advance of the election.
"The reports that some of these comrades are claiming to have been inspired by my 2005 case are flattering but totally misplaced as the difference between my case and theirs is like chalk and cheese. Yes, the colour is white but the substances have no similarity whatsoever.
"As a matter of fact, my case was unique, unusual and it is wrong to seek to replicate a unique or unusual case which is in fact a very bad precedent. Most if not all of these comrades who have decided to contest as independents are doing so entirely out of personal reasons which are not informed by any national service or even party service let alone community service.
"They are essentially putting themselves above the party and giving the false impression that they are either more important or more popular than the party. And yet, the whole essence of politics and national service is collective. Politics is not a solitary enterprise pursued by ambitious political hermits in the wilderness," explained Prof Moyo.
He said being an independent candidate goes against the essence of politics adding that the comrades who had decided to stand as independent candidates should learn from him.
"They should take it from me. It's horrible and miserable. They should take it from those who have been down the path. Just the campaign is a terrible experience," said Prof Moyo.
He explained that in his 2005 case, the community and the Chiefs from his area understood his circumstances but were against his idea to stand as an independent candidate to the extent that they even wrote a petition to the President to "stop me from running as an independent."
"While one gets very excited and energetic during the campaign, disaster inevitably strikes soon after the elections, more so if you have won as reality sets in and you become a true independent with no one wanting to work with you. You will have to drill boreholes alone, fix dams alone, construct roads alone and you find out that there is no independent government.
"When you go to Parliament, no one cares which portfolio committee you belong to and if you try to engage other legislators they say to you you are an independent MP why don't you caucus alone. You find yourself bringing stupid motions or nothing at all.
"The people who voted for you out of excitement to fix other people start asking for things you can't afford or you can't deliver. Being an independent does not work in our political system. It's very exciting but absolutely meaningless.
"Public things are achieved while working with other people not when working alone. Comrades like Jonathan Samkange, Mike Madiro and others must understand that the developments I spearheaded in Tsholotsho were achieved and achievable because I was working with Zanu-PF and as a result we did a lot together.
"The people of Tsholotsho are going to vote overwhelmingly for Zanu-PF using that experience and not the experience of my being an independent candidate. It was never about kuramwa," he said adding that the people of Tsholotsho voted for him in 2005 because "they were happy that I would use it to rejoin our comrades and work together."
Prof Moyo advised the comrades who have decided to stand as independent candidates to also consider the history of independent candidates in Parliament since the attainment of Independence in 1980.
"We have had tens if not hundreds independent parliamentary candidates since 1980 but only two have ever won. Margaret Dongo won a by-election as an independent candidate in an urban constituency and could not be re-elected.
"I am the only candidate to win from a rural constituency and to be re-elected because of the unique circumstances of my case which are that I had not only succeeded to develop the constituency working with Zanu-PF but I was also part of the national team that spearheaded the land reform programme in a visible manner that included teamwork with Zanu-PF comrades across the country.
"This is not the background of Comrade Samkange with all respect to him. His is a solo crusade and is exactly the kind of crusade which has costed all independent candidates who have failed since Independence and there is no reason why such respected professionals should ruin their chance by grounding it in guaranteed failure.
"I therefore, really from a very profound sense of reflection based on my own unfortunate experience and on the poor performance of independents in the last seven elections, I want to appeal to my esteem comrades who have chosen to run as independents to think again and do so very hard and very objectively. I appeal to the comrades to withdraw their nominations while there is still time to do so. It would be very revolutionary for them," the professor appealed.
He added that the forthcoming elections were historic and were not for individuals but the party.
"History will judge them as comrades who threw away the votes and they will be judged harshly. They are throwing a much-need vote and the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives will not be happy where they are.
"If they withdraw now, as I plead with them, they will lose nothing but win respect of all comrades. They made their point by securing nomination last Friday and now they must make their party's and people's point. This will leave them as respectable winners.
"If they don't withdraw and persist with their ill-fated candidacies, they can assure themselves of a very long and severe winter ahead and in that event I hope they will be fair enough to remember that we told them so. Otherwise, I wish them very well and I do so in the truest spirit of comradeship."
Professor Moyo, who in 2005 decided to stand as an independent candidate in Tsholotsho North after Zanu-PF had chosen Musa Ncube as its candidate to fill its women's quota system said the comrades who have decided to stand as independents should "take it from me" and "not try to replicate a unique and unusual case which in fact was a bad precedent."
After filing to stand as an independent candidate in 2005, Prof Moyo automatically fired himself from the party as his move was against the party's rules and procedures.
Subsequently, Prof Moyo, who was then the Zanu-PF deputy secretary for information and publicity and Minister of State for Information and Publicity was dismissed from Government.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail yesterday, Prof Moyo said by filing their nomination papers last Friday to stand as independent candidates, the comrades had made their point and "now they must make their party's and people's point" by withdrawing their candidature.
He described the move by the comrades to stand as independent candidates as "unfortunate, unwise, misguided and career threatening to those concerned."
He added that while he was aware that losing a primary election or not qualifying for a primary election was a painful experience in personal terms, the move to stand as an independent candidate is irrational as it goes against the party's rules and regulations that are debated and adopted in advance of the election.
"The reports that some of these comrades are claiming to have been inspired by my 2005 case are flattering but totally misplaced as the difference between my case and theirs is like chalk and cheese. Yes, the colour is white but the substances have no similarity whatsoever.
"As a matter of fact, my case was unique, unusual and it is wrong to seek to replicate a unique or unusual case which is in fact a very bad precedent. Most if not all of these comrades who have decided to contest as independents are doing so entirely out of personal reasons which are not informed by any national service or even party service let alone community service.
"They are essentially putting themselves above the party and giving the false impression that they are either more important or more popular than the party. And yet, the whole essence of politics and national service is collective. Politics is not a solitary enterprise pursued by ambitious political hermits in the wilderness," explained Prof Moyo.
He said being an independent candidate goes against the essence of politics adding that the comrades who had decided to stand as independent candidates should learn from him.
"They should take it from me. It's horrible and miserable. They should take it from those who have been down the path. Just the campaign is a terrible experience," said Prof Moyo.
He explained that in his 2005 case, the community and the Chiefs from his area understood his circumstances but were against his idea to stand as an independent candidate to the extent that they even wrote a petition to the President to "stop me from running as an independent."
"While one gets very excited and energetic during the campaign, disaster inevitably strikes soon after the elections, more so if you have won as reality sets in and you become a true independent with no one wanting to work with you. You will have to drill boreholes alone, fix dams alone, construct roads alone and you find out that there is no independent government.
"When you go to Parliament, no one cares which portfolio committee you belong to and if you try to engage other legislators they say to you you are an independent MP why don't you caucus alone. You find yourself bringing stupid motions or nothing at all.
"The people who voted for you out of excitement to fix other people start asking for things you can't afford or you can't deliver. Being an independent does not work in our political system. It's very exciting but absolutely meaningless.
"Public things are achieved while working with other people not when working alone. Comrades like Jonathan Samkange, Mike Madiro and others must understand that the developments I spearheaded in Tsholotsho were achieved and achievable because I was working with Zanu-PF and as a result we did a lot together.
"The people of Tsholotsho are going to vote overwhelmingly for Zanu-PF using that experience and not the experience of my being an independent candidate. It was never about kuramwa," he said adding that the people of Tsholotsho voted for him in 2005 because "they were happy that I would use it to rejoin our comrades and work together."
Prof Moyo advised the comrades who have decided to stand as independent candidates to also consider the history of independent candidates in Parliament since the attainment of Independence in 1980.
"We have had tens if not hundreds independent parliamentary candidates since 1980 but only two have ever won. Margaret Dongo won a by-election as an independent candidate in an urban constituency and could not be re-elected.
"I am the only candidate to win from a rural constituency and to be re-elected because of the unique circumstances of my case which are that I had not only succeeded to develop the constituency working with Zanu-PF but I was also part of the national team that spearheaded the land reform programme in a visible manner that included teamwork with Zanu-PF comrades across the country.
"This is not the background of Comrade Samkange with all respect to him. His is a solo crusade and is exactly the kind of crusade which has costed all independent candidates who have failed since Independence and there is no reason why such respected professionals should ruin their chance by grounding it in guaranteed failure.
"I therefore, really from a very profound sense of reflection based on my own unfortunate experience and on the poor performance of independents in the last seven elections, I want to appeal to my esteem comrades who have chosen to run as independents to think again and do so very hard and very objectively. I appeal to the comrades to withdraw their nominations while there is still time to do so. It would be very revolutionary for them," the professor appealed.
He added that the forthcoming elections were historic and were not for individuals but the party.
"History will judge them as comrades who threw away the votes and they will be judged harshly. They are throwing a much-need vote and the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives will not be happy where they are.
"If they withdraw now, as I plead with them, they will lose nothing but win respect of all comrades. They made their point by securing nomination last Friday and now they must make their party's and people's point. This will leave them as respectable winners.
"If they don't withdraw and persist with their ill-fated candidacies, they can assure themselves of a very long and severe winter ahead and in that event I hope they will be fair enough to remember that we told them so. Otherwise, I wish them very well and I do so in the truest spirit of comradeship."
Source - Sunday Mail
