Opinion / Columnist
Politics of our lives
05 May 2017 at 12:56hrs | Views
This is cool. In South Africa President De Klerk has found his voice yet during his time as National Education Minister he continued the principle of segregation at universities and in 1993 his government killed callously young people in the Eastern Cape. President Mbeki talks about National Dialogue but he had an opportunity to propagate for that to ensure that people understand their role in electing the President and the responsibility of MPs. He was during his time known as a loner and dictator. Well I guess what is good for the goose can't be good for the gander.
South African Courts have jumped to order President Zuma to give reason for dis-appointing Mr Pravin. Is Mr Pravin the first to be dis-appointed and when was there ever such a ridiculous order? Furthermore, the judge has not given the reason for such a judgment so that we can find his ratio decidendi. Is the judge playing politics so that by then the president will have shown his frivolous basis?
The Constitution of RSA must surely have something if this is to be reasonable because the appointment of Ministers is the President's sole discretion and hence President must be held accountable for cabinet failures. The President can be questioned where he makes an appointment of people that do not have the prescribed qualifications by the Constitution. then there is a basis. This order appears nonsensical to me and is a chancer.
Anywhere aside with that for a moment, lets cross the border up north. The opposition in Zimbabwe as represented by their 'winning horse' MT claims a victory or otherwise it will not accept result. What kind of nonsensical statement is that? Currently, since 2013, the MDC has not participated in a number of by elections and many such by elections have been won by ZANU except for a few or maybe only the Norton one, won by independent and former ZANU legislator Mr T. Mliswa.
What does that say to you as an ordinary person? You cannot sure how ready you are for elections and you want to win the overall election? What will have changing in the electoral laws in about 12 or 14 months which is happening now? The opposition was majority in parliament once and dwindling to nothing and has been in parliament with big majority since 2000 with a significant number and majority in 2008 especially with combination of both MDCs and went to GNU.
What was achieved in GNU and many supporters speak of stabilisation of economy and the usage of dollar and rand. Really now? The achievement should have included the much complained about political playing field and MDC was very confident of winning in 2013 having been in GNU but was left speechless after 2013 elections. What is up the opposition's sleeves for 2018?
I will tell you, nothing and since the claimed ghost voters have been claimed to be in existence for so many years, clamping down of freedom of expression and speech, strict media laws and partisan media and judiciary, what milestone has been achieved in resolving these imbalances that tip the scales to ZANU? Nothing again. In 2013, we walked into elections when many were saying let us not because conditions are not good but we went anywhere only to be told ZANU bused in people. Come now, we are gunning for 2018, we are being told in 2008 MT lost because of Mr Simba Makoni who got about 8%, what about in 2013? Who caused him to lose? It was a huge dismal margin.
Wake up Zimbabwe! A new wave of thinking and planning is required. Zimbabwe cannot go to elections with the current socio-political environment and expect a different result. It is defined as insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. You need to start asking yourself on whose payroll is this opposition? Our we indeed going to elections with the same electoral laws and circumstances presided over by the same people that have given ZANU a win in the past without any recourse?
What are we Zimbabweans? Who has bewitched us? A win in 2018 is impossible under the current electoral laws and political playing field. There just cannot be an election at all unless electoral reforms and political rights and conditions are addressed should be the stand. Zimbabwe wants a free political environment where an independent electoral watchdog is set up in terms of Chapter 12 and 13 institutions as per the Constitutions not hand-picked friends and beneficiaries of ZANU. This is a joke, pardon me MT is working for ZANU. Why did he keep Prof Ncube out of the negotiations during GNU after Mr Mutambara was out? That was his ally and they could have worked a better plan maybe but he robbed Zimbabwe of that opportunity.
So, he learnt what lesson from not working with Prof Ncube? Can he come out and tell the nation what is the driving factor now that he wants him? This is a ploy to kill the opposition and make all Zimbabweans lose faith in opposition politics. Mr MT cannot lead Zimbabwe, he is in my humble opinion a ZANU apologetic and staunch supporter and once a ZANU always a ZANU. I know this will not go down well with many such sympathisers who only look as far as their belly and mouth, but 2018 if we go to these elections it's a guaranteed ZANU win and secret cheques and hospital bills for MT from ZANU and what about you and me? It is his prerogative to mislead Zimbabweans if he so desires and therefore it is up to the people to step up and see through this thin veil of coalition and deception.
In summation let me say political sanity must prevail if Zimbabwe and Africa at large should succeed in governing its people and infact if the people are to govern. If people are swayed by the sweet talks and misleading tongues and tactics of the swift, we are to pass as a generation with no impact on our society. Like a cloud shall we pass and be forgotten about having achieved nothing that matters for our descendants. Can Zimbabwe not see the lies, the deception, the demise of opposition politics and ultimately we will remain with a shell only of opposition politics and the MDC and ZCTU formation was a national effort and anyone who kills it will have killed the spirit of opposition.
Many point fingers and fight this kind of critique not realising that the MDC was the hope of the people because it just converted organised people and it is not easy in a country like Zimbabwe where fear and political repression is used to organise people. People are fearful of standing up as they feel they do not have the cover of numbers and yet the biggest effort of Zimbabwean efforts have been destroyed single handedly by this man we sing as a hero. Can Zimbabwe recover from this fall or we need extreme political steps to re-energise, redirect and redraw the Zimbabwean political route?
Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda
LDNC Chairperson,
The Liberal Democrats (Progressive Thinking) - My Zimbabwe! Your Zimbabwe! Our Zimbabwe! Together we can make a difference and change the course of history.
South African Courts have jumped to order President Zuma to give reason for dis-appointing Mr Pravin. Is Mr Pravin the first to be dis-appointed and when was there ever such a ridiculous order? Furthermore, the judge has not given the reason for such a judgment so that we can find his ratio decidendi. Is the judge playing politics so that by then the president will have shown his frivolous basis?
The Constitution of RSA must surely have something if this is to be reasonable because the appointment of Ministers is the President's sole discretion and hence President must be held accountable for cabinet failures. The President can be questioned where he makes an appointment of people that do not have the prescribed qualifications by the Constitution. then there is a basis. This order appears nonsensical to me and is a chancer.
Anywhere aside with that for a moment, lets cross the border up north. The opposition in Zimbabwe as represented by their 'winning horse' MT claims a victory or otherwise it will not accept result. What kind of nonsensical statement is that? Currently, since 2013, the MDC has not participated in a number of by elections and many such by elections have been won by ZANU except for a few or maybe only the Norton one, won by independent and former ZANU legislator Mr T. Mliswa.
What does that say to you as an ordinary person? You cannot sure how ready you are for elections and you want to win the overall election? What will have changing in the electoral laws in about 12 or 14 months which is happening now? The opposition was majority in parliament once and dwindling to nothing and has been in parliament with big majority since 2000 with a significant number and majority in 2008 especially with combination of both MDCs and went to GNU.
What was achieved in GNU and many supporters speak of stabilisation of economy and the usage of dollar and rand. Really now? The achievement should have included the much complained about political playing field and MDC was very confident of winning in 2013 having been in GNU but was left speechless after 2013 elections. What is up the opposition's sleeves for 2018?
I will tell you, nothing and since the claimed ghost voters have been claimed to be in existence for so many years, clamping down of freedom of expression and speech, strict media laws and partisan media and judiciary, what milestone has been achieved in resolving these imbalances that tip the scales to ZANU? Nothing again. In 2013, we walked into elections when many were saying let us not because conditions are not good but we went anywhere only to be told ZANU bused in people. Come now, we are gunning for 2018, we are being told in 2008 MT lost because of Mr Simba Makoni who got about 8%, what about in 2013? Who caused him to lose? It was a huge dismal margin.
Wake up Zimbabwe! A new wave of thinking and planning is required. Zimbabwe cannot go to elections with the current socio-political environment and expect a different result. It is defined as insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. You need to start asking yourself on whose payroll is this opposition? Our we indeed going to elections with the same electoral laws and circumstances presided over by the same people that have given ZANU a win in the past without any recourse?
So, he learnt what lesson from not working with Prof Ncube? Can he come out and tell the nation what is the driving factor now that he wants him? This is a ploy to kill the opposition and make all Zimbabweans lose faith in opposition politics. Mr MT cannot lead Zimbabwe, he is in my humble opinion a ZANU apologetic and staunch supporter and once a ZANU always a ZANU. I know this will not go down well with many such sympathisers who only look as far as their belly and mouth, but 2018 if we go to these elections it's a guaranteed ZANU win and secret cheques and hospital bills for MT from ZANU and what about you and me? It is his prerogative to mislead Zimbabweans if he so desires and therefore it is up to the people to step up and see through this thin veil of coalition and deception.
In summation let me say political sanity must prevail if Zimbabwe and Africa at large should succeed in governing its people and infact if the people are to govern. If people are swayed by the sweet talks and misleading tongues and tactics of the swift, we are to pass as a generation with no impact on our society. Like a cloud shall we pass and be forgotten about having achieved nothing that matters for our descendants. Can Zimbabwe not see the lies, the deception, the demise of opposition politics and ultimately we will remain with a shell only of opposition politics and the MDC and ZCTU formation was a national effort and anyone who kills it will have killed the spirit of opposition.
Many point fingers and fight this kind of critique not realising that the MDC was the hope of the people because it just converted organised people and it is not easy in a country like Zimbabwe where fear and political repression is used to organise people. People are fearful of standing up as they feel they do not have the cover of numbers and yet the biggest effort of Zimbabwean efforts have been destroyed single handedly by this man we sing as a hero. Can Zimbabwe recover from this fall or we need extreme political steps to re-energise, redirect and redraw the Zimbabwean political route?
Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda
LDNC Chairperson,
The Liberal Democrats (Progressive Thinking) - My Zimbabwe! Your Zimbabwe! Our Zimbabwe! Together we can make a difference and change the course of history.
Source - Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda
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