Opinion / Columnist
Why the Ordinary Zimbabweans will NOT benefit from Mugabe's exit
17 Nov 2017 at 16:43hrs | Views
There is excitement in the country and a feeling that a better Zimbabwe is coming soon. Unfortunately this excitement has overruled logic.
Consider these points:
The primary problem with the current government is that there are no checks and balances and no accountability from whoever is in power. The office of the president has been given so much power that whoever is president can do almost anything and get away with it legally. The current proposal from the military is not to address this but to replace R.G. Mugabe while maintaining the system with a person of their choosing. Effectively you replacing the face of the system but retaining the power associated with the position and as the old adage goes "power corrupts". Whoever replaces Mugabe has the power to repeat everything that Mugabe has been doing and it will all be legal.
The premise presented by the military is that those who fought the liberation war have an inherent right to be in power until that whole generation dies. How about those who were too young to go to war then, or those who were born after the war? Are they also not fully Zimbabwean with an equal right to be allowed to be to occupy the top position in the land?
Currently the military are breaking the country's laws. The are arresting certain people and there are reports that they may have tortured some of their prisoners. They are demanding that the people they have captured be brought to book for their past deeds. Will the same apply to the military personnel who have broken the law and continue to do so, or are they above the law? Having some people above the law is one of the main issues that has lead the country to where it is today.
The only way to truly improve the live of the average Zimbabwean is to decentralise power so that whoever is in power is a servant of the people and is accountable to the people. This is what the concept of devolution is all about. So Zimbabweans, if you do not insist that a balanced government takes over and ensures that electoral reform is instituted before any election takes place and that the new constitution is completely adopted and aligned with the country's laws, if you accept only a change in who leads ZANU and has ultimate unopposable power in Zimbabwe and do not demand more , you and the generations after you will regret this missed opportunity. The decentralisation of power away from the one man, the President, and having everybody accountable to the law of the land is the only way you can ever hope to fix your country.
Consider these points:
The primary problem with the current government is that there are no checks and balances and no accountability from whoever is in power. The office of the president has been given so much power that whoever is president can do almost anything and get away with it legally. The current proposal from the military is not to address this but to replace R.G. Mugabe while maintaining the system with a person of their choosing. Effectively you replacing the face of the system but retaining the power associated with the position and as the old adage goes "power corrupts". Whoever replaces Mugabe has the power to repeat everything that Mugabe has been doing and it will all be legal.
The premise presented by the military is that those who fought the liberation war have an inherent right to be in power until that whole generation dies. How about those who were too young to go to war then, or those who were born after the war? Are they also not fully Zimbabwean with an equal right to be allowed to be to occupy the top position in the land?
Currently the military are breaking the country's laws. The are arresting certain people and there are reports that they may have tortured some of their prisoners. They are demanding that the people they have captured be brought to book for their past deeds. Will the same apply to the military personnel who have broken the law and continue to do so, or are they above the law? Having some people above the law is one of the main issues that has lead the country to where it is today.
The only way to truly improve the live of the average Zimbabwean is to decentralise power so that whoever is in power is a servant of the people and is accountable to the people. This is what the concept of devolution is all about. So Zimbabweans, if you do not insist that a balanced government takes over and ensures that electoral reform is instituted before any election takes place and that the new constitution is completely adopted and aligned with the country's laws, if you accept only a change in who leads ZANU and has ultimate unopposable power in Zimbabwe and do not demand more , you and the generations after you will regret this missed opportunity. The decentralisation of power away from the one man, the President, and having everybody accountable to the law of the land is the only way you can ever hope to fix your country.
Source - Mlungisi Moyo
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