Opinion / Columnist
18 November march - A reflection of the national pulse
22 Nov 2017 at 10:36hrs | Views
Zimbabweans from all walks of life ebulliently marched in Harare demanding the resignation of the recalcitrant President Mugabe. The march was a reflection of the national pulse. The exuberance, the jubilation spoke for itself. Mugabe had placed a glass-ceiling on the wishes and aspirations of the Zimbabwean populace. The big lesson is that nothing lasts forever except eternal life.
Deification of a leader has its own limits. The march, expulsion from the party and the threat of impeachment became the the straw that broke the camel's back. Robert Mugabe succumbed to people power and finally resigned on his own volition amid groundswell of protests in Harare.This writer will dwell on the significance of the 18th November March.
The participation of MDC and other opposition formations in the 18 November march resonated with public sentiment. In the field of politics you need to understand public opinion and the mood of the people.Politicians need not to be out of touch with the reality as the result can spell doom a political career.
Dear reader the reality is that every Tom and Jerry wanted Mugabe gone. That was the national pulse at the moment. Being labelled out of touch implies that someone is removed from what's going on, they're not informed or aware or they lack connections. In the political context, to be out of touch is to be disconnected from what is happening outside of Parliament House and the rarefied bubble of politics.
With regards to the 18 November march it has to be appreciated that the removal of Robert Mugabe has always been an agenda of the opposition, so it is was now the ruling Zanu-pf championing the MDC agenda.By vociferously calling for the ouster of Mugabe in party and government Zanu-pf has vindicated the opposition.Under-estimate the Zimbabwean opposition at your own peril...they are being cautious with every wording,every statement and every action.
Zimbabweans need to let the gluttonous Chinamasas and Themba Mliswa expose themselves by their intransigence. Let them share the so called "Zanu-pf cake". The so called transitional authority is no brainer for it will give life to a dying vulture.
Let their Emmerson Mnangagwa face Morgan Tsvangirai in the next watershed election and guess what it is this same Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who lost parliamentary seat two times to Chebundo of the opposition MDC-T. If he lost to little known Chebundo can he then win against Morgan? Talk of ED campaigning in Matebeleland, that's a non-starter. Emmerson doesn't have a record of competence in as far as execution of government duties and responsibilities is concerned.
People are celebrating the fall of the strongman and not the elevation of ED. If you mistakenly assume that its about ED then you need to brace for a rude awakening. The march was rather a combination of spontaneity and planning but at the end of the day no-one can claim credit for mobilization. The masses merely "rallied around their flag" which was under siege.
The 18th of November will be remembered as the day when Mugabe was caught on the receiving end of diplomacy.The day when people across the political divide spoke with one voice against Robert Mugabe's rule that was bench-marked by corruption, mismanagement, patronage system and bigotry.
Divisions are a reality in any country, but there are also forces that unite countries and strengthen the populace because of a strong love of and loyalty to their country.There exist Centrifugal forces that pull people apart and centripetal forces that bring people together. These forces can limit interaction, producing regionalism and creating dissimilarity among people of a country. A country must have centripetal forces of greater magnitude than the centrifugal forces. Countries are susceptible to forces that divide or unite them.
Centripetal forces unite a country where centrifugal forces tend to divide. When the centripetal forces dominate a country, it will stand firm in the face of global challenges and struggles, as well as conflicts within their borders. When internal centrifugal forces threaten to divide the country, the central government may break down and fail. A strong and charismatic leader can mitigate this division. National institutions and symbols can also rally a country together in spite of division. Nationalism, or the strong love of and loyalty to one's country, is also a powerful centripetal force and can create solidarity among the populace.
Thus 18 November march should be viewed as a reflection of the national pulse but at this juncture we want back our dignity,our decency, integrity and our credibility as a people.Our person-hood was at stake as Plutocracy and Oligarchy had become the order of the day, the hallmark of Robert Mugabe led government.
If we are to make a biblical reference Isaiah 10:5 - God Himself declared that Assyria was the rod in His Hand that He used to punish hypocritical Israel. But Assyria did not know this. They were lifted up in pride and thought they had accomplished their victory by their own power, saying "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom" (Isaiah 10:13).
The Assyrians thought they were invincible after defeating Israel and so felt confident to set their sights on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Rather than waste their strength and treasure in battle, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, sent Rabshakeh as a messenger to secure Judah's surrender. It is here they showed their "deliberate defiance of the living God":
The bigger task lies ahead dear reader
Compliments for the new season
Wilton Nyasha Machimbira is a Political Analyst, Human Rights Defender and Director for Developmental Research and Consultancy. For feedback and comments can be contacted on wiltonnyash@gmail.com
Deification of a leader has its own limits. The march, expulsion from the party and the threat of impeachment became the the straw that broke the camel's back. Robert Mugabe succumbed to people power and finally resigned on his own volition amid groundswell of protests in Harare.This writer will dwell on the significance of the 18th November March.
The participation of MDC and other opposition formations in the 18 November march resonated with public sentiment. In the field of politics you need to understand public opinion and the mood of the people.Politicians need not to be out of touch with the reality as the result can spell doom a political career.
Dear reader the reality is that every Tom and Jerry wanted Mugabe gone. That was the national pulse at the moment. Being labelled out of touch implies that someone is removed from what's going on, they're not informed or aware or they lack connections. In the political context, to be out of touch is to be disconnected from what is happening outside of Parliament House and the rarefied bubble of politics.
With regards to the 18 November march it has to be appreciated that the removal of Robert Mugabe has always been an agenda of the opposition, so it is was now the ruling Zanu-pf championing the MDC agenda.By vociferously calling for the ouster of Mugabe in party and government Zanu-pf has vindicated the opposition.Under-estimate the Zimbabwean opposition at your own peril...they are being cautious with every wording,every statement and every action.
Zimbabweans need to let the gluttonous Chinamasas and Themba Mliswa expose themselves by their intransigence. Let them share the so called "Zanu-pf cake". The so called transitional authority is no brainer for it will give life to a dying vulture.
Let their Emmerson Mnangagwa face Morgan Tsvangirai in the next watershed election and guess what it is this same Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who lost parliamentary seat two times to Chebundo of the opposition MDC-T. If he lost to little known Chebundo can he then win against Morgan? Talk of ED campaigning in Matebeleland, that's a non-starter. Emmerson doesn't have a record of competence in as far as execution of government duties and responsibilities is concerned.
People are celebrating the fall of the strongman and not the elevation of ED. If you mistakenly assume that its about ED then you need to brace for a rude awakening. The march was rather a combination of spontaneity and planning but at the end of the day no-one can claim credit for mobilization. The masses merely "rallied around their flag" which was under siege.
Divisions are a reality in any country, but there are also forces that unite countries and strengthen the populace because of a strong love of and loyalty to their country.There exist Centrifugal forces that pull people apart and centripetal forces that bring people together. These forces can limit interaction, producing regionalism and creating dissimilarity among people of a country. A country must have centripetal forces of greater magnitude than the centrifugal forces. Countries are susceptible to forces that divide or unite them.
Centripetal forces unite a country where centrifugal forces tend to divide. When the centripetal forces dominate a country, it will stand firm in the face of global challenges and struggles, as well as conflicts within their borders. When internal centrifugal forces threaten to divide the country, the central government may break down and fail. A strong and charismatic leader can mitigate this division. National institutions and symbols can also rally a country together in spite of division. Nationalism, or the strong love of and loyalty to one's country, is also a powerful centripetal force and can create solidarity among the populace.
Thus 18 November march should be viewed as a reflection of the national pulse but at this juncture we want back our dignity,our decency, integrity and our credibility as a people.Our person-hood was at stake as Plutocracy and Oligarchy had become the order of the day, the hallmark of Robert Mugabe led government.
If we are to make a biblical reference Isaiah 10:5 - God Himself declared that Assyria was the rod in His Hand that He used to punish hypocritical Israel. But Assyria did not know this. They were lifted up in pride and thought they had accomplished their victory by their own power, saying "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom" (Isaiah 10:13).
The Assyrians thought they were invincible after defeating Israel and so felt confident to set their sights on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Rather than waste their strength and treasure in battle, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, sent Rabshakeh as a messenger to secure Judah's surrender. It is here they showed their "deliberate defiance of the living God":
The bigger task lies ahead dear reader
Compliments for the new season
Wilton Nyasha Machimbira is a Political Analyst, Human Rights Defender and Director for Developmental Research and Consultancy. For feedback and comments can be contacted on wiltonnyash@gmail.com
Source - Wilton Nyasha Machimbira
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
