Case of the pot calling the kettle black

LAST week, Members of Parliament raised an interesting point that has been a source of major concern among the generality of Zimbabweans, but they conveniently forgot to mention that they are also part of the problem.

Debating the Third Quarter Budget Performance Report for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, legislators from across the political divide expressed their disappointment with the poor calibre of councillors running the country's municipalities.

Misheck Shoko, Ronald Ndaba and Obert Matshalaga, MPs for Chitungwiza South, Chiredzi North and Zvishavane were scathing in their assessment of today's city fathers, calling for capacity building initiatives so that the long suffering ratepayer and taxpayer get value for their money.

While we could not agree more with these MPs, we found this to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The calibre of most of the country's councillors and legislators does very little to inspire confidence among ratepayers and the electorate: The lack of depth and grasp of issues that concern those whom they are supposed to lead - be it in Parliament or councils - leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, it is criminal.

Take, for example, some of the MPs who could easily take the biscuit for concerning themselves with issues that matter little to those who voted them into office. At a time the country is desperate for solutions to escape starvation and lift its economy after a decade-long recession; there are legislators who have become notorious for focussing on petty issues such as the decriminalisation of prostitution and conjugal rights as a weapon to encourage voter registration.

It is the political environment created in the past two decades that has contributed immensely to this tragedy.

For example, most of the MPs and councillors - particularly those from the Movement for Democratic Change formations - found themselves in these positions of influence because of their courage and determination to stand against ZANU-PF's ruthless machinery. Therefore, their presence in the legislative assembly and council chambers has nothing to do with these MPs or councillors having something in-between their ears, but bravery and nothing else: This explains why those who had something to lose in the form of assets either became disinterested in politics or had to align themselves with the ruling party for self-preservation purposes.
The tables have since turned with the electorate and ratepayers now at the receiving end.

A huge number of the MPs and councillors have since been exposed for what they really are â€" empty vessels. Others have abdicated their responsibilities and are now preoccupied with fattening their back pockets and those of their friends and relatives through corrupt means.

In the case of the MPs, the abuse of the Constituency Development Fund is the latest indication of how selfish and inconsiderate the lawmakers have become. Instead of deploying the little resources available for their constituencies to good use by repairing damaged roads, sinking boreholes in the wake of water shortages and the outbreak of diseases and rehabilitating public schools and hospitals, among other things, some of them, in their myopic reasoning, saw this as an opportunity to get rich at the expense of the constituencies they are supposed to be representing.

The same goes for some of the councillors who are helping themselves to every little infill available; pushing out widows from their properties; lobbying for hefty allowances and destroying wetlands and woodlots in order to erect their car sales and garages.

While these councillors are either sleeping on the job or looting public coffers, service delivery is going down the drain. Nearly all the councils are grappling with the same issues: Public lighting is now inexistent in most towns and cities. Roads are now in a poor state. Council-run clinics and hospitals are crying out for equipment, drugs and manpower. Refuse collection has become erratic and non-existent in some areas, while water is hardly available, particularly in Harare and Bulawayo. The water shortages have given rise to the outbreak of diseases in Harare where cholera killed more than 3 000 people in 2010 with typhoid being the latest disease to torment the capital city.

MPs, no matter how well-meaning they might be in calling for capacity building and a selection criteria to weed out incompetent councillors, cannot sufficiently address this situation for the simple reason that they are also part of the problem. In any case, problems are never resolved at the level they were created. Leaving the politicians to sort themselves out is like hoping that the same MPs and councillors would push for policies that disadvantage them.

It is therefore up to Zimbabweans themselves to look beyond courage or bravado when selecting those who should represent them in Parliament and councils.

Zimbabwe leads on the African continent as one of the countries with highly educated people, some of whom occupy top positions regionally and internationally. The country is therefore not short of the right people to elevate to positions of authority.

Zimbabweans must first take an active role in the politics of the country in order to close the loopholes. A prognosis of the current situation in Zimbabwe shows that the country's challenges are largely political and therefore citizens with the capacity to lead at various levels of government should take it upon themselves to be part of the political landscape â€" be it in councils, Parliament or government â€" rather than leave it to opportunists who do not have skill in interpreting and evaluating information.

Secondly, the electorate should boot out those whose courage lacks brains and capacity to represent them.

With the talk of fresh elections to liquidate the unworkable government of national unity gaining currency, the electorate must take heed for once beaten, twice shy.

With indications pointing to a violence-free election as is being advocated by the Southern African Development Community, there is no excuse anymore for giving room to people who lack the capacity to do the job out of fear of retribution, displacement or dispossession.

Every generation has its own challenges. The time for guns has come and gone. We have now entered a period where we should now transform our institutions and communities by tackling issues that concern them. This can never be achieved by empty vessels that make the most noise in Cabinet, Parliament and council chambers.

The next election should, therefore, be about issues rather than stone throwing or slogans.