Opinion / Columnist
Was Mugabe not endorsed for 2018 elections?
20 Dec 2018 at 07:31hrs | Views
As has been the tradition over the years, Zanu PF endorsed their leader as the party's uncontested candidate in the next election scheduled for 2023. This in more ways than one discounts tenets of democracy within the party and does not inspire the nation as a whole.
Mnangagwa has only been substantive president of the country since the disputed elections of July 31, thereby being in the job for only four months out of a possible sixty. His capabilities in the job have not been fully witnessed as yet except the publicised oral expressions of intentions to fix this and that. His so-called turnaround policies have not seen the light of day, none has fully been rolled out, implemented, with the country enjoying returns, it is only four months into the job. There goes Zanu-PF from this wing to that wing, province to province endorsing him for 2023, after only four out of sixty months into the job, without any tangible result of his policies, if at all yet to be seen! That defies meritocracy, absolutely.
That Mnangagwa was endorsed by the party prematurely is without doubt a fact, being different in its own right from his predecessor who had been in the job for decades and at least had a proven record in the job. Mnangagwa does not have such, he is still in his probation stages, and yet the party has already prophesied that in the next five years Mnangagwa will do wonders and will deserve a second term uncontested, as no other person will rise with better ideas and aspirations to lead the people. In fact, a good number of delegates at the just ended Zanu PF conference may not even be alive by the time the elections come five years from now. Further, it is not even guaranteed itself that the endorsed person will be around either. Remember Mugabe was also endorsed for 2018 elections, we all know what happened to him.
It is time that Zanu PF learns to promote and encourage the ultimate benefit of unhindered succession culminating from contestation of free ideas. The fact that one disagrees with the view of the party does not make the person an enemy of the party, in fact if a party can question its own policies and patch up weaknesses thereof before public scrutiny it will render its opposition irrelevant as the opposition was in any event going to capitalise on such. The endorsement of a person that he will effectively be the uncontested candidate of the party in five years to come, just four months into the job presupposes that in the next five years no better brains will come from Zanu-PF in the five and ten years to come. Is it not wise for the endorsement to be done at congress or conference nearest to the elections? Better still, announce and open the pool for all those wishing to contest for the party candidacy. This culture of stampeding to appease the leader of the party is what led to the almost complete creation of the Mugabe dynasty in Zimbabwe. We were all afraid of the leader. Imagine after all the provinces, the women's and youth leagues, the wat vets, have all endorsed the dear leader, who else amongst the VPs, ministers, or any eligible person within the party would dare raise his hand to throw his hat into the ring against this fully endorsed leader? Slowly but surely the party is moving back to the Mugabe era. Mnangagwa will become the supreme leader, even more powerful than Mugabe, only the army will be able to reproach him, and only the army will be able to say ED its time to go. Now that feat, will likely take its own long time to happen. The recent mass promotions within the army, soon after findings of the Motlanthe commission that the army were responsible for the killings, is indeed a call on authority by ED to sanctify his relationship with this institutional power broker.
The opposition itself suffers from this cancer as well. Is it not what they defined as democracy when they wrote that any member is open to contest for a position subject to set out requisites? What then is Mudzuri's sin, what then is Mwonzora's sin? What is the purpose of ring-fencing Chamisa from being contested against at congress? What is the purpose of a congress anyway? If Chamisa is doing things right why are his minions afraid that he might lose if he is contested? Indeed our politics suffer from a cancer.
Robert Sigauke is a Legal Professional, Author and Political Commentator. He writes from Cape Town. Whatsapp +2771 334 8876.
Mnangagwa has only been substantive president of the country since the disputed elections of July 31, thereby being in the job for only four months out of a possible sixty. His capabilities in the job have not been fully witnessed as yet except the publicised oral expressions of intentions to fix this and that. His so-called turnaround policies have not seen the light of day, none has fully been rolled out, implemented, with the country enjoying returns, it is only four months into the job. There goes Zanu-PF from this wing to that wing, province to province endorsing him for 2023, after only four out of sixty months into the job, without any tangible result of his policies, if at all yet to be seen! That defies meritocracy, absolutely.
That Mnangagwa was endorsed by the party prematurely is without doubt a fact, being different in its own right from his predecessor who had been in the job for decades and at least had a proven record in the job. Mnangagwa does not have such, he is still in his probation stages, and yet the party has already prophesied that in the next five years Mnangagwa will do wonders and will deserve a second term uncontested, as no other person will rise with better ideas and aspirations to lead the people. In fact, a good number of delegates at the just ended Zanu PF conference may not even be alive by the time the elections come five years from now. Further, it is not even guaranteed itself that the endorsed person will be around either. Remember Mugabe was also endorsed for 2018 elections, we all know what happened to him.
It is time that Zanu PF learns to promote and encourage the ultimate benefit of unhindered succession culminating from contestation of free ideas. The fact that one disagrees with the view of the party does not make the person an enemy of the party, in fact if a party can question its own policies and patch up weaknesses thereof before public scrutiny it will render its opposition irrelevant as the opposition was in any event going to capitalise on such. The endorsement of a person that he will effectively be the uncontested candidate of the party in five years to come, just four months into the job presupposes that in the next five years no better brains will come from Zanu-PF in the five and ten years to come. Is it not wise for the endorsement to be done at congress or conference nearest to the elections? Better still, announce and open the pool for all those wishing to contest for the party candidacy. This culture of stampeding to appease the leader of the party is what led to the almost complete creation of the Mugabe dynasty in Zimbabwe. We were all afraid of the leader. Imagine after all the provinces, the women's and youth leagues, the wat vets, have all endorsed the dear leader, who else amongst the VPs, ministers, or any eligible person within the party would dare raise his hand to throw his hat into the ring against this fully endorsed leader? Slowly but surely the party is moving back to the Mugabe era. Mnangagwa will become the supreme leader, even more powerful than Mugabe, only the army will be able to reproach him, and only the army will be able to say ED its time to go. Now that feat, will likely take its own long time to happen. The recent mass promotions within the army, soon after findings of the Motlanthe commission that the army were responsible for the killings, is indeed a call on authority by ED to sanctify his relationship with this institutional power broker.
The opposition itself suffers from this cancer as well. Is it not what they defined as democracy when they wrote that any member is open to contest for a position subject to set out requisites? What then is Mudzuri's sin, what then is Mwonzora's sin? What is the purpose of ring-fencing Chamisa from being contested against at congress? What is the purpose of a congress anyway? If Chamisa is doing things right why are his minions afraid that he might lose if he is contested? Indeed our politics suffer from a cancer.
Robert Sigauke is a Legal Professional, Author and Political Commentator. He writes from Cape Town. Whatsapp +2771 334 8876.
Source - Robert Sigauke, Cape Town
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