The Paradox of the Political Sounds of Freedom in Zimbabwe - Choosing between the Fist and the Open hand

Part 1

Is there an Issue?

I dare to ask, Where are you going and where are you coming from with your political struggle? If one was to be presented with a brush to paint a picture of the political struggle in Zimbabwe, I am as sure as I am with night and day that you have various dimensions, the good, the bad and the ugly. There is no better symbol to project the polarity of political thought and persuasion about Zimbabwe than the fist and the open hand. These two symbols represent the two political protagonists in Zimbabwe, namely Zanu PF's revolutionary fist and MDC's openness in democratic engagement. The big concern is not about who is right, but what is best for the land of milk and honey or even more sinister is the standard by which we discern what is best for the country. In making the necessary evaluation to objectively address the Zimbabwean political quagmire is the need to put into perspective who it is right for or wrong for. Enough of the Zimbabwean political polarity and pluralism for now as we try and reflect on the big picture. Of late Zimbabwe has been infested by a dangerous political disease, probably more devastating than the Covid 19 pandemic. One cannot imagine a worse calamity than a combination of a marauding virus, a spate of demolitions by city fathers, a downpour of rain in an economy stagnated by sanctions sponsored by a one of the political parties. Before addressing this calamity bedevilling Zimbabwe it is important to put into perspective what politics should be about and what it needs for sanity to prevail.

Political Choice in Diversity Politics is universal and spans every human context of interaction of thought and life philosophies. Political thought, debate, reflection, choice and action start with an individual and stretches to the globe. What this suggests is that politics is complex because in one's mind the debate about what values to advance, align with or act on can be complex and gets complicated when a friends, family, groups, area, province, country, the globe, etc. The late president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe divided opinion because of his unwavering stance on what he called total liberation, epitomised in land recovery from the beneficiary of colonial terrorism. Some of the readers need to be reminded that colonialism is an extension of slave trade, actually it is worse than the repression of the children of Israel in Egypt in the old testament. Colonialism had the oppressor taking control of everything about the poor masses in the colonies. In colonialism everything was decimated including various facets of humanity such as culture, democratic processes, possessions, human dignity, land and freedoms. The only thing the colonialist failed to do was to change the colour of the oppressed, but managed to instil a sense of self degradation. Broadly the slave in the colony was made to worship the master and aspire to reach the standard of the master. What is disturbing is that many who Mugabe fought for still mourn for the old slave master because of the sweet nothings of western glitters at the expense of the real substance in the natural resources that most of the west would sponsor instability and chaos so that they can steal wealth in the mayhem. In South Africa, the late former president would suffer for twenty-seven years in prison for the right of the black majority to have a democratic right. Throughout the world there are many struggles that nations and communities have faced in search of a voice for many and participation in self-determination. Maybe our understanding of politics needs a biblical context. The bible clearly presents the idea of being in the light or in darkness, signifying good and bad. However, as we would appreciate the children of Israel rebelled against Moses who was leading them out of repression and that is common even to this day. The idea of an alternative approach permeates nations the world over. What is of concern is the notion of a monopoly to perfection. Suddenly we are faced with the popular masterpiece by George Orwell in Animal Farm, where he presents the chilling reality that "All animals are equal, but others are more equal than others." In the United States there are two main political parties like in Zimbabwe and the same applies to the United Kingdom. It is a natural phenomenon that the different persuasions differ in approach. The differences in the political philosophies unfold into policies and implementation.  

Maybe it is time to pause and ask the question, Do we need a political referee who can decide on penalties for political processes in another country? Well some countries which include Zimbabwe are on MDC- USA sanctions, is that justified? What standard was used to punish Zimbabwe? Who benefits from Zimbabwe's economic stagnation?

I rest my case for now and wait another day to present my charges against the evil that clouds Zimbabwe. [This discussion is continuing, Watch this space]  

  Vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk