Opinion / Columnist
Something to write home about
28 Jun 2013 at 11:01hrs | Views
The landmark ruling this week by the Constitutional Court restoring dual citizenship following an application by Mutumwa Mawere represents one of the several issues to write home about.
The court ruled that dual citizenship is permissible under the New Constitution. Mawere told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday 26 June 2013: "The court declared me a Zimbabwean citizen notwithstanding that I am also a South African citizen."
That the landmark ruling will have far reaching implications in Zimbabwe's transformation would be an understatement. While for some people it will take time to sink, Zimbabweans in the Diaspora lift their glasses 'bottoms up' in celebration of a major blow against the Mugabe dictatorship.
Some people who find it difficult to understand why Mugabe earned the titles 'dictator' or ' tyrant', will be reminded by the restoration of dual citizenship about the pain and suffering that the former liberator and freedom fighter inflicted on families by depriving them of their birthright for political expediency.
The other excellent news to write home about is the restoration of citizenship for the so-called stateless Zimbabweans who were made 'aliens' by the 'Mugabe' Citizenship Act of 2001. That is another positive aspect of the new constitution passed in April 2013. But that was not before one Zimbabwean, Agnes Galawu Nemakonde died stateless under mysterious circumstances in a Kenyan jail in December 2012 (see Newsday, 'Zimbabwean dies in Kenyan jail,' 20/12/12).
Despite criticisms of the New Constitution, there are some parts of it that are sweet like a fruit as long as you know where to bite.
Yet more good news to write home about is the grand opposition coalition of Zimbabwe which is causing Zanu-PF propagandists endless nightmares, enough to provoke hostile comments by Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba writing in the Herald as Nathaniel Manheru.
There are no illusions about election coalitions because they are fraught with power struggles let alone damaging propaganda. Those in the MDC-T , MDC Ncube and Zapu who are reportedly expressing reservations about the grand coalition may be unaware of the immense opportunities and challenges of making sacrifices in the short term to end Zimbabwe's crisis.
Inevitably, there will be horse trading in any coalition. It would be a reversal of one form of patronage with another, but it would be self-deceptive to suggest that governments the world over would operate without those whom they trust.
If Mugabe were to be swept from power in the next elections without the option of another GNU, the grand coalition's partners could be appointed as ambassadors abroad to Zimbabwe's over two dozen embassies abroad as long as it would be on merit, not tribalism, racism or gender.
Some could also be appointed as permanent secretaries to replace the likes of George Charamba or as heads of departments and commissions including defence, internal security, state security, the media and so on.
Only through a grand opposition coalition to fight elections against Mugabe's Zanu-PF can there be hope of media reforms to replace director generals of parastatals including ZBC, ZewZiana, the Herald and others that have been dominated by Zanu-PF since independence.
As a result, Zanu-PF 's propagandists are lambasting Simba Makoni for showing practical support for the grand opposition coalition by withdrawing his presidential candidature to garner more support for the new movement.
Proof that the grand coalition is causing the former ruling party to tremble is the Herald's latest attack. For example see www.herald.co.zw, 'Grand coalition suffers stillbirth', 28/06/13.
The other good news to write home about was the dismissal by the South African ConCourt of an appeal by the Mugabe against a ruling by the Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal in favour of the late Mike Campbell and 77 other Zimbabwean farmers.
Mugabe's foot soldiers will understandably be disappointed that the long arm of the law is finally catching up with tyranny.
The Sudanese Ambassador Eisddleg Andulazzi Abdalla has no right from any planet on earth whatsoever to determine who observes Zimbabwean elections (See Herald, "Don't allow West observe our polls: Envoy'', 28/06/13). Could the Sudanese diplomat be now a Zanu-PF political commissar?
Mr Abdalla and the 'Zanu-PF Herald' seem unaware that a US diplomatic cable published by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks revealed on 18 December 2010 that the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Louis Moreno-Ocampo, told US diplomats on 20 March 2009 that president Al-Bashir of Sudan had siphoned off as much as 9 billion US dollars into foreign bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the ICC has issued two warrants for the arrest of Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Sudan's western region of Darfur, where a seven-year conflict killed 300,000 people and displaced 2 million people according to UN figures.
Back to Zimbabwe's melting pot, indications are that the succession debate has been revived in the wake of Robert Mugabe's possibly 15th or 16th visit to Singapore in 3 years for what is officially an eye check.
With an 89 year old presidential candidate, there are fears of another "Bhora musango" a euphemism for protest vote by Zanu-PF supporters voting for the opposition in harmonised elections following chaotic primaries.
Amid fights, demonstrations, accusations and counter accusations even among spouses and former marital partners, Zanu-PF primaries tend to resemble more of a circus than democracy for the anachronistic Soviet-styled party.
Pictures on the Herald website of people queuing to vote seem to portray renewed support for Zanu-PF, however, some say people are thinking and acting strategically with 2008 violence in mind, knowing that their vote is secret.
An observable electoral malpractice that is the public is being gradually made to accept ahead of national elections is the politicisation of ZRP officers seen carrying Zanu-PF primary elections materials as empirical evidence on the Herald coverage of primary elections.
Of course, MDC-T still has to resolve outstanding challenges to some of its primary election results. There seems to be no convincing evidence why Grace Kwinjeh should not stand as a candidate.
After a long time, we had something to write home about.
About the author: Clifford Chitupa Mashiri is a London based political analyst. He was recently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations degree by the Commonwealth Open University after obtaining 'A' grades in all the programme's seven modules plus dissertation i.e. Power Politics; The Foreign Policy Process; International Conflict; International Organisation and Law; International Political Economy; The North-South Gap; Birth of a New World and Dissertation (also called thesis). Clifford can be contacted at zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
The court ruled that dual citizenship is permissible under the New Constitution. Mawere told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday 26 June 2013: "The court declared me a Zimbabwean citizen notwithstanding that I am also a South African citizen."
That the landmark ruling will have far reaching implications in Zimbabwe's transformation would be an understatement. While for some people it will take time to sink, Zimbabweans in the Diaspora lift their glasses 'bottoms up' in celebration of a major blow against the Mugabe dictatorship.
Some people who find it difficult to understand why Mugabe earned the titles 'dictator' or ' tyrant', will be reminded by the restoration of dual citizenship about the pain and suffering that the former liberator and freedom fighter inflicted on families by depriving them of their birthright for political expediency.
The other excellent news to write home about is the restoration of citizenship for the so-called stateless Zimbabweans who were made 'aliens' by the 'Mugabe' Citizenship Act of 2001. That is another positive aspect of the new constitution passed in April 2013. But that was not before one Zimbabwean, Agnes Galawu Nemakonde died stateless under mysterious circumstances in a Kenyan jail in December 2012 (see Newsday, 'Zimbabwean dies in Kenyan jail,' 20/12/12).
Despite criticisms of the New Constitution, there are some parts of it that are sweet like a fruit as long as you know where to bite.
Yet more good news to write home about is the grand opposition coalition of Zimbabwe which is causing Zanu-PF propagandists endless nightmares, enough to provoke hostile comments by Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba writing in the Herald as Nathaniel Manheru.
There are no illusions about election coalitions because they are fraught with power struggles let alone damaging propaganda. Those in the MDC-T , MDC Ncube and Zapu who are reportedly expressing reservations about the grand coalition may be unaware of the immense opportunities and challenges of making sacrifices in the short term to end Zimbabwe's crisis.
Inevitably, there will be horse trading in any coalition. It would be a reversal of one form of patronage with another, but it would be self-deceptive to suggest that governments the world over would operate without those whom they trust.
If Mugabe were to be swept from power in the next elections without the option of another GNU, the grand coalition's partners could be appointed as ambassadors abroad to Zimbabwe's over two dozen embassies abroad as long as it would be on merit, not tribalism, racism or gender.
Some could also be appointed as permanent secretaries to replace the likes of George Charamba or as heads of departments and commissions including defence, internal security, state security, the media and so on.
Only through a grand opposition coalition to fight elections against Mugabe's Zanu-PF can there be hope of media reforms to replace director generals of parastatals including ZBC, ZewZiana, the Herald and others that have been dominated by Zanu-PF since independence.
As a result, Zanu-PF 's propagandists are lambasting Simba Makoni for showing practical support for the grand opposition coalition by withdrawing his presidential candidature to garner more support for the new movement.
The other good news to write home about was the dismissal by the South African ConCourt of an appeal by the Mugabe against a ruling by the Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal in favour of the late Mike Campbell and 77 other Zimbabwean farmers.
Mugabe's foot soldiers will understandably be disappointed that the long arm of the law is finally catching up with tyranny.
The Sudanese Ambassador Eisddleg Andulazzi Abdalla has no right from any planet on earth whatsoever to determine who observes Zimbabwean elections (See Herald, "Don't allow West observe our polls: Envoy'', 28/06/13). Could the Sudanese diplomat be now a Zanu-PF political commissar?
Mr Abdalla and the 'Zanu-PF Herald' seem unaware that a US diplomatic cable published by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks revealed on 18 December 2010 that the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Louis Moreno-Ocampo, told US diplomats on 20 March 2009 that president Al-Bashir of Sudan had siphoned off as much as 9 billion US dollars into foreign bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the ICC has issued two warrants for the arrest of Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Sudan's western region of Darfur, where a seven-year conflict killed 300,000 people and displaced 2 million people according to UN figures.
Back to Zimbabwe's melting pot, indications are that the succession debate has been revived in the wake of Robert Mugabe's possibly 15th or 16th visit to Singapore in 3 years for what is officially an eye check.
With an 89 year old presidential candidate, there are fears of another "Bhora musango" a euphemism for protest vote by Zanu-PF supporters voting for the opposition in harmonised elections following chaotic primaries.
Amid fights, demonstrations, accusations and counter accusations even among spouses and former marital partners, Zanu-PF primaries tend to resemble more of a circus than democracy for the anachronistic Soviet-styled party.
Pictures on the Herald website of people queuing to vote seem to portray renewed support for Zanu-PF, however, some say people are thinking and acting strategically with 2008 violence in mind, knowing that their vote is secret.
An observable electoral malpractice that is the public is being gradually made to accept ahead of national elections is the politicisation of ZRP officers seen carrying Zanu-PF primary elections materials as empirical evidence on the Herald coverage of primary elections.
Of course, MDC-T still has to resolve outstanding challenges to some of its primary election results. There seems to be no convincing evidence why Grace Kwinjeh should not stand as a candidate.
After a long time, we had something to write home about.
About the author: Clifford Chitupa Mashiri is a London based political analyst. He was recently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations degree by the Commonwealth Open University after obtaining 'A' grades in all the programme's seven modules plus dissertation i.e. Power Politics; The Foreign Policy Process; International Conflict; International Organisation and Law; International Political Economy; The North-South Gap; Birth of a New World and Dissertation (also called thesis). Clifford can be contacted at zimanalysis2009@gmail.comSource - Dr Clifford Chitupa Mashiri
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