Lessons from the failures of the Patriotic Fund

In political struggles, it is common for those that aspire to lead to prostitute principles with selfish ambition.

I like historical facts, because they stand up straight in front of you, look at you in the eye and strip your mind of any delusions or misconceptions; facts argue for themselves they are rather stubborn, incessant and a formidable enemy to fight.

As leaders we must always embrace historical facts because if we do not, they will tend to emasculate our ambitions; they tend to be very brutal in forcing themselves into our lives. If we embrace them, they quickly teach us to be better leaders and well prepared on issues of statecraft.

The recent political developments in our country require that we sit back and reflect where this is all likely to take us. Societies develop in leaps and bounds through honest discourse and brutal confrontation of the truth. Change is a good thing if we understand what it is that is driving it. I, therefore, do not necessarily think that the MDC-T split is unhealthy; after all, to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs. I however think it could have been done smarter and more clinically but people are complex and messy, especially when ambitions and egos are at stake.

Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo established the Patriotic Front in October 1976 at the behest of the front line states. This marriage of convenience was between two very ambitious men who did not necessarily like each other, but were forced by circumstances to establish a united front. As we contemplate our future it's important that we briefly look back at these events, but we must never be fixated on them.

Even if the formation of the Patriotic Front was a genuine union between two revolutionaries who put the people first, the facts are that it did not last because it was imposed by the Front Line States on competing political interest. It seems that, despite how good this union looked on paper, ZANU and ZAPU had to unite only to get access to resources and remain relevant and nothing else. The struggles after the struggle of these two fundamentally different organisations prove this fact. There never was a meeting of minds in the first place.

Unfortunately the Patriotic Front was also viewed as largely supported by ZAPU followers and Nkomo began to treat it as his project; a project to deliver political leadership to him on the back of ZANU. The Patriotic Front therefore, neither united the fighters in the bush nor its leaders as the Front Line States hoped it would. It was all a farce. The formation of the Patriotic Front was a means to an end to revive Nkomo's fading political influence while sanitising Mugabe leadership ambitions.

It is therefore very clear that any political union that is formed as a response to emerging changing circumstances and opportunities does not last. This is simply because those who unite are not doing it for the cause or brought together by common fundamental principles. At most times, they are merely doing it in order to gain something; to gain political relevance and to survive in times that are fast changing. It is an inconvenient bother.

If one looks back, Zimbabweans have never been united on the political front since 1963 and the road to independence is littered with broken promises, lies, dead heroes and political intrigue. Our national socio political architecture continues to be driven by personal agendas and not by putting Zimbabwe first; selfishness and unbridled ambition at the expense of the interests of the people have become the national objectives. That is the truth.

In political struggles, it is common for those that aspire to lead to prostitute principles with selfish ambition. Those that choose the latter seem to prevail and yet principles will always catch up with them.

It is important for us to learn from this as we aspire to establish a United Democratic Front; it cannot and must never be a means to some end for any individual or political party. It must not be someone's project to get into power. A genuine people's project must never become a personal project or a means to an end for cowards and plotters.

In my opinion, the MDC-T split is not about personal ambition but rather about the fact that principles of democratic discourse, accountability and integrity have been compromised. The use of violence to solve issues for me demonstrates the inherent incapability of us to accept these naked facts.

If opposition parties are to answer Tsvangirai's call for a grand coalition, let them be circumspect and realise that this call comes at a time when the MDC-T is in trouble and it may be used as a platform to secure his aspirations to political power just as Nkomo wished to use the Patriotic Front.
 
I predict that such coalition will fail as the Patriotic Front did, because it is a reaction to changing circumstances and political survival and it is not about principles and the cause. The same would apply to any united democratic front or grand coalition if it is fashioned to facilitate the rise to political power of any individauls.

In the Zimbabwe we want, we want to create leaders who must fit into the grand scheme of a democratic and inclusive political system that serves the people. Leaders must never again impose themselves upon us nor pursue selfish ambition at our cost.
Zimbabwe comes first!

Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com