Opinion / Columnist
Tsvangirai: Opposition must make sense
10 Jun 2014 at 11:08hrs | Views
Attacks on the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIM ASSET) by Morgan Tsvangirai are blind. This puts his position as opposition leader in the country to question.
Tsvangirai asserts that the economic blue-print which the Zanu-PF government is banking and investing on in running in the national economy is a stolen concept from the MDC-T. In his recent interview with Voice of America's Studio 7, Tsvangirai claimed that Zanu-PF copied the ZIM ASSET from the National Medium Term Plans for 2011 - 2015 that were drafted by MDC T ministers from his party during the tenure of the 2009 - 2013 inclusive government.
Tsvangirai grudgingly said this in a bid to prove that the ruling Zanu-PF government is not capable of crafting functional economic plans. However it is sad to note that Tsvangirai's statement blatantly contradicts his initial position that ZIM ASSET was synonymous with Zim Liability.
He is quoted in his Christmas Day address at Harvest House towards end of 2013 as saying: "The clueless Zanu - PF leadership is peddling a policy programme that it is calling ZIM ASSET when to all intents and purposes, it should actually be called ZIM Liability."
In a democracy the opposition's main role is to question the government of the day, and hold them accountable to the public. The opposition is equally responsible in upholding the best interests of the people of the country. They have to ensure that the Government does not take any steps, which might have negative implications on the people of the country. In view of this ideal political behaviour of an opposition party, Tsvangirai is acting like a sleep-walker. If he is truly a leader of an alternative government, surely he should be grateful that his party is having meaningful contribution to national development.
His claims that it was stolen from his party is warped if we put it on the ritcher scale. If this was drafted when the MDC-T ministers were in government, then that is good because they were cabinet ministers whose core responsibility was to work on practical matters that have a direct bearing on the nation at large. They were not working to satisfy party ideals. This should be a clear testimony that he cannot claim ownership over a government policy.
During the Global Political Agreement (GPA) parties were not under any mandate to work so as to claim personalized ownership over government policy. This is the case with all accomplished professionals who employ vibrant corporate strategies which maximize profitability and increase competitive advantages of their organisations. They do not claim personal credit to the outcomes as they can even leave the company flourishing on their contribution factored-in during their tenure of office as employees.
The prime role of the opposition in Parliament is basically to check the excesses of the ruling or dominant party, and not to be totally antagonistic and uttering divisive statements which fuel hostilities and disunity among the people. There are actions of the ruling party which may be beneficial to the masses, and oppositions are expected to support such things. This is the case of ZIM ASSET and other national programmes like the Land Reform Programme.
Tsvangirai should not just criticize for the purpose of making noise. This is why he is fast losing public credibility. He lacks the ability to evaluate what is good for the public against his personal political aspirations.
Meanwhile, it is crystal clear that Morgan Tsvangirai is hinged on personal aggrandizement at the expense of national interest. If ZIM ASSET really came from his party, then he should contribute for the success of the policy. This is the only way he can regain relevance to Zimbabwean politics. So far he is infamous for advocating for the imposition of sanctions on the country as a strategy to make himself attain the post of presidency. This impacted negatively on the populace as they were subjected to abject poverty which bedevils their lives till this day.
In Parliament, Opposition Party should act firmly on behalf of common mass fighting for their common interest and grievances. They should raise immediate protest before a Bill is passed, which is against the interest of common citizen. Opposition legislators should always bear in mind that they are the representatives from each and every countryman fighting for justified demands and defending all unlawful and unfair practice.
This implies that the legislature, which makes the laws for the country, must itself provide an opportunity for various views to be heard throughout the term. These views should encompass not only those on the government benches, but also those who are opposed to the policies underlying the ways of operation. In other words, lawfully elected representatives of the people must be able to present and discuss alternative policy options rationally even if they are not part of the government and do not have an immediate way of making their plans succeed.
This is a learning opportunity for MDC-T to realize that there are better ways of developing the country as opposed to taking strategies which sabotage the interest of majority. Opposition should have appropriate force of propulsion which yields benefits for the generality of the Zimbabwean public. Political bickering such as that done by Morgan Tsvangirai is detrimental to the needs of all ordinary citizens. Democracy is an ideology of opposition as much as it is one of government, so Tsvangirai is expected to think and act in a balanced manner.
The traditional role of the opposition is to be the voice of the voiceless, alternative to the ruling Government, and to be an official opposition, as well as to be a critical partner in nation building. The sad thing with the MDC-T leader is that he is an instrument for destruction for the voiceless' concerns. ZIM ASSET economic turn-around works for the good of all if properly implemented. I am cocksure his ideas are welcome in government if he is sane. In doing so, the opposition presents itself as a viable alternative to the ruling government. It may do this by presenting an alternative ideological platform or simply show that it has a greater competence to govern. Under this role the opposition is enjoined in its criticism to show that it could have done things better by offering cogent reasons for its criticism of the ruling government or by presenting policy alternatives.
The MDC-T is not availing an alternative economic policy here apart from political bickering. But certainly, if ZIM ASSET came from his party, his contribution is very important. But he seems unwilling to work for the befit of nation building apart from mere criticism. It is the duty of the opposition to oppose the government in power. This is the most popular and often confused role. The opposition has the duty to oppose the government in power, but to what end?
The ultimate purpose must be to persuade the electorate to vote out the incumbent government, and put the opposition in power so that it may pursue the policies it believes are best for the nation. For this purpose the opposition will like to highlight and expose those aspects of the ruling government's policies and nature, which it believes not are in the national interest.
Surprisingly MDC has failed dismally on this fundamental core-role. Modern democratic governance is moving to responsible or constructive opposition. The opposition has the responsibility to be fair in the criticism of government policies. In all cases alternative proposals, as to the best way forward must be laid on the table by the opposition.
The Opposition also has the responsibility to uphold and defend the sovereignty, unity and the national integrity of the country. It should, therefore, not engage in activities that could undermine the unity and stability of the state.
In matters of real national disaster or misfortune, the opposition has a responsibility to join hands with government to tackle the misfortune. In the same vein, in moments of national pride and glory the opposition also has the responsibility to come together with government to celebrate and show national solidarity.
In a nutshell the opposition has an equal responsibility as the government to protect, defend and uphold the constitutional order, the rule of law and the peace and stability of the nation. So the opposition leadership is urged to harness its energy and realign towards nation building as opposed to throwing spanners on national interest.
Tsvangirai be reminded that opposition must make sense!
-----------------
Suitable Kajau can be contacted at kajausuitable@gmail.com
Tsvangirai asserts that the economic blue-print which the Zanu-PF government is banking and investing on in running in the national economy is a stolen concept from the MDC-T. In his recent interview with Voice of America's Studio 7, Tsvangirai claimed that Zanu-PF copied the ZIM ASSET from the National Medium Term Plans for 2011 - 2015 that were drafted by MDC T ministers from his party during the tenure of the 2009 - 2013 inclusive government.
Tsvangirai grudgingly said this in a bid to prove that the ruling Zanu-PF government is not capable of crafting functional economic plans. However it is sad to note that Tsvangirai's statement blatantly contradicts his initial position that ZIM ASSET was synonymous with Zim Liability.
He is quoted in his Christmas Day address at Harvest House towards end of 2013 as saying: "The clueless Zanu - PF leadership is peddling a policy programme that it is calling ZIM ASSET when to all intents and purposes, it should actually be called ZIM Liability."
In a democracy the opposition's main role is to question the government of the day, and hold them accountable to the public. The opposition is equally responsible in upholding the best interests of the people of the country. They have to ensure that the Government does not take any steps, which might have negative implications on the people of the country. In view of this ideal political behaviour of an opposition party, Tsvangirai is acting like a sleep-walker. If he is truly a leader of an alternative government, surely he should be grateful that his party is having meaningful contribution to national development.
His claims that it was stolen from his party is warped if we put it on the ritcher scale. If this was drafted when the MDC-T ministers were in government, then that is good because they were cabinet ministers whose core responsibility was to work on practical matters that have a direct bearing on the nation at large. They were not working to satisfy party ideals. This should be a clear testimony that he cannot claim ownership over a government policy.
During the Global Political Agreement (GPA) parties were not under any mandate to work so as to claim personalized ownership over government policy. This is the case with all accomplished professionals who employ vibrant corporate strategies which maximize profitability and increase competitive advantages of their organisations. They do not claim personal credit to the outcomes as they can even leave the company flourishing on their contribution factored-in during their tenure of office as employees.
The prime role of the opposition in Parliament is basically to check the excesses of the ruling or dominant party, and not to be totally antagonistic and uttering divisive statements which fuel hostilities and disunity among the people. There are actions of the ruling party which may be beneficial to the masses, and oppositions are expected to support such things. This is the case of ZIM ASSET and other national programmes like the Land Reform Programme.
Tsvangirai should not just criticize for the purpose of making noise. This is why he is fast losing public credibility. He lacks the ability to evaluate what is good for the public against his personal political aspirations.
Meanwhile, it is crystal clear that Morgan Tsvangirai is hinged on personal aggrandizement at the expense of national interest. If ZIM ASSET really came from his party, then he should contribute for the success of the policy. This is the only way he can regain relevance to Zimbabwean politics. So far he is infamous for advocating for the imposition of sanctions on the country as a strategy to make himself attain the post of presidency. This impacted negatively on the populace as they were subjected to abject poverty which bedevils their lives till this day.
In Parliament, Opposition Party should act firmly on behalf of common mass fighting for their common interest and grievances. They should raise immediate protest before a Bill is passed, which is against the interest of common citizen. Opposition legislators should always bear in mind that they are the representatives from each and every countryman fighting for justified demands and defending all unlawful and unfair practice.
This implies that the legislature, which makes the laws for the country, must itself provide an opportunity for various views to be heard throughout the term. These views should encompass not only those on the government benches, but also those who are opposed to the policies underlying the ways of operation. In other words, lawfully elected representatives of the people must be able to present and discuss alternative policy options rationally even if they are not part of the government and do not have an immediate way of making their plans succeed.
This is a learning opportunity for MDC-T to realize that there are better ways of developing the country as opposed to taking strategies which sabotage the interest of majority. Opposition should have appropriate force of propulsion which yields benefits for the generality of the Zimbabwean public. Political bickering such as that done by Morgan Tsvangirai is detrimental to the needs of all ordinary citizens. Democracy is an ideology of opposition as much as it is one of government, so Tsvangirai is expected to think and act in a balanced manner.
The traditional role of the opposition is to be the voice of the voiceless, alternative to the ruling Government, and to be an official opposition, as well as to be a critical partner in nation building. The sad thing with the MDC-T leader is that he is an instrument for destruction for the voiceless' concerns. ZIM ASSET economic turn-around works for the good of all if properly implemented. I am cocksure his ideas are welcome in government if he is sane. In doing so, the opposition presents itself as a viable alternative to the ruling government. It may do this by presenting an alternative ideological platform or simply show that it has a greater competence to govern. Under this role the opposition is enjoined in its criticism to show that it could have done things better by offering cogent reasons for its criticism of the ruling government or by presenting policy alternatives.
The MDC-T is not availing an alternative economic policy here apart from political bickering. But certainly, if ZIM ASSET came from his party, his contribution is very important. But he seems unwilling to work for the befit of nation building apart from mere criticism. It is the duty of the opposition to oppose the government in power. This is the most popular and often confused role. The opposition has the duty to oppose the government in power, but to what end?
The ultimate purpose must be to persuade the electorate to vote out the incumbent government, and put the opposition in power so that it may pursue the policies it believes are best for the nation. For this purpose the opposition will like to highlight and expose those aspects of the ruling government's policies and nature, which it believes not are in the national interest.
Surprisingly MDC has failed dismally on this fundamental core-role. Modern democratic governance is moving to responsible or constructive opposition. The opposition has the responsibility to be fair in the criticism of government policies. In all cases alternative proposals, as to the best way forward must be laid on the table by the opposition.
The Opposition also has the responsibility to uphold and defend the sovereignty, unity and the national integrity of the country. It should, therefore, not engage in activities that could undermine the unity and stability of the state.
In matters of real national disaster or misfortune, the opposition has a responsibility to join hands with government to tackle the misfortune. In the same vein, in moments of national pride and glory the opposition also has the responsibility to come together with government to celebrate and show national solidarity.
In a nutshell the opposition has an equal responsibility as the government to protect, defend and uphold the constitutional order, the rule of law and the peace and stability of the nation. So the opposition leadership is urged to harness its energy and realign towards nation building as opposed to throwing spanners on national interest.
Tsvangirai be reminded that opposition must make sense!
-----------------
Suitable Kajau can be contacted at kajausuitable@gmail.com
Source - Suitable Kajau
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