Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe's chronic leadership failure is undeniable
03 Jul 2014 at 16:33hrs | Views
The strategy of the international community, preferring stability to rupture continues to cost this country and us all as they try to mend what is essentially a corrupt system.
I think that the European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell'Ariccia is, like any of us, entitled to express his personal views as a political analyst on our current political situation and issues relating to leadership; that is whether there is a leadership crisis or not.
What we need is to be circumspect and acknowledge that whatever leadership there is or there is not, President Robert Mugabe has dismally failed over the last 34 years to create the Zimbabwe we want and he must do us all a favour and leave us to create a better Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is therefore under a chronic leadership failure.
The lack of and fear to attend to succession planning within Zanu-PF has contributed significantly to this leadership failure, but it is not as if the incumbent has been effective in leading anyway. Added to this is Mugabe's refusal to actually accept that he has failed.
Unfortunately, statements such as the ambassador's that say that there is no leadership crisis reinforce Mugabe's arrogance and belief that he is doing the right thing and that is hugely offensive and disrespectful to us Zimbabweans who continue each day to bear the brunt of Mugabe's leadership shortcomings.
I would prefer this system that Mugabe is holding together to fall apart as soon as possible so that we can create a better one, even if it means that there is a bit of chaos.
The strategy of the international community preferring stability to rupture continues to cost this country and us all as they try to mend what is essentially a corrupt system. The foundation of Zimbabwe's political system is not only rotten but evil to the core and can never develop further. No amount of rhetoric will change that.
There is this myth that some of us analysts are un-patriotic and unfair in how we view matters and that some of our non-governmental organisations (NGOs) still have too much fight in them. Nothing can be further from the truth.
In fact, it is our patriotism and love for Zimbabwe that leads us to continually expose the incompetence of Zanu PF, especially after so much sacrifice by so many during the armed struggle.
NGOs have also done their duty to expose this moribund crew who continue to pose as liberators, but are in fact plunderers whom Zimbabweans no longer need.
Our NGOs, therefore, need to continue that fight and demand leadership accountability and responsibility as expected in any functional democracy. We must also continually acknowledge that our history has been distorted and the aims of the liberation struggle abandoned.
The international community must be made aware that their role must be to support the principles of creating a modern democratic State in Zimbabwe, so that Africans can experience the same freedoms and liberty that they do at home.
If Dell'Ariccia sees no crisis in our situation, its most probably because he now feels it is better and more convenient to accept the conditions set by a dictatorship than to buck the trend and support the principles of freedom upon which his own union is based.
It would be a sad day indeed if he thinks that our standards of freedom and the quality of life we desire here in Zimbabwe are and should be lesser than what he may demand for his own people at home. That offends our dignity.
As the future rightful leaders of this country, we must categorically state to all ambassadors that Zimbabwe is a failed State as long as it does not meet our expectations of a democratic modern state measured and judged by the same standards which their countries desire.
Of course the international community has a huge developmental role to play in Zimbabwe and we need to appreciate their contributions to date. Our only hope is that we resolve our political issues so that we can create sustainable development for all Zimbabweans and in the future, lessen our dependence on foreign aid or charity to address our social problems.
On that score, I concur with the Brazilian ambassador's views that Zimbabwe is a rich country and actually needs no aid.
Zimbabwe can only be free when we hold free and fair elections that are not administered by Zanu-PF. As long as that does not happen, we are really just going through the motions and the international community is best advised to rather spend their efforts and resources in helping us achieve that than spending energy in propping up Mugabe's failed leadership.
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Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com.
I think that the European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell'Ariccia is, like any of us, entitled to express his personal views as a political analyst on our current political situation and issues relating to leadership; that is whether there is a leadership crisis or not.
What we need is to be circumspect and acknowledge that whatever leadership there is or there is not, President Robert Mugabe has dismally failed over the last 34 years to create the Zimbabwe we want and he must do us all a favour and leave us to create a better Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is therefore under a chronic leadership failure.
The lack of and fear to attend to succession planning within Zanu-PF has contributed significantly to this leadership failure, but it is not as if the incumbent has been effective in leading anyway. Added to this is Mugabe's refusal to actually accept that he has failed.
Unfortunately, statements such as the ambassador's that say that there is no leadership crisis reinforce Mugabe's arrogance and belief that he is doing the right thing and that is hugely offensive and disrespectful to us Zimbabweans who continue each day to bear the brunt of Mugabe's leadership shortcomings.
I would prefer this system that Mugabe is holding together to fall apart as soon as possible so that we can create a better one, even if it means that there is a bit of chaos.
The strategy of the international community preferring stability to rupture continues to cost this country and us all as they try to mend what is essentially a corrupt system. The foundation of Zimbabwe's political system is not only rotten but evil to the core and can never develop further. No amount of rhetoric will change that.
There is this myth that some of us analysts are un-patriotic and unfair in how we view matters and that some of our non-governmental organisations (NGOs) still have too much fight in them. Nothing can be further from the truth.
In fact, it is our patriotism and love for Zimbabwe that leads us to continually expose the incompetence of Zanu PF, especially after so much sacrifice by so many during the armed struggle.
Our NGOs, therefore, need to continue that fight and demand leadership accountability and responsibility as expected in any functional democracy. We must also continually acknowledge that our history has been distorted and the aims of the liberation struggle abandoned.
The international community must be made aware that their role must be to support the principles of creating a modern democratic State in Zimbabwe, so that Africans can experience the same freedoms and liberty that they do at home.
If Dell'Ariccia sees no crisis in our situation, its most probably because he now feels it is better and more convenient to accept the conditions set by a dictatorship than to buck the trend and support the principles of freedom upon which his own union is based.
It would be a sad day indeed if he thinks that our standards of freedom and the quality of life we desire here in Zimbabwe are and should be lesser than what he may demand for his own people at home. That offends our dignity.
As the future rightful leaders of this country, we must categorically state to all ambassadors that Zimbabwe is a failed State as long as it does not meet our expectations of a democratic modern state measured and judged by the same standards which their countries desire.
Of course the international community has a huge developmental role to play in Zimbabwe and we need to appreciate their contributions to date. Our only hope is that we resolve our political issues so that we can create sustainable development for all Zimbabweans and in the future, lessen our dependence on foreign aid or charity to address our social problems.
On that score, I concur with the Brazilian ambassador's views that Zimbabwe is a rich country and actually needs no aid.
Zimbabwe can only be free when we hold free and fair elections that are not administered by Zanu-PF. As long as that does not happen, we are really just going through the motions and the international community is best advised to rather spend their efforts and resources in helping us achieve that than spending energy in propping up Mugabe's failed leadership.
--------------------
Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com.
Source - Vince Musewe
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