Opinion / Columnist
We are recycling corrupt Zanu PF and MDC leaders past their use-by date
06 Mar 2015 at 20:57hrs | Views
I made the mistake of asking Wilbert Mukori to name who else Zimbabweans should turn to for political leadership if we dismissed all the MDC leaders because "by failing to get even one reform implemented, they have proven to be corrupt and incompetent" as he claimed.
"I believe you and thousands of other Zimbabweans out there are more competent than these MDC idiots who got us into this mess," he replied.
I had asked him not to be coy and that was the mistake I made. I should have asked him not to be coy and no flattery either!
But on a serious note, Wilbert has a point; it is not that we do not have individuals capable of leading us we do have. What we have lacked is self-belief.
In the SABC drama Shaka Zulu one of the whites remarked how an unethical white person could easily become a God in Africa. As a people we are easily impressed and bowled over. And once so impressed we are quick to raise the individual on the pedestal to be worshipped as some kind of infallible demigod.
Even if the individual should fall off the pedestal into total disgrace, what could be worse than being shown to be corrupt and incompetent, it is amazing how readily we have wanted to forgive them, clean them up, put them back on the pedestal and, worst of all, continue worshiping them as infallible demigods! Even when we have seen the individual is a fallible mortal our craving for a demigod is so strong we would rather worship a false demigod than to have no demigod at all.
When the nation scrapped the Z$ in 2009 inflation dropped like a stone and the national economy started to recover. It was the reckless printing of more and more Z$ of larger and larger face value that was fuelling inflation and therefore scrapping the Z$ was bound to bring down inflation. But to a nation desperate for a hero, it was Tsvangirai's magic that ended the hyperinflation not the basic economic market forces of supply and demand, etc. Tsvangirai and MDC have milked the economic recovery during the GNU, such as it was, for all it worth.
Tsvangirai and MDC lost all credibility however by failing to implement any of the reforms but not so with some people. One has to discount those who do not understand what the reforms are about; a decision, right or wrong, based on ignorance is of no really value. There are those who accept failing to implement the reforms was a very serious shortcoming by MDC leaders but they, nonetheless, continue to follow these MDC leaders of this strong inert desire for a leader they would rather have a corrupt and incompetent one than have no leader.
Each time people like Mukori call Tsvangirai an idiot (for failing to implement even one reform it is hard to see how he can be anything else) I cringe because I know there are hundreds of thousands of MDC followers out there who worship Tsvangirai wart and all! Calling Tsvangirai an idiot has made people like Mukori very unpopular in many Zimbabwean homes.
Still to worship a fellow mortal as an infallible demigod is a sign of naivety and the lack of self-belief in one's one ability and competence. To continue to hero worship someone after they have proven to be corrupt and incompetent is simple unforgivable and no society should tolerate idiotic behaviour.
Zimbabwe has many competent individuals with their legs planted firmly on the ground, with no delusions of being infallible or wishing to be treated as anything else other than fallible mortals and who are therefore will to be democratically accountable to the people. Such men and women will rule this nation better than the demigods who have ruled us these last 35 years. We just need the courage and self-belief to let go of these demigods and find these competent mortals.
We are recycling corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF and MDC leaders way past their use-by dates, way into their old, old age, because having considered them infallible demigod we lack the courage to accept they are mortals and lack the self-belief can be competent rulers.
"I believe you and thousands of other Zimbabweans out there are more competent than these MDC idiots who got us into this mess," he replied.
I had asked him not to be coy and that was the mistake I made. I should have asked him not to be coy and no flattery either!
But on a serious note, Wilbert has a point; it is not that we do not have individuals capable of leading us we do have. What we have lacked is self-belief.
In the SABC drama Shaka Zulu one of the whites remarked how an unethical white person could easily become a God in Africa. As a people we are easily impressed and bowled over. And once so impressed we are quick to raise the individual on the pedestal to be worshipped as some kind of infallible demigod.
Even if the individual should fall off the pedestal into total disgrace, what could be worse than being shown to be corrupt and incompetent, it is amazing how readily we have wanted to forgive them, clean them up, put them back on the pedestal and, worst of all, continue worshiping them as infallible demigods! Even when we have seen the individual is a fallible mortal our craving for a demigod is so strong we would rather worship a false demigod than to have no demigod at all.
When the nation scrapped the Z$ in 2009 inflation dropped like a stone and the national economy started to recover. It was the reckless printing of more and more Z$ of larger and larger face value that was fuelling inflation and therefore scrapping the Z$ was bound to bring down inflation. But to a nation desperate for a hero, it was Tsvangirai's magic that ended the hyperinflation not the basic economic market forces of supply and demand, etc. Tsvangirai and MDC have milked the economic recovery during the GNU, such as it was, for all it worth.
Tsvangirai and MDC lost all credibility however by failing to implement any of the reforms but not so with some people. One has to discount those who do not understand what the reforms are about; a decision, right or wrong, based on ignorance is of no really value. There are those who accept failing to implement the reforms was a very serious shortcoming by MDC leaders but they, nonetheless, continue to follow these MDC leaders of this strong inert desire for a leader they would rather have a corrupt and incompetent one than have no leader.
Each time people like Mukori call Tsvangirai an idiot (for failing to implement even one reform it is hard to see how he can be anything else) I cringe because I know there are hundreds of thousands of MDC followers out there who worship Tsvangirai wart and all! Calling Tsvangirai an idiot has made people like Mukori very unpopular in many Zimbabwean homes.
Still to worship a fellow mortal as an infallible demigod is a sign of naivety and the lack of self-belief in one's one ability and competence. To continue to hero worship someone after they have proven to be corrupt and incompetent is simple unforgivable and no society should tolerate idiotic behaviour.
Zimbabwe has many competent individuals with their legs planted firmly on the ground, with no delusions of being infallible or wishing to be treated as anything else other than fallible mortals and who are therefore will to be democratically accountable to the people. Such men and women will rule this nation better than the demigods who have ruled us these last 35 years. We just need the courage and self-belief to let go of these demigods and find these competent mortals.
We are recycling corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF and MDC leaders way past their use-by dates, way into their old, old age, because having considered them infallible demigod we lack the courage to accept they are mortals and lack the self-belief can be competent rulers.
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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