The National Convergence Conference has not happened for misplaced egotistic reasons

There has been a lot of bickering in the opposition camp on whether or not to take part in the National Convergence Conference proposed by Vince Musewe and Bishop Bakare. The bickering has arisen first of all because there has been no clarity on what the objectives of the conference should be and second the failure to appreciate that if the conference should fail the alternative will overwhelm us all!

Zimbabwe is facing the worst economic meltdown ever. The 2000 to 2008 economic crisis saw inflation soar to 500 billion per cent, there was a shortage of basic goods and unemployment soared to 80% plus. Still when the Z$ was scrapped and price controls banished, the economy bounced back immediately because the economic infrastructure was there and companies that had mothballed restarted.

This time the country has destroyed its economic infrastructure and companies have been closing down right, left and centre are not going to reopen in a hurry if at all. Last time we scrapped the Z$ and put Gideon Gono's money printing crazy out of business and the hyperinflation disappeared like morning mist in the African sun. There will be no such quick fix this time!

Unemployment has soared to 90% plus and even more people are set to lose the jobs in the coming months. Basic services like education and health have all but collapsed. The country is failing to supply something as basic as clean running water. 16% or 2 million of our people are already living in abject poverty. And yet the situation is set to get worse.

In his State of the Nation Address, President Mugabe had the opportunity to bite the bullet and address the three underlying causes of the country's economic meltdown. The three beasts are gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and institutionalized lawlessness exemplified by the obnoxious indigenisation law. He elected to do nothing about these problems putting faith in his $27 billion ZimAsset economic recovery plan although he has failed to get anyone to bankroll the hare-brain plan.

So as long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF remain in power the economic meltdown will get worse. Common sense will tell you that this is not economically, socially and politically sustainable. The economic, social and political consequences of doing nothing to end the economic meltdown will overwhelm us all.

If Mugabe and Zanu-PF have neither the vision nor the political will or both to tackle the three beasts destroying this nation then it is incumbent on us all to do something. The National Convergence Conference could be that something, if we can put aside our petty selfish interests for one minute.

The conference is to achieve three things and three things only:

1) To reaffirm that the present economic situation is unacceptable and unsustainable. By getting everyone in the opposition to put aside their difference and attend will in itself demonstrate that whilst they have the political rivalry they all, nonetheless, realize the seriousness and urgency of the situation to unity for a common purpose.

2) To reaffirm that the way out of the mess is for the nation to implement the democratic reforms and then hold fresh free, fair and credible elections. Those who think that there can be any meaningful economic recovery without meaning political reform are whistling in the graveyard! Implementing all the democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GPA is the cure of Zimbabwe's political and economic ills!

3) To come up with a plan of action to pile the pressure on Zanu-PF to accept that the party has failed and need to reform now before it is too late. The economic meltdown is piling the pressure on the regime and we need to pile the political pressure and catch the regime in a pincer movement.

Some on the arguments from the opposition for refusing to join in the conference has been petty and childish, to say the least.

Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Mr Raymond Majongwe said his grouping would attend the conference which he dismissed as "MDC-T's machinations for illegal regime change as President Mugabe was constitutionally-elected". Clearly he is the only one who still believes that the July 2013 elections were free, fair and credible. Indeed it was the failure to hold free and fair elections which has cemented Mugabe and his Zanu-PF regime as lawless thugs who cannot be trusted.
 
The need to implement all the GPA democratic reforms followed by the holding of free and fair elections is the only meaningful way to restore government legitimacy and thus kill the institutionalized lawlessness beast above.

"He (Morgan Tsvangirai) has done his part and if that coalition is only about removing Mugabe, we cannot be part of it," Professor Madhuku, leader of NCA said. "Removing Mugabe is not an economic policy. We can only be part of a coalition that ensures that the welfare of our people is improved by an economic policy."

Semantics! Professor Madhuku himself will be the first person to admit there is no way anyone can meaningful deal with the problem of corruption, for example, as long as Mugabe has the political veto over everything!

The main reason many people have given for not taking part is MDC-T's insistence that the party be seen as the one hosting the conference and Morgan Tsvangirai as the leader.

"Of course, we are the biggest and most popular political party in Zimbabwe but then we have never wanted to adopt a Big Brother attitude," said the party's spokesman Obert Gutu. "The MDC does not want to patronise anyone.

"That said, we suggest that the way forward is to hold a national convergence conference that is primarily driven by non-political actors. In that way, the MDC will enthusiastically participate."

To achieve the three objectives above there is no need to have any party or individual to be appointed leader. Indeed that is the beauty of the conference.

The only reason why Tsvangirai et al want to be seen as the ones hosting the conference, "the Big Brother", is because ever since the July 2013 rigged elections, MDC has lost political credibility and now the party is desperate for some political limelight after all these years in the dark.

What Tsvangirai and his MDC friends accept is that the nation is in this mess precisely because they failed to implement the GPA reforms throughout the GNU when they had the opportunities to do so. Of course having them playing leaders again of this coalition is objectionable in that there is a real danger of MDC "patronizing" everyone and the conference failing to deliver any of the set objectives just as MDC failed to implement even one reform in five years of the GNU.

The other MDC factions led by Professor Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti have both been emphatic in the rejection of Morgan Tsvangirai as the leader of the coalition.

Monsieur Musewe and Bishop Bakare should grab the bull by the horns and make it clear there will be no leader at this conference, because there is no need for one. The should invite all the various parties to participate as equals and see what excuse those who refuse to take part will give this time.
 
National Convergence Conference could be the very last chance Zimbabwe has to avoid the now eminent economic collapse that Mugabe has dragged us into. The economic, social and political consequences of this collapse are simply too ghastly to contemplate! How ironic that those who prophesy to care about the people's suffering should be the ones holding back the nation even now at the last minute of the eleventh hour for totally misplaced egotistic reasons!

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Wilbert Mukuri <zimbabwesocialdemocrats@gmail.com