Opinion / Columnist
ZANU PF says President doesn't care about views of ordinary people
01 Jul 2016 at 08:56hrs | Views
Have you ever wondered why it always seems as if the ZANU PF government under President Robert Mugabe does not care at all about the people of Zimbabwe's needs?
Well, it is because it is true!
This government truly does not care, and they have confirmed it themselves.
To say I was shocked to hear such an admission being so arrogantly made by ZANU PF is an understatement - I was dumbfounded.
The party's Member of Parliament for Highfield West, and deputy director for communications, Psychology Maziwisa made it abundantly clear in a radio interview yesterday Thursday 30 June 2016, that the Zimbabwean president had no time to listen to 'someone from Dotito'.
This was after he was asked in a Voice of America (VOA) Studio 7 interview why Mugabe did not seem to care about the concerns of the people of Zimbabwe.
Maziwisa's response, as a ZANU PF MP and spokesman, revealed a lot the truth about Mugabe and his party's attitude towards the people of Zimbabwe.
For the president of a nation not to care about the views of 'someone from Dotito', is a very disturbing scenario, and should lead all Zimbabweans to seriously seek to remove such a person from office in the next elections in 2018.
The president of a nation is expected to listen and address the concerns of the people that he or she leads - no matter who that person is, where he or she resides, or how many those people are.
A good example that easily comes to my mind is that of a South African woman from rural Hammanskraal, who wrote a letter complaining to President Jacob Zuma that they did not have tap water in their area.
True to what is expected of a president, Zuma arranged that tap water be installed in Hammanskraal, and he personally attended its official opening.
He thanked the woman for writing the letter to him, and encouraged other South Africans not to just keep quiet when they have grievances with the government.
Zuma even has a telephone line that the ordinary people can use if they seek to talk to him directly.
For all the man's faults - in this regard, I give him full marks, and he can teach a thing or two to our own president.
Similarly, this is not an isolated trend.
United States (US) President Barack Obama can even respond to a complaint posted on his Facebook page or Twitter account.
There are so many incidents in which Obama has personally attended to problems that have been delivered to him through social media.
He has even invited very ordinary people to the White House to meet them personally, after reading their complaints on his social media platforms.
Both these leaders - Zuma and Obama - manage larger countries than Zimbabwe, and by extension, busier than Mugabe - so what is the Zimbabwean President's excuse?
Why can he not be bothered to listen to the ordinary people of his own country?
Is he so arrogant that the views of 'someone from Dotito' do not matter, and he has no time for such 'trash'?
Is he so educated such that the views of the less educated are too primitive to even be given a chance to be heard?
If that is his attitude, then he is clearly not leadership material.
A true mark of a great leader is their willingness, and even desire, to listen to their people.
A great leader places much significance to each and everyone's opinion - no matter whether those views are blatantly critical of his or her administration - but that is how he or she knows where things are not being done right, and the best way to resolve the problem.
A case in point is Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
I am always touched nearly to tears every time I see him sitting in the depths of rural Botwana, sitting on a wooden log next to a fire, talking with the local folk.
He would listen to all their concerns, and he would respectfully respond to them all.
He is never defensive, but he sincerely acknowledges their concerns and actually attends to them.
Additionally, he does not do this only during election time, but it is a very common trend with him.
He has even inculcated this into his cabinet and members of parliament.
They are always in their constituencies holding 'lekotla' meetings with the people, where they openly express their concerns.
These concerns are genuinely listened to and subsequently addressed.
It would be very clear from the gravity of the views being expressed that these meetings are not mere window-dressings, and they are also not filled with rowdy ruling party hooligans to disrupt them.
This is such an enviable example of real democracy at work - something that every Zimbabwean should crave for.
The country can never develop when we have the type of leadership we have today.
A leadership that is so impervious to criticism - and views anyone who criticises it as an archenemy.
Even a wise person listens to an archenemy, as he or she might get one or two clever ideas.
Actually, there is a saying that a wise person should listen even to a madman because you might learn a valuable thing or two.
However, Mugabe and his ZANU PF have proven that they lack any semblance of wisdom at all.
No wonder the country is in such a mess.
It is high time that Zimbabweans chose leaders that respect them, that listen to them, and that make them know that they are an important part of the county's development.
Zimbabweans should stand up and refuse to be used and viewed merely as election pawns.
Mere tools that are used to get certain people into power, whilst they are left out in the cold to suffer.
Zimbabweans are better than that!
We need to demand our dignity, and our only hope is in removing this callous ZANU PF government in the 2018 elections.
Who needs a government that is so arrogant enough to suggest that the people's cries of anguish are a mere publicity stunt to get the attention of the West?
The people's hunger, the people's poverty, the people's suffering are all viewed by ZANU PF as mere political grandstanding.
When people demonstrate in an attempt to get the leaders of the nation to hear their cries, the ZANU PF government sees that as merely attempts to attract the wrath of the police, so as to obtain global news headlines!
Surely, this government must go!
What type of a father, when his children come crying to him complaining of hunger - a hunger that the father clearly knows about - then accuses the children of merely grandstanding.
For people to be on the streets demonstrating is a result of their tiredness at being ignored.
If the President had been listening to the more subtle complaints of the people that they made over the past three decades, there would not be any of these protests.
However, when the nation sees that the leadership does not care, and is actually taking them for fools, they will inevitably take their cries onto the streets.
Zimbabweans are justified more than ever before to be angry and be on the streets complaining and demanding that their cries be heard.
Clearly, the President does not care about the views of 'someone from Dotito', so the only solution is that all those from Dotito, Bindura, Uzumba, Mt Darwin, anywhere in Zimbabwe must boot out Mugabe and ZANU PF in 2018 - because you all mean nothing to them.
ZANU PF views all ordinary Zimbabweans as useless brainless fools.
Let us all unite and stand together to vote-in a government that sees all of us as special and indispensable assets to Zimbabwe's growth and prosperity, for we deserve that respect - and anything else less than that will certainly not be acceptable.
° Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please feel free to WhatsApp/call: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Tendai_Mbofana
Well, it is because it is true!
This government truly does not care, and they have confirmed it themselves.
To say I was shocked to hear such an admission being so arrogantly made by ZANU PF is an understatement - I was dumbfounded.
The party's Member of Parliament for Highfield West, and deputy director for communications, Psychology Maziwisa made it abundantly clear in a radio interview yesterday Thursday 30 June 2016, that the Zimbabwean president had no time to listen to 'someone from Dotito'.
This was after he was asked in a Voice of America (VOA) Studio 7 interview why Mugabe did not seem to care about the concerns of the people of Zimbabwe.
Maziwisa's response, as a ZANU PF MP and spokesman, revealed a lot the truth about Mugabe and his party's attitude towards the people of Zimbabwe.
For the president of a nation not to care about the views of 'someone from Dotito', is a very disturbing scenario, and should lead all Zimbabweans to seriously seek to remove such a person from office in the next elections in 2018.
The president of a nation is expected to listen and address the concerns of the people that he or she leads - no matter who that person is, where he or she resides, or how many those people are.
A good example that easily comes to my mind is that of a South African woman from rural Hammanskraal, who wrote a letter complaining to President Jacob Zuma that they did not have tap water in their area.
True to what is expected of a president, Zuma arranged that tap water be installed in Hammanskraal, and he personally attended its official opening.
He thanked the woman for writing the letter to him, and encouraged other South Africans not to just keep quiet when they have grievances with the government.
Zuma even has a telephone line that the ordinary people can use if they seek to talk to him directly.
For all the man's faults - in this regard, I give him full marks, and he can teach a thing or two to our own president.
Similarly, this is not an isolated trend.
United States (US) President Barack Obama can even respond to a complaint posted on his Facebook page or Twitter account.
There are so many incidents in which Obama has personally attended to problems that have been delivered to him through social media.
He has even invited very ordinary people to the White House to meet them personally, after reading their complaints on his social media platforms.
Both these leaders - Zuma and Obama - manage larger countries than Zimbabwe, and by extension, busier than Mugabe - so what is the Zimbabwean President's excuse?
Why can he not be bothered to listen to the ordinary people of his own country?
Is he so arrogant that the views of 'someone from Dotito' do not matter, and he has no time for such 'trash'?
Is he so educated such that the views of the less educated are too primitive to even be given a chance to be heard?
If that is his attitude, then he is clearly not leadership material.
A true mark of a great leader is their willingness, and even desire, to listen to their people.
A great leader places much significance to each and everyone's opinion - no matter whether those views are blatantly critical of his or her administration - but that is how he or she knows where things are not being done right, and the best way to resolve the problem.
A case in point is Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
I am always touched nearly to tears every time I see him sitting in the depths of rural Botwana, sitting on a wooden log next to a fire, talking with the local folk.
He would listen to all their concerns, and he would respectfully respond to them all.
He is never defensive, but he sincerely acknowledges their concerns and actually attends to them.
Additionally, he does not do this only during election time, but it is a very common trend with him.
They are always in their constituencies holding 'lekotla' meetings with the people, where they openly express their concerns.
These concerns are genuinely listened to and subsequently addressed.
It would be very clear from the gravity of the views being expressed that these meetings are not mere window-dressings, and they are also not filled with rowdy ruling party hooligans to disrupt them.
This is such an enviable example of real democracy at work - something that every Zimbabwean should crave for.
The country can never develop when we have the type of leadership we have today.
A leadership that is so impervious to criticism - and views anyone who criticises it as an archenemy.
Even a wise person listens to an archenemy, as he or she might get one or two clever ideas.
Actually, there is a saying that a wise person should listen even to a madman because you might learn a valuable thing or two.
However, Mugabe and his ZANU PF have proven that they lack any semblance of wisdom at all.
No wonder the country is in such a mess.
It is high time that Zimbabweans chose leaders that respect them, that listen to them, and that make them know that they are an important part of the county's development.
Zimbabweans should stand up and refuse to be used and viewed merely as election pawns.
Mere tools that are used to get certain people into power, whilst they are left out in the cold to suffer.
Zimbabweans are better than that!
We need to demand our dignity, and our only hope is in removing this callous ZANU PF government in the 2018 elections.
Who needs a government that is so arrogant enough to suggest that the people's cries of anguish are a mere publicity stunt to get the attention of the West?
The people's hunger, the people's poverty, the people's suffering are all viewed by ZANU PF as mere political grandstanding.
When people demonstrate in an attempt to get the leaders of the nation to hear their cries, the ZANU PF government sees that as merely attempts to attract the wrath of the police, so as to obtain global news headlines!
Surely, this government must go!
What type of a father, when his children come crying to him complaining of hunger - a hunger that the father clearly knows about - then accuses the children of merely grandstanding.
For people to be on the streets demonstrating is a result of their tiredness at being ignored.
If the President had been listening to the more subtle complaints of the people that they made over the past three decades, there would not be any of these protests.
However, when the nation sees that the leadership does not care, and is actually taking them for fools, they will inevitably take their cries onto the streets.
Zimbabweans are justified more than ever before to be angry and be on the streets complaining and demanding that their cries be heard.
Clearly, the President does not care about the views of 'someone from Dotito', so the only solution is that all those from Dotito, Bindura, Uzumba, Mt Darwin, anywhere in Zimbabwe must boot out Mugabe and ZANU PF in 2018 - because you all mean nothing to them.
ZANU PF views all ordinary Zimbabweans as useless brainless fools.
Let us all unite and stand together to vote-in a government that sees all of us as special and indispensable assets to Zimbabwe's growth and prosperity, for we deserve that respect - and anything else less than that will certainly not be acceptable.
° Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please feel free to WhatsApp/call: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Tendai_Mbofana
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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