We must abandon name calling, finger pointing - Chamisa

HARARE - MDC vice president Nelson Chamisa has declared his party a government-in-waiting in a triumphant New Year message for 2018.

The attorney-at-law and Parliamentarian said "2018 is the year of new ideas, new direction, new dynamism and renewed hope for total change, real change and absolute transformation."

"Let's make history and make 2018 a memorable year," he said.

And he said the prospect of a new Zimbabwe is closer than ever before.

After a dramatic year that saw Emmerson Mnangagwa seize power following a military intervention and popular protests ousted Robert Mugabe last year, Chamisa said months ahead were "full of surprises, earth-shaking, eye-popping and tongue-twisting developments."

"Tough decisions have to be made. 2018 is a year of big drama. A year of opportunity, a game changer, a turning point and a year of the great shift," he said.

"In 2017, we witnessed 'change' without change after the exit of the Big man and end of Big Men politics. Welcome to the Big Idea season."

And he said they are still being held back by self-serving elites.

He said 2018 is going to be a great contest of ideas, better and best policies for Zimbabwe.

"Discourse will be more on 'bread and butter' issues, tangibles on how to deal with daily challenges and great questions of the day," the Kuwadzana East MP said.

"Dealing with corruption, sorting out the economy, providing a palpable and credible entrepreneurship and jobs plan, mainstreaming youth and women issues, role of the millennials in elections, the risk, hazard and possibility of political violence, meaning of and conditions for free and fair elections and  intra-party dynamics in the major parties are likely to be key momentum markers in determining the course of national compass, and in the making or breaking of our beloved nation this 2018," he said.

"As a nation, we must abandon name calling, finger pointing and this habitual label and condemn disposition as natural currency in the  transaction of politics in Zimbabwe.

"Hate language must be jettisoned from our political discourse and leadership vocabulary.

"We must stop these 'pasi naningi' 'Roverai pasi, hezvoko bwaa' (down with) politics.

"These connote violence.These are anti-peace slogans."

He said the ruling and opposition parties "must not fight amongst ourselves on the basis of personalities or unnecessarily and unprofitably quarrel amongst ourselves."

"Right makes might. Principle first principal later should be our dictum.

"We must, however, not shy away from robust national debate on critical issues and strategic osmosis of ideas built on democratic centralism and constructive criticism.

"Different parties and politicians from different shades of political persuasion must be on public media, ZBC TV and radio to offer us their menu of policies and cocktail of ideas to enable citizens to make informed choices.

"We must be a nation of ideas; a people of ideas and generation about ideas. It is my wish to see inclusive politics pre and post election time.

"We must be this robust and indomitable one team new Zimbabwe.

"There must be one winner after the election. Zimbabwe must be the winner," he said.