Professor Moyo top on agenda is reform, reform not 'liberation struggle'

AfrAsia Bank has just declared that Zimbabweans are today the poorest people in Africa and where there is poverty, hunger, disease and death are there too! The country is tittering on the edge of the abyss and the desperate need to address the root causes of the economic meltdown cannot be over stated. And yet, when Zanu PF cabinet minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo, was asked to speak on the topic "Whither Zimbabwe's Nationalist Project?"; all he talked about was power and Zanu PF's desperate attempt to hang on to it at all cost.

"In general terms, the nationalist project is a summation of the founding values, principles and aspirations of the anti-colonial independence movement. In Zimbabwe, this is about the values and ideals of the liberation struggle," started off Professor Moyo.

"Section 3 of our new constitution outlines Zimbabwe's founding values and principles which include "recognition of and respect for the liberation struggle".

"It is a matter of major historic significance that Zimbabwe's constitution now entrenches the values and ideals of our liberation struggle among the country's founding values and principles, which have purposive constitutional import and impact."

The said section 3 was included in the constitution by none other than the Zanu PF ruling elite to bolster their no-regime-change mantra at the very heart of the one-party dictatorship. The regime was able to establish and retain the dictatorship by denying the ordinary Zimbabweans their basic freedoms and human rights including the right to a free and meaningful vote and the right to life itself.

Over 30 000 of our people have been murdered by the Zanu PF operatives in the form of party thugs and State Security personal for sole selfish political gaining absolute political power and retaining it.

"Fourth is the democracy imperative, which is based on the principle that those who govern must have the consent of those whom they govern. Central to this question is the issue about the means for getting into power through elections," admitted Professor Moyo, tongue in the cheek.

The regime's failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is at the very heart of Zimbabwe's failure to deliver the freedoms and human rights the nation had aspired for throughout the years of the struggle for independence. SADC managed to get the regime to agree to a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship following the blatant vote rigging and wanton violence and barbarism of the 2008 elections.

Sadly Morgan Tsvangirai and his corrupt and incompetent MDC friends who were tasked to implement the reforms proved to be easy pushover. President Mugabe bribed and bamboozled them into doing nothing regard the reforms. So, Zanu PF was able to rig the 2013 elections to retain power and has since refused point blank to implement any reforms.

"You can't expect us to reform ourselves out of power,' the Nutty Professor has boasted in the past and contrary to his own admission above.

The truth Zanu PF is fast running out of time to accept the need for meaningful political change, the desperate economic situation has dragged the nation right up to the edge of the abyss; anything event, such as another rigged election, can easily push the nation over the edge. As much Professor Moyo would want himself and his ruling elite colleagues to remain the focus of the nation, the need to implement the reforms and revive the economy is now the single most important issue in Zimbabwe today. Another rigged elections next year may well push the nation over the edge!

We therefore need to implement the democratic reforms BEFORE the next elections.