Opinion / Columnist
Let sanity prevail
05 Aug 2018 at 11:12hrs | Views
Looking back at the past week, my head starts swirling. It started with a press-conference by former President Robert Mugabe, propelling himself back out of oblivion and into the centre of a heated campaign. It continued with a tense but peaceful election day, and then the drama around the tally of the votes unfurled.
The drama played out, with the tragic consequences we are all aware of. Yet while everyone is (rightly) focussed on the direct perpetrators (like the shooting soldiers), much less people focus on the wide array of politicians, from all sides of the aisle, that enflamed the public discourse. It is true, sometimes the word is mightier than the sword, especially when a single tweet can spread fake news, instil false hopes and stir up the masses through misconceptions.
Unfortunately, the louder a dog barks, the more attention he receives. This is a global trend, and it didn't pass over Zimbabwe. In our age of quick retweets, shares and forwarded Whatsapp Messages, it is much easier for the populist to be heard than for the voice of reason. And this voice of reason does exist in our midst, we just have to listen a little bit closer. Take for example Hopewell Chin'ono, an objective, independent journalist with no sympathy for the ruling class. He has been tweeting and writing against fake news that sprouted after the elections, and has called all parties to accept the results as affirmed by the independent ZESN and other international observers. People deluded by Nelson Chamisa and other MDC leaders do not care.
Another example is Eddie Cross; again somebody with no particular sympathy for the ZANU-PF government. He has written a lengthy article analysing the 2018 harmonised elections, and while pointing out its shortcomings, concluded that the official results are not falsified. This is a respected politician who fought and won against Mugabe's rigging machinery – is there anyone more suitable to declare that the current allegations by the opposition are plain bogus? Yet again, people deluded by Nelson Chamisa and other MDC leaders do not care.
It is truly a sad state of affairs. A sane opposition is crucial for the functioning of any democracy. Hopefully, with time, we too will have mature, calm and sane leaders of the opposition. In the meantime, we should all strengthen the sane voices in our midst.
The drama played out, with the tragic consequences we are all aware of. Yet while everyone is (rightly) focussed on the direct perpetrators (like the shooting soldiers), much less people focus on the wide array of politicians, from all sides of the aisle, that enflamed the public discourse. It is true, sometimes the word is mightier than the sword, especially when a single tweet can spread fake news, instil false hopes and stir up the masses through misconceptions.
Unfortunately, the louder a dog barks, the more attention he receives. This is a global trend, and it didn't pass over Zimbabwe. In our age of quick retweets, shares and forwarded Whatsapp Messages, it is much easier for the populist to be heard than for the voice of reason. And this voice of reason does exist in our midst, we just have to listen a little bit closer. Take for example Hopewell Chin'ono, an objective, independent journalist with no sympathy for the ruling class. He has been tweeting and writing against fake news that sprouted after the elections, and has called all parties to accept the results as affirmed by the independent ZESN and other international observers. People deluded by Nelson Chamisa and other MDC leaders do not care.
Another example is Eddie Cross; again somebody with no particular sympathy for the ZANU-PF government. He has written a lengthy article analysing the 2018 harmonised elections, and while pointing out its shortcomings, concluded that the official results are not falsified. This is a respected politician who fought and won against Mugabe's rigging machinery – is there anyone more suitable to declare that the current allegations by the opposition are plain bogus? Yet again, people deluded by Nelson Chamisa and other MDC leaders do not care.
It is truly a sad state of affairs. A sane opposition is crucial for the functioning of any democracy. Hopefully, with time, we too will have mature, calm and sane leaders of the opposition. In the meantime, we should all strengthen the sane voices in our midst.
Source - Jonathan Matika
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