Opinion / Columnist
'Cannot use tractor to pull Chamisa to dialogue' - bribe him again but can never bribe economy
16 Jun 2019 at 19:02hrs | Views
"I cannot get a bulldozer or a tractor to pull him out of his house for talks. I have made a call to all political parties in Zimbabwe that let us come together. Is he not a leader of a political party in Zimbabwe?" said Mnangagwa is a radio interview.
"I think he is. Then why does he not come to the table where everybody else is? Why should he feel proud that all 19 political parties are not important but only him?"
This is just nonsense!
The real question President Mnangagwa has failed to answer is: why does Zimbabwe need these supernumerary bodies like the Political Actors Dialogue forum, the Presidential Advisor Council, etc.? Why?
Zanu-PF has 2/3 majority in parliament and senate, a clear working majority; Mnangagwa has appointed his cabinet and it is no secret that the country's civil servants are as faithful to Zanu-PF as dogs. So why does he need a 24 member PAC, to the cooperation of the country's 130 political parties to the extend of grovelling to those who have refuse to join his forum! He should get on with the business of governing the country especially sort out the economic mess.
He is forming these supernumerary bodies and grovelling to political nonentities because he and his cabinet and parliament have failed to come up with a solution to stop the economic meltdown much less revive it. Zanu-PF rigged the elections confident the party will rig economic recovery and now the regime is realising this was a bridge too far. The regime is acknowledging it has failed and hence inviting anyone else to come up with their proposed solutions.
The regime is creating these additional bodies outside the constitution bodies such as cabinet and parliament because Mnangagwa does not want to give up his iron grip on political power. Zanu-PF MPs and senators know the party rigged last year's elections and therefore they are not democratically accountable to the people but to the party leadership - him Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
He appointed all the members of the cabinet and there are all accountable to him, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
All the 24 PAC members, all the security services top brass, University Vice Chancellors, etc., etc. were all appointed by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and are therefore faithful to him.
With the economic meltdown getting worse and worse, Mnangagwa is aware of the growing restlessness amongst the populous and he is encouraging political parties, trade union, civic society and every other body out there to join this Political Actors Dialogue forum so they can air their views to him and not on the streets.
He will welcome all proposed solutions and will implement them as his own. But most important of all he will use the forum to control and direct all social and political discourse; he will use a sledge hammer to punish all those who dare raise any matters outside the forum.
The truth is state institutions like parliament and cabinet would come up with solutions to end such teething problems as corruption if these institutions were robust and independent. Decades of stifled debate, no democratic competition and Zanu-PF political machination, intrigue and corrupting influence have rendering parliament, cabinet, etc. utterly, utterly useless.
Mnangagwa is appointing PAC, PAD, etc. to come up with solutions that parliament and cabinet have failed to provide; an impossible task since these new bodies are themselves hamstrung by the same political restrains as parliament and, worse still, they have no legal power. If parliament is a toothless bull-dog then PAD is as good as having a goldfish for a guard dog.
"I am not going to use a tractor to drag Chamisa to the dialogue table!" No doubt Zanu-PF will bribe him and his MDC A friends to join the dialogue. Not that is will do anything to stop the economic meltdown; you cannot rig or bribe economic recovery!
For the umpteenth time, Zimbabwe does not need political dialogues to end the country's economic meltdown. We need to revive our state institutions into dynamic, healthy and functional ones able to address the nation's many teething problems. We need to replace the current crop of corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless leaders with competent men and women with at least some modicum of common sense. We need to hold free, fair and credible elections and finally end the curse of rigged elections!
"I think he is. Then why does he not come to the table where everybody else is? Why should he feel proud that all 19 political parties are not important but only him?"
This is just nonsense!
The real question President Mnangagwa has failed to answer is: why does Zimbabwe need these supernumerary bodies like the Political Actors Dialogue forum, the Presidential Advisor Council, etc.? Why?
Zanu-PF has 2/3 majority in parliament and senate, a clear working majority; Mnangagwa has appointed his cabinet and it is no secret that the country's civil servants are as faithful to Zanu-PF as dogs. So why does he need a 24 member PAC, to the cooperation of the country's 130 political parties to the extend of grovelling to those who have refuse to join his forum! He should get on with the business of governing the country especially sort out the economic mess.
He is forming these supernumerary bodies and grovelling to political nonentities because he and his cabinet and parliament have failed to come up with a solution to stop the economic meltdown much less revive it. Zanu-PF rigged the elections confident the party will rig economic recovery and now the regime is realising this was a bridge too far. The regime is acknowledging it has failed and hence inviting anyone else to come up with their proposed solutions.
The regime is creating these additional bodies outside the constitution bodies such as cabinet and parliament because Mnangagwa does not want to give up his iron grip on political power. Zanu-PF MPs and senators know the party rigged last year's elections and therefore they are not democratically accountable to the people but to the party leadership - him Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
All the 24 PAC members, all the security services top brass, University Vice Chancellors, etc., etc. were all appointed by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and are therefore faithful to him.
With the economic meltdown getting worse and worse, Mnangagwa is aware of the growing restlessness amongst the populous and he is encouraging political parties, trade union, civic society and every other body out there to join this Political Actors Dialogue forum so they can air their views to him and not on the streets.
He will welcome all proposed solutions and will implement them as his own. But most important of all he will use the forum to control and direct all social and political discourse; he will use a sledge hammer to punish all those who dare raise any matters outside the forum.
The truth is state institutions like parliament and cabinet would come up with solutions to end such teething problems as corruption if these institutions were robust and independent. Decades of stifled debate, no democratic competition and Zanu-PF political machination, intrigue and corrupting influence have rendering parliament, cabinet, etc. utterly, utterly useless.
Mnangagwa is appointing PAC, PAD, etc. to come up with solutions that parliament and cabinet have failed to provide; an impossible task since these new bodies are themselves hamstrung by the same political restrains as parliament and, worse still, they have no legal power. If parliament is a toothless bull-dog then PAD is as good as having a goldfish for a guard dog.
"I am not going to use a tractor to drag Chamisa to the dialogue table!" No doubt Zanu-PF will bribe him and his MDC A friends to join the dialogue. Not that is will do anything to stop the economic meltdown; you cannot rig or bribe economic recovery!
For the umpteenth time, Zimbabwe does not need political dialogues to end the country's economic meltdown. We need to revive our state institutions into dynamic, healthy and functional ones able to address the nation's many teething problems. We need to replace the current crop of corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless leaders with competent men and women with at least some modicum of common sense. We need to hold free, fair and credible elections and finally end the curse of rigged elections!
Source - zsdemocrats.blogspot.com
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