Opinion / Columnist
'Give us a chance to fix economic mess' cried Chamisa. Failed to fix political mess - THE critical first task
24 May 2023 at 12:26hrs | Views
Nelson Chamisa is like Unoka, in Chinua Achebe's book Things Fall Apart. Unoka wanted a good harvest but would not put in the hard work to earn it. Chamisa wants to be president of Zimbabwe but will not lift a finger to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.
'Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father Unoka, had gone to consult Agbala. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of power of her god, and she was greatly feared. Unoka stood before her and began his story,' wrote Achebe, in his book Things Fall Apart.
'Every year,' he said sadly, 'before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rains has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear. I weed –'
'Hold your peace!' screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed through the dark void. 'You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.
'You Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay home and offer sacrifice to a reluctant soil.
'Go home and work like a man!''
After 43 years of rigged, why, oh why, are we being dragged into yet another flawed and illegal election, 'so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step is to withdraw,' as David Coltart once confessed?
"Bad politics cannot deliver good economics. The state of the economy is the state of leadership,' wrote Nelson Chamisa is his usual noncommittal and meaningless tweets.
"Prices in the shops are wild. Salaries are completely washed away.
"Just pay workers a decent wage in $US. Zimbabwe, this time try us, give us a chance to fix this mess once and for all.'
Well to fix the economy you must first fix the politics.
Mr Chamisa, how many times have you been told that Zanu PF will NEVER EVER reform itself out of office and as long as the party retains the carte blanche powers to rig elections and remain in office Zanu PF alone will have the say in how the country's economy is run.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered during the wanton violence of 2008 alone, to Nelson Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends into power on the promise the party would bring about the democratic changes necessary to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 23 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one reform. No even one!
Worst of all, MDC/CCC have given up on implementing reforms and is participating in the flawed elections confident the party has winning in rigged election strategies! This is the equivalent of Unoka stubbornly planting his 'yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear', which he and needless to say got what he deserved - another poor harvest.
After 43 years of rigged elections, gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical oppression the country is in economic ruins and millions of our people are now living in abject poverty. The prospect of yet another rig election and another five more years of this Zanu PF dictatorship is simply unthinkable. And yet that is exactly what is happening.
Chamisa and his CCC friends are dragging the whole nation into yet another meaningless election process all because they will not implement the reforms and stop the curse of rigged elections.
Okonkwo despised his father Unoka for being lazy and vowed never to be like his father. In like manner, the people of Zimbabwe we must open our eyes and minds and admit to ourselves that CCC will never implement the democratic reforms and deliver free and fair elections. And as long as Zanu PF continue to enjoy the carte blanche powers to rig elections we will never have a meaningful say in the governance of the country. Never ever!
Chamisa et al have been hunting with the hounds and running with the hare. They are participating in these flawed elections for the asme reasons they failed to implement any reforms during the GNU - greed and breath-taking incompetence. We, like Okonkwo, should disown CCC and stop following the party blindly like sheep to the slaughter.
By participating in these flawed elections we, the people, are giving SADC the excuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship. We are shooting ourselves in the foot. Of course, it is insane!
'Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father Unoka, had gone to consult Agbala. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of power of her god, and she was greatly feared. Unoka stood before her and began his story,' wrote Achebe, in his book Things Fall Apart.
'Every year,' he said sadly, 'before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rains has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear. I weed –'
'Hold your peace!' screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed through the dark void. 'You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.
'You Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay home and offer sacrifice to a reluctant soil.
'Go home and work like a man!''
After 43 years of rigged, why, oh why, are we being dragged into yet another flawed and illegal election, 'so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step is to withdraw,' as David Coltart once confessed?
"Bad politics cannot deliver good economics. The state of the economy is the state of leadership,' wrote Nelson Chamisa is his usual noncommittal and meaningless tweets.
"Prices in the shops are wild. Salaries are completely washed away.
Well to fix the economy you must first fix the politics.
Mr Chamisa, how many times have you been told that Zanu PF will NEVER EVER reform itself out of office and as long as the party retains the carte blanche powers to rig elections and remain in office Zanu PF alone will have the say in how the country's economy is run.
The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb, over 500 were murdered during the wanton violence of 2008 alone, to Nelson Chamisa and his MDC/CCC friends into power on the promise the party would bring about the democratic changes necessary to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. After 23 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC/CCC have failed to implement even one reform. No even one!
Worst of all, MDC/CCC have given up on implementing reforms and is participating in the flawed elections confident the party has winning in rigged election strategies! This is the equivalent of Unoka stubbornly planting his 'yams on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear', which he and needless to say got what he deserved - another poor harvest.
After 43 years of rigged elections, gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical oppression the country is in economic ruins and millions of our people are now living in abject poverty. The prospect of yet another rig election and another five more years of this Zanu PF dictatorship is simply unthinkable. And yet that is exactly what is happening.
Chamisa and his CCC friends are dragging the whole nation into yet another meaningless election process all because they will not implement the reforms and stop the curse of rigged elections.
Okonkwo despised his father Unoka for being lazy and vowed never to be like his father. In like manner, the people of Zimbabwe we must open our eyes and minds and admit to ourselves that CCC will never implement the democratic reforms and deliver free and fair elections. And as long as Zanu PF continue to enjoy the carte blanche powers to rig elections we will never have a meaningful say in the governance of the country. Never ever!
Chamisa et al have been hunting with the hounds and running with the hare. They are participating in these flawed elections for the asme reasons they failed to implement any reforms during the GNU - greed and breath-taking incompetence. We, like Okonkwo, should disown CCC and stop following the party blindly like sheep to the slaughter.
By participating in these flawed elections we, the people, are giving SADC the excuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the dictatorship. We are shooting ourselves in the foot. Of course, it is insane!
Source - zimbabwelight.blogspot.com
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