Opinion / Columnist
Chamisa blocks Hopewell Chin'ono
4 hrs ago | Views
This tweet with a Bible verse where I was responding to Nelson Chamisa's own Bible verse got me blocked today.
The tweet was merely reminding Chamisa that many Zimbabweans expect a lot from him simply because they voted for him in their millions.
I respect his right to block those he doesn't want commenting on his tweets; that is how democracy works ordinarily.
However, in a democracy, journalists and citizens ask questions of politicians, and as long as those questions are based on the work that those politicians are doing and they are fair, there is nothing wrong with engaging with those questions or comments.
But as I said, he has exercised his right to freedom of association, and I, along with many others who have been blocked by him for asking him tough questions, should respect his right!
I too have blocked many people who have not engaged with me in a way I thought was fair and reasonable, but I am not a public official, and I am not running for public office, nor will I ever do so. I owe the public no explanations, but politicians do because they want to run a government and a country.
All those running for public office must understand that journalists and citizens have a right to comment or ask questions as long as those questions and comments are fair and within the realm of their political work.
Otherwise, the idea that one is a democrat is bogus if you avoid public scrutiny!
We are fighting against ZANUPF because it doesn't want us to ask tough questions, it doesn't want us to demand answers to its actions, and where we continue asking, it sends us to jail.
I wonder what type of Zimbabwe would emerge post-ZANUPF if the alternative leadership is intolerant to a simple Bible verse that seeks to respond to their own Bible verse and is within the realm of fair comment.
Our society is so broken that many will see everything wrong with journalists asking questions to their favourite politicians because many follow personalities and not ideas or a cause.
In such a broken society, the victims of that brokenness won't see anything wrong when politicians refuse to be scrutinised.
They will support such actions, we saw this happening with Robert Mugabe when his supporters were angry when he was asked about the Gukurahundi genocide when it was taking place!
In such a society, the victims of shameless sycophancy won't see anything wrong in defending errant leaders, even when they want to run political parties without constitutions or leadership structures!
We live in a society where journalists and intellectuals compete to bootlick politicians on both sides of the aisle.
That is why it is easy for Mnangagwa to buy opposition legislators with small trinkets, allowing him to continue looting the country.
We should also point to where the problem started. Zimbabwe has had only ONE television station since 1960, so many Zimbabweans grew up only watching one propaganda television station, where leaders have been bootlicked by journalists and celebrated even when the country was sinking.
When critical thinking is suppressed, and conformity to a dominant narrative or leader is expected, this becomes a form of authoritarianism or cult of personality within our opposition. Where fake news websites are paid to attack genuine critics, and where people like journalists and scholars are driven underground.
Thankfully, I know my role in society, so regardless of the abuse that one might receive because of our society's dysfunctionality, I will continue doing what I do: asking the right questions and making the appropriate comments, regardless of whether it is Nelson Chamisa or Emmerson Mnangagwa who are the two dominant political forces in our country.
The day you see me afraid to critique these two men and the groups they represent, know that I have sold out, something that will not happen!
I hope that the opposition leader who wants to be president blocked me in a fit of anger, and that he will come to his senses and realise that blocking journalists who have not insulted you is not compatible with being a democrat.
If anything, it raises red flags about the type of leader he will become if he ever gets into power!
I will end this with the verse that got me blocked;
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:48
The tweet was merely reminding Chamisa that many Zimbabweans expect a lot from him simply because they voted for him in their millions.
I respect his right to block those he doesn't want commenting on his tweets; that is how democracy works ordinarily.
However, in a democracy, journalists and citizens ask questions of politicians, and as long as those questions are based on the work that those politicians are doing and they are fair, there is nothing wrong with engaging with those questions or comments.
But as I said, he has exercised his right to freedom of association, and I, along with many others who have been blocked by him for asking him tough questions, should respect his right!
I too have blocked many people who have not engaged with me in a way I thought was fair and reasonable, but I am not a public official, and I am not running for public office, nor will I ever do so. I owe the public no explanations, but politicians do because they want to run a government and a country.
All those running for public office must understand that journalists and citizens have a right to comment or ask questions as long as those questions and comments are fair and within the realm of their political work.
Otherwise, the idea that one is a democrat is bogus if you avoid public scrutiny!
We are fighting against ZANUPF because it doesn't want us to ask tough questions, it doesn't want us to demand answers to its actions, and where we continue asking, it sends us to jail.
I wonder what type of Zimbabwe would emerge post-ZANUPF if the alternative leadership is intolerant to a simple Bible verse that seeks to respond to their own Bible verse and is within the realm of fair comment.
Our society is so broken that many will see everything wrong with journalists asking questions to their favourite politicians because many follow personalities and not ideas or a cause.
In such a broken society, the victims of that brokenness won't see anything wrong when politicians refuse to be scrutinised.
In such a society, the victims of shameless sycophancy won't see anything wrong in defending errant leaders, even when they want to run political parties without constitutions or leadership structures!
We live in a society where journalists and intellectuals compete to bootlick politicians on both sides of the aisle.
That is why it is easy for Mnangagwa to buy opposition legislators with small trinkets, allowing him to continue looting the country.
We should also point to where the problem started. Zimbabwe has had only ONE television station since 1960, so many Zimbabweans grew up only watching one propaganda television station, where leaders have been bootlicked by journalists and celebrated even when the country was sinking.
When critical thinking is suppressed, and conformity to a dominant narrative or leader is expected, this becomes a form of authoritarianism or cult of personality within our opposition. Where fake news websites are paid to attack genuine critics, and where people like journalists and scholars are driven underground.
Thankfully, I know my role in society, so regardless of the abuse that one might receive because of our society's dysfunctionality, I will continue doing what I do: asking the right questions and making the appropriate comments, regardless of whether it is Nelson Chamisa or Emmerson Mnangagwa who are the two dominant political forces in our country.
The day you see me afraid to critique these two men and the groups they represent, know that I have sold out, something that will not happen!
I hope that the opposition leader who wants to be president blocked me in a fit of anger, and that he will come to his senses and realise that blocking journalists who have not insulted you is not compatible with being a democrat.
If anything, it raises red flags about the type of leader he will become if he ever gets into power!
I will end this with the verse that got me blocked;
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:48
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