Opinion / Columnist
The inevitable demise of opposition politics in Zimbabwe
02 Mar 2015 at 09:04hrs | Views
The post 2013 election period has set the birth of a new era and new order in Zimbabwean politics; that of the genesis of the demise of the Western sponsored opposition politics in Zimbabwe.
This article will detail and analyse the factors that led to the demise of opposition movement, zoom the role played by President Mugabe in re-locating Zimbabwe in the community of nations and finally proffer an alternate to a Western sponsored opposition politics.
The false foundation
In 1999 a concoction of oil, diesel, petrol and Fanta was born into the Zimbabwe political maternity ward. Born running, the organisation was a mixture of civil society, students, churches, gays and lesbians, ex-Rhodies, ex-Selous Scouts, former Special Branch members and women's groups. The MDC as it called itself had one agenda of regime change and it was bankrolled by 400 years of blood money accumulated through slavery and perfumed as the Westminster Fund.
The diverse interests and lack of collective founding principles, save for the regime change agenda, did not take time to show its handsome head in 2005 when the western founded and funded party split into the pro-senate and the anti-senate factions. The handsome head fragmented the smaller MDC formation in its 2011 controversial congress and subsequently shattering the Tsvangirai led MDC to innumerable pieces during the Mendel Meeting of Rebellion.
Only one thing is certain; all things built upon a shaky, retrogressive and false ground will not withstand the time of reckoning.
External agenda vs African problem
In Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular our problem is much centred on contestation of economic resources like land.
The opposition that seemed to carry the hopes of certain sections of electorate in 2000 capitalising on the then escalating inflation and economic challenges that faced the government suddenly in 2010 showed its true colours as able ambassadors of western capitals. During the Copac driven constitutional making process the opposition politicians changed from their pro-poor tone and started advocating for strange non-negotiables. These included rights of the gays and lesbians, dual citizenship, abolishment of an executive presidency and the creation of the post of executive Prime Minister.
As fate would have it, came 2013 elections the people of Zimbabwe collectively rejected the Western sponsored alien policies and in favour of sustainable livelihoods encapsulated in the land reform policy, Indigenisation Act and Zimbabwe Investment Authority policy.
The hypocrisy of opposition politics
At this point I am reminded of a story that our grandfather used to tell us. Once in a fairy world there existed a young man who killed both his parents. When brought before the jury he pleaded with the learned gathering: "Please have mercy on me, I'm an orphan."
From the above adage we deduce the folly strategy of the MDC (in its innumerable surnames) and its western funded anti-government civic society organisations used.
From their infantile stage, the MDC working with its cohorts started to overtly and covertly call for the imposition of sanctions in Zimbabwe.
While the MDC was open in their divisive call, their NGO buddies like Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Agenda, Zimbabwe Peace Project, Youth Initiative for Democracy amongst others were burning the midnight oil nicodemously briefing the Western diplomats, aid agencies to maintain the sanctions, withdraw food aid to rural areas, withdraw Zimbabwe's right to vote in strategic institutions like the IMF until President Mugabe was ousted.
The result of their divisive call led to the economic meltdown preceding the 2008 harmonised elections.
Much to our chagrin, the same opposition outfit and its NGO bedmates went to the same white capitals saying please give us funding the people are starving, please give us funding Zimbabwe can't access IMF funding to conduct civic education and some other nonsense they use to beg for money. Surely like the young man grandpa told us of, the regime change agents killed the economy and now beg for money to clean the mess they created. How hypocritical!
Recent revelations showed that the USAID is investigating Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Agenda and its partner organisations for abusing the donor funding they were fleecing from the unsuspecting US organ and convert the money to their own use circulating it through corporate incest.
The writing is on the wall; regime change agenda has only but bred a gang of corporate thieves.
R.G. Mugabe
The modern master of power politics Robert Greene said: "Never seem to be in a hurry, hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself and over time."
If there is a leader who embodies a commanding calm character in the African body politic its President R.G. Mugabe. During the inclusive government era our enemies started writing epitaphs ready to celebrate the departure of the revolutionary party and its leader. The revolutionary leader worked tirelessly and seamlessly building the party, recreating his image that was tainted by the opposition.
During Sadc meetings he proved to be a statesman that he is while the opposition leaders showed lack of grooming, seriousness and any iota of Africanness.
The real character of the opposition leaders, who always accused the President of overspending state money, was unveiled. The leaders spent three quarters of their time enjoying high life in high seas riding Legend of the Seas.
Come the 2013 elections, the people of Zimbabwe knew what animal the MDC leaders were; a bunch of corrupt, egocentric, self-serving individuals and they rejected them in the polls in favour of a tried tested and revolutionary leadership of Robert Mugabe.
As if that was not enough, in 2014 the whole Sadc heads of state came to Victoria Falls and endorsed the magnanimous victory of President Robert Mugabe through anointing him chair of the regional bloc. A few weeks ago, the whole of Africa gathered in Ethiopia and elected the President to be the leader of African Union.
The European Union has re-engaged Zimbabwe and relations are normalising.
This endorsement is a sure sign that the people of Zimbabwe, Sadc, Africa and the rest of the world have come to the realisation that Zanu-PF and the revolutionary leader R.G. Mugabe are the vanguard of the Zimbabwean democracy.
Way forward
It is the prediction of the author that come 2018 and more particularly 2021 elections, the opposition movement as it is configured now will have fizzled out into nothingness. It will exist as a case study for students of political science on the failures of opposition politics. It is at this point then that we encourage the robust internal democracy existing within the revolutionary party to continue.
Perhaps it's time that this country needs a shift towards a Chinese model of democracy where internal party democracy rules. Perhaps it's time the people of Zimbabwe start thinking of a localised Maoist one party state where there are party elections after every five years to renew leadership that we deploy to government.
-------------
Prince Khumbulani Malinga is a Pan-African activist based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted at: 0774208375 or sgubudu@hotmail.com
This article will detail and analyse the factors that led to the demise of opposition movement, zoom the role played by President Mugabe in re-locating Zimbabwe in the community of nations and finally proffer an alternate to a Western sponsored opposition politics.
The false foundation
In 1999 a concoction of oil, diesel, petrol and Fanta was born into the Zimbabwe political maternity ward. Born running, the organisation was a mixture of civil society, students, churches, gays and lesbians, ex-Rhodies, ex-Selous Scouts, former Special Branch members and women's groups. The MDC as it called itself had one agenda of regime change and it was bankrolled by 400 years of blood money accumulated through slavery and perfumed as the Westminster Fund.
The diverse interests and lack of collective founding principles, save for the regime change agenda, did not take time to show its handsome head in 2005 when the western founded and funded party split into the pro-senate and the anti-senate factions. The handsome head fragmented the smaller MDC formation in its 2011 controversial congress and subsequently shattering the Tsvangirai led MDC to innumerable pieces during the Mendel Meeting of Rebellion.
Only one thing is certain; all things built upon a shaky, retrogressive and false ground will not withstand the time of reckoning.
External agenda vs African problem
In Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular our problem is much centred on contestation of economic resources like land.
The opposition that seemed to carry the hopes of certain sections of electorate in 2000 capitalising on the then escalating inflation and economic challenges that faced the government suddenly in 2010 showed its true colours as able ambassadors of western capitals. During the Copac driven constitutional making process the opposition politicians changed from their pro-poor tone and started advocating for strange non-negotiables. These included rights of the gays and lesbians, dual citizenship, abolishment of an executive presidency and the creation of the post of executive Prime Minister.
As fate would have it, came 2013 elections the people of Zimbabwe collectively rejected the Western sponsored alien policies and in favour of sustainable livelihoods encapsulated in the land reform policy, Indigenisation Act and Zimbabwe Investment Authority policy.
The hypocrisy of opposition politics
At this point I am reminded of a story that our grandfather used to tell us. Once in a fairy world there existed a young man who killed both his parents. When brought before the jury he pleaded with the learned gathering: "Please have mercy on me, I'm an orphan."
From the above adage we deduce the folly strategy of the MDC (in its innumerable surnames) and its western funded anti-government civic society organisations used.
From their infantile stage, the MDC working with its cohorts started to overtly and covertly call for the imposition of sanctions in Zimbabwe.
While the MDC was open in their divisive call, their NGO buddies like Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Agenda, Zimbabwe Peace Project, Youth Initiative for Democracy amongst others were burning the midnight oil nicodemously briefing the Western diplomats, aid agencies to maintain the sanctions, withdraw food aid to rural areas, withdraw Zimbabwe's right to vote in strategic institutions like the IMF until President Mugabe was ousted.
The result of their divisive call led to the economic meltdown preceding the 2008 harmonised elections.
Recent revelations showed that the USAID is investigating Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Agenda and its partner organisations for abusing the donor funding they were fleecing from the unsuspecting US organ and convert the money to their own use circulating it through corporate incest.
The writing is on the wall; regime change agenda has only but bred a gang of corporate thieves.
R.G. Mugabe
The modern master of power politics Robert Greene said: "Never seem to be in a hurry, hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself and over time."
If there is a leader who embodies a commanding calm character in the African body politic its President R.G. Mugabe. During the inclusive government era our enemies started writing epitaphs ready to celebrate the departure of the revolutionary party and its leader. The revolutionary leader worked tirelessly and seamlessly building the party, recreating his image that was tainted by the opposition.
During Sadc meetings he proved to be a statesman that he is while the opposition leaders showed lack of grooming, seriousness and any iota of Africanness.
The real character of the opposition leaders, who always accused the President of overspending state money, was unveiled. The leaders spent three quarters of their time enjoying high life in high seas riding Legend of the Seas.
Come the 2013 elections, the people of Zimbabwe knew what animal the MDC leaders were; a bunch of corrupt, egocentric, self-serving individuals and they rejected them in the polls in favour of a tried tested and revolutionary leadership of Robert Mugabe.
As if that was not enough, in 2014 the whole Sadc heads of state came to Victoria Falls and endorsed the magnanimous victory of President Robert Mugabe through anointing him chair of the regional bloc. A few weeks ago, the whole of Africa gathered in Ethiopia and elected the President to be the leader of African Union.
The European Union has re-engaged Zimbabwe and relations are normalising.
This endorsement is a sure sign that the people of Zimbabwe, Sadc, Africa and the rest of the world have come to the realisation that Zanu-PF and the revolutionary leader R.G. Mugabe are the vanguard of the Zimbabwean democracy.
Way forward
It is the prediction of the author that come 2018 and more particularly 2021 elections, the opposition movement as it is configured now will have fizzled out into nothingness. It will exist as a case study for students of political science on the failures of opposition politics. It is at this point then that we encourage the robust internal democracy existing within the revolutionary party to continue.
Perhaps it's time that this country needs a shift towards a Chinese model of democracy where internal party democracy rules. Perhaps it's time the people of Zimbabwe start thinking of a localised Maoist one party state where there are party elections after every five years to renew leadership that we deploy to government.
-------------
Prince Khumbulani Malinga is a Pan-African activist based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted at: 0774208375 or sgubudu@hotmail.com
Source - chronicle
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