Time to redefine Zimbabwe politics

After decades of economic stagnation, political paralysis and leadership crisis which Madiba bluntly and correctly called "tragic failure of leadership", Zimbabwe is now at a crossroads. More than ever before, there is now an urgent need to redefine, reshape and re-launch our politics. As a nation, we need to move away from the politics of personalities, slogans and empty promises to that of values, sacrifice and service; genuine service. In short, we need and we are overdue for good politics.

Not many people know what Zanu-PF stands for other than that it fought in the struggle, it is led by Robert Mugabe and loves power at any cost. The same applies to MDC which is about Morgan Tsvangirai and "chinja maitiro". Beyond that, there is nothing else of substance to talk about. Zanu-PF means Gushungo, coercion and force; either you agree with them or else. On the opposite end of the spectrum, MDC is about Save and the empty or failed mantra for change.

In 1980, Zanu-PF appeared like a decent party as they focused on social services and economic development. Health, education (including manpower development) and to some extent, infrastructure, were primary beneficiaries.  They even had a noble vision "Health for all by 2000". As we speak, some of them have forgotten that the year 2000 came and went without health for all. Instead, the health delivery system as we knew it in 1980 has literally collapsed. There was a time when it was quite an achievement and a pride to be working for Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare Hospital (popularly known as Gomo), United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and of course Mpilo Hospital; some of the major referral hospitals of the time. As we speak, these institutions are now a ghost of their past, thanks to ZANU F's decades of efficient and systematic destruction.

Without any doubt, Zanu-PF, together with ZAPU and other players, contributed immensely to the liberation of Zimbabwe from colonialism. However, it now appears that beyond liberation, Zanu-PF did not have any idea of how to run a nation, let alone manage a modern economy. It is for this reason that the party should have progressively transformed into a modern democratic institution sensitive to the realities of the contemporary world. In the process, they should have devised a clear succession plan. They didn't, not because they did not want to but they were too scared of one man, Robert Mugabe. Zanu-PF needs to be reminded that this is 2015, not 1976. The world has moved on. So must Zimbabwe. We can't continue to have DOS in the era of cloud computing. Robert Mugabe is now a political dinosaur we can't afford.

While they may have started reasonably well at independence, somewhere, along the way, Zanu-PF terribly lost the way. No amount of re-direction or re-calculation will make them re-discover their way. They just have to abandon the journey and let others with good intentions complete it.

For 35 years, Zanu-PF has been so much obsessed with power to the extent that they literally assumed corruption as their middle name and violence as the last name. Today, it is difficult to talk about ZANU without mentioning these two vices. Of course, as a nation, we can't pretend that everything is normal and continue to go on like this. Something has to give. The time for that is now.

Didymus Mutasa's recent rantings did not serve any purpose other than to confirm what we have always known, which is that people don't see the evils of Zanu-PF until they have been thrown out of the gravy train. Some of us are proud to have been consistent through and through. Yes, we all supported either ZANU or ZAPU at some point but from the mid 1980s, it became evident that we were riding a dead horse. Mutasa, Rugare Gumbo and a few others only realised the horse was smelly when somebody gracelessly forced them off the forlorn ride. Now they want to present themselves as the biblical Saul at Damascus, Bartimaeus or Matthew at Jericho. Of course they are not. While Joice Mujuru might have a few years of usefulness ahead of her owing to age if she makes the right move now, the likes of Mutasa and others must go home and grow potatoes. Politics is not a retirement village. They can advise from the background if they are still passionate about politics.

Some have started preaching the "People First "mantra, whatever that means. Not so long ago, they were the ones chanting "Pamberi ne one party state". They think that Zimbabweans are dumb, stupid and suffering from amnesia.  Simba Makoni, Dumiso Dabengwa and a few others will always have some semblance of respect outside Zanu-PF. They did not wait to be kicked out of the gravy train kicking and screaming. They allowed their conscience to prevail over evil and left on their own.

There comes a time in the history of any nation when serious introspection is not an option but a necessity. For Zimbabwe and its citizens, the time is now. We need to re-trace our footsteps, re-discover our values and re-affirm our beliefs and objectives. This demands our collective conscience and effort irrespective of affiliation.

Now is the time to re-define our politics. The politics of personalities, self-aggrandisement, hatred, slogans and empty promises is over. People don't eat rhetoric. They don't live on promises. We need to adopt and embrace the new politics of values, sacrifice and service. Zimbabweans need three things before anything else; we need freedom, equality and prosperity anchored by good governance. We can't achieve this within the current structures and context of Zanu-PF, neither that of the MDC.

Zimbabweans, let us find each other and determine what we want to be. We need a new platform that brings together all progressive voices, energy, passion and vision.  We need the unity of purpose as envisaged by our forefathers when they came up with the concept of "zunde" which we knew later as cooperatives. This is the time to work together as a nation thirsty for equality, hungry for prosperity and yearning for real freedom. We need progress.

This dream is not about Morgan Tsvangirai, it is not about Robert Mugabe. It's about our collective aspirations and future as a nation. It is about us Zimbabweans. Yes, Mugabe and Tsvangirai have played their part in the past, both positively and negatively. It is now time to look beyond these two mortal men and seek to take our potentially great nation forward. It's time for fairness, accountability, inclusiveness and respect (FAIR). Yes, it's time for ZUNDE, the natural coalition of winners. For once, let us prove the world wrong and do something right not only for ourselves but for posterity.

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Moses Chamboko is a pro-democracy activist and interim Secretary General for Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE). You may visit ZUNDE at www.zunde.org or email info@zunde.org