Mujuru offside on demonstrations

The formation of the Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) political party some few months ago was received by pomp and fanfare by some various Zimbabweans who thought that the new kid on the bloc led by the former Vice President of Zimbabwe Dr Joyce Mujuru would bring something meaningful in the country. Such a pomp and fanfare that aroused some of the Zimbabweans was received by some pinch of salt by this writer as history on such new political parties that come with thunder have revealed otherwise.

While other Zimbabweans thought that Dr Mujuru with her new Doctorate would use it in showing that he is different from other opposition political parties but the recent demonstrations that engulfed the country revealed who Mujuru is in the country. Her highest academic power did not make her different from those who came before her. Even her supporters and those who welcomed her coming into the political sphere began to ask her integrity as an aspiring Zimbabwean leader.

For those who might think that they are being kept in suspense by this writer let the truth be put at its perspective so that those who were thinking that in Dr Mujuru a saviour has come, would now correct their perceptions. Instead of the ZimPF leader to denounce some demonstrations which in recent days has caused the destructions of some properties in areas like Beitbridge, Mujuru addressed some journalists at her Chisipite home in Harare that demonstrations and stayaways were necessary saying the ruling party has failed to fulfil its 2013 harmonized elections promises.

Mujuru in her verbatim statement said, "Instead of repressing and supressing the popular sentiment among the people manifesting in demonstrations, government has to address the causes of the myriad of problems facing the country".  Well, well Dr Mujuru's statement could sound palatable and good to those who engaged on those demonstrations but a leader need to know that demonstrations are a disaster to economic development. Zimbabwe economically is suffering and no amount of strike and protest would serve the country from where it is reeling under right now. So Zimbabweans including Dr Mujuru should be aware that demonstrations are counterproductive to economic development hence any sane leader should encourage such a scourge to taken place.

For a leader to encourage some demonstrations to go ahead shows that Dr Mujuru has lost direction. She should remember that being an opposition leader would not take away the fact that she was also part to the problems that caused the demise of the Zimbabwean economy. For more than two decades, Dr Mujuru superintended in various government departments until she was appointed to the Vice Presidency post which she held until her 2014 dismissal in government and party. During those years in government Mujuru helped the ZANU PF government to come up with some policies that today are said to be not preferable to the economic development.

She cannot today pretend to be a saint to the suffering Zimbabweans yet it took President Mugabe to dismiss her from government leading her to form his political party. While she was in government and being second in command to the Zimbabwean affairs, she failed to make these economic problems to go. Mujuru should realise that in 2008, Zimbabweans experienced one of the darkest eras in the history of this country when the inflation reached its peak of 230 million percent but she saw nothing wrong about that. She remained in government and pretended as if everything was right in the country.

Despite the fact that Zimbabweans lost their valuable time standing in queues at various banks in the country as they waited to get their then useless Zimbabwean dollars, Mujuru remained quiet. She failed to see anything amiss over what was happening during that time. Mujuru as the Vice President of Zimbabwe and second in command in the country enjoyed accessing the little foreign currency that the government was getting from the little exports which the country was having. Such comfortable living which Dr Mujuru was enjoying during her time in government made her to forget that things would not remain the same for ever. Actually Dr Mujuru as someone who was eyeing to take over the reign from President Mugabe did not see anything wrong when people had to spend their time queuing for money in banks instead of doing productive work for the country.

Now that she was dismissed from government and that the comfort zone is now history to her she wants people to believe that she has people at heart. If she really had people at heart Dr Mujuru could have resigned from government when the economic problems of the country started to deteriorate. In solidarity with the suffering people during that time Mujuru could have formed her party then and people would have appreciated that move. Surprisingly, while Zimbabweans were suffering and spending their time in queues during that dark era in 2008, Mujuru never thought of coming up with solutions to the economic problems that were bedevilling the country.

Now that Mujuru was dismissed from government for allegedly planning to depose from power the very person who exalted her from the political dark house into the limelight, she now wants to make people believe that she has something good for the suffering Zimbabweans. By encouraging some people to demonstrate against the government over those economic problems which she also abetted shows that she is losing direction. Dr Mujuru should realise that only elections would lead to change of leadership in the country and no amount of demonstrations would change the status quo.

As someone aspiring to be the next leader, Mujuru needs to know that the economic implications that could be brought by such demonstrations and job stayaways could be catastrophic to her leadership if elected into office. She should be aware that destruction of infrastructure could cost this country a lot of money to rebuild them. While it is everyone's right to demonstrate but there is no right to destroy properties. So Dr Mujuru needs to realise that by encouraging and supporting demonstrations to take place she is also encouraging violence to take place here as history has shown that such demonstrations in the country have ended up with violent activities taking place.

Actually some demonstrations that took place in Beitbridge some few days ago caused some undesirable damages to various properties with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority warehouse burnt down by the demonstrators. So such a scenario is what Dr Mujuru is prepared to see happening in the country. Could that be a good leader whom Zimbabweans would be happy to place their hope and trust in her? This writer do wonder.

Is Dr Mujuru aware that even if she would become the Zimbabwean leader inheriting a destroyed infrastructure in the country would take her some years to rebuild such a country? For that reason people should not be misled by Mujuru's pretence of having people's plight at heart when she failed to do the same when she was still enjoying her comfort zone in government.

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John Mukumbo <mukumbojohn@yahoo.com