Perspectives on Restoring
Normalcy In Zimbabwe
So much has
been said on the demise of Zimbabwe at the hands of ZANU(pf) that repetition of
the narrative is unwarranted in this article. Suffice to say that cogent
solutions are going to be proffered in the hope and belief that such proposals
and similar ones will rescue Zimbabwe from further sinking in the self-dug
abyss.
The current
waves of civil unrest as characterised by demonstrations and stay-aways are
testimony of the level of people frustrations. Setting riot police on people
demonstrating peacefully and beating them up or arresting them is no solution
at all. The fact that the stay-away was not organised by any political party is
a strong point to take note of going forward in solving Zimbabwe’s problems.
First and
foremost, this writer agrees with all voices calling for the immediate
resignation of R. G Mugabe and ZANU pf. The security sector must be
reformed such that it is apolitical and
professional. The voters roll and electoral body (Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission) must be revamped. All laws and legislations must be aligned with
the new constitution. Retrogressive laws must be repealed. Non-partisan judges,
magistrates and other legal officers must be appointed to the public office.
That’s what is being advocated by all progressive voices in Zimbabwe. It’s true
that the problems of Zimbabwe must be solved by Zimbabweans. In legal parlance,
there is no obligation to assist your neighbour in dire straits. Hence our
neighbours can afford to fold their arms whilst our country burns.
To wait for
2018 elections is stretching the patience and resilience of Zimbabweans to
unbearable limits. The failure of ZANU pf and Mugabe is known the world over.
The reluctance of ZANU pf and Mugabe to relinquish power is also an open
secret. Now the question is : is there a stalemate? Should we wait for 2018?
Will necessary reforms be implemented before the elections? Will ZANU pf
hardliners tow the line towards reform ? Can Zimbabweans come to a round-table
discussion to iron out the problems afflicting the nation ? The answers to some
of these pertinent questions will be offered in the following narrative.
Dismantling
an entrenched dictatorship is no easy task. It needs resolve, persistence,
determination and sacrifices. We still have dictatorial parties in Russia,
China, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea etc etc. However the Zimbabwean case is
totally different altogether. It requires unique solutions. Which
solutions? Here they are : representatives
of political parties, civic groups, NGOs, churches and ordinary citizens must convene
and chart the way forward, say at HICC or National Sports Stadium. No hooligans
or politicking must be tolerated. Conveners must only entertain robust debate
to extricate the country from the sordid social, political and economic morass
hindering progress. We owe it to ourselves, our children and the future
generation. It’s a landmark shot worth trying. While this conference may not
materialise, the following issues should obviously be tabled for discussion and
resolving.
The efforts
of Tajamuka/Sesijikile, #ThisFlag, opposition parties, YARD and recently the
war veterans must be applauded and augmented. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights (ZLHR) representing the arrested protesters must be commended for
exposing police brutality. They must go a step further in instituting legal
proceedings against the police officers and their superiors, even if it means a
private prosecution like the Kereke case so as to send a strong warning that
police brutality is unwarranted in a democratic society. MPs must table a bill
which will seek stiff custodial sentences to law enforcements agents who break
the law. If that cloud of human rights abuse by law enforcement agents is
removed, then people will be in a position to mount a sustainable and
successful demonstration to bring down the evil regime of Mugabe and ZANU pf. It is heart-warming to note the ZLHR are
representing the war veterans and the arrested protesters, former AG Ndebele is
offering to assist the incarcerated liberation war heroes, two constitutional
petitions challenging Mugabe’s fitness are pending in the constitutional court,
and the opposition parties intend to impeach the President on the missing
diamonds billions, the declining economy and corruption ravaging the country.
All these efforts must be pursued with much vigour so as to pile pressure on Mugabe.
Mai Mujuru’s lawsuits against the state’s draconian and insensitive policies
(SI 68 and bond notes) must also be supported and applauded, so is the effort
to shut down the borders.
All the
efforts showing people’s frustration and happiness won’t make Mugabe and his
cohorts relinquish as we all know that
ZANU pf has stone-hearted and thick-headed individuals who are selfish, and
cruel. The proposal by the Platform of Concerned Citizen to form a National
Transitional Authority is the way forward to extricate Zimbabwe from its
deepening social, economic and political crisis. ZANU pf wont agree to a NTA
unless if they are arm-twisted by SADC or AU. Currently this is highly
unlikely. The proponents of the NTA must however mobilise support from all
relevant stakeholders and convene a meeting at a symbolic venue like Great
Zimbabwe (and attend the meeting draped in the national flag!) wherein the
leadership of the NTA must be chosen and most importantly map out the way
forward. The chosen shadow government must then be marketed to the
international community to source the much needed FDI. The NTA idea must be
pursued with vigour and determination as it is the only way to save Zimbabwe
from imminent collapse. 2018 is too far! Even if the government tries to foil
the efforts to formulate and implement the NTA agenda, a virtual e-state must
be formulated.
The tirade
against social media by Supa Mandiwanzira and the rhetoric of combating
cyberwar by General C Chiwenga is confirmation that the government is aware of
the power of ICT. ZANU pf cant be removed through peaceful and valiant actions
like protests, petitions or impeachment. Neither can there be a coup de tat to
unseat ZANU pf. An NTA structured as an e-government is the requisite coup de
grace. A parallel e-state funded through e-commerce must start wooing FDI
rather than wait for 2018 which are must likely to be rigged again unless if
reforms take place. A well-formulated e-government provides an alternative way
to the Zimbabwe political impasse. Through the social media, people must be
made aware of the e-state as temporary measure to restore normalcy to Zimbabwe.
FDI must not start trickling in after 2018 because that’s way too far. Its
needed as of yesterday.
The
original brains behind the NTA must forge ahead with or without Tsvangirai or
Mujuru if the two are having cold feet about working together or if their egos
supersede a call of national duty. Now that the ZANU pf government went ahead
with their ill-fated plans of issuing bond notes, Zimbabwean citizens must be
alarmed indeed. Rather than sitting on our laurels or on the fence, a
pro-active approach being undertaken through demonstrations and court action
must be augmented by other radical solutions.
Relevant stakeholders must take the bull by its horns viz-a-viz pursuing
the issue of using the Rand or plastic money or bitcoin.
Zanu pf
buffoons have vowed not to cede power through a mere X on the ballot paper. The
nutty professor of theoretical politics recently said Zanu pf will never reform
itself out of power. What does this all mean? Evicting the first family from
statehouse and Zanu pf hoodlums from power through a voting process is wishful
thinking. Remember the 2013 elections under Nikuv engineering? What happened in
Norton must not lull people into believing that Rita Makarau, Tobaiwa Mudede
and their cabals will conduct a free, fair and credible election process.
Although we had refreshing news from Equatorial Guinea, the same may not happen
in Mugabe’s courtyard. So what’s the way forward? A parallel e-government.
Believe it or not, ICT is the way to go from now going forward. Traditional
brick-and-mortar government will soon be a thing of the past.
In South
Africa there is a white enclave called Orania where a semi-autonomous territory
runs its affairs independent of the ruling ANC government. Even in Zanu pf
itself there are parallel structures run on factional lines. In other words, to
take Zimbabwe forward may not necessarily need winning an election. It simply
needs programmes, policies and strong institutions to spearhead a paradigm
shift in people’s standards of living. A coup is not a viable option for
Zimbabwe. Neither is a popular revolution akin to the Arab Spring. It’s
tomfoolery to pin our last iota of hope on the much-vaunted 2018 elections. The
euphoria for 2018 will translate into disappointment to most people
anticipating Zanu pf defeat. Currently there is very little political room to
manoeuvre and therefore an urgent need to think out of the box.
Desperate
situations call for novel measures. Just like how Zanu pf hired Nikuv and ilk,
concerned stakeholders must take the cue and hire consultants to set up a
virtual e-government warming the seat for the NTA post 2018 disappointment. There
are people like Strive Masiyiwa and Arthur Mutambara who can render assistance
in the establishment of a virtual e-government. There are Zimbabweans in the
diaspora who need to be enticed to invest their knowledge, skills, time, effort
or expertise in order to change the
status quo the way Jews trooped back to Israel. Now Israel is a formidable
state in the Middle East . Most urban councils are under the MDC so
experimenting the concept must not be much of a challenge. Whether 2018
elections are won by the opposition or not, a shadow e-government will provide
a soft landing to long-suffering Zimbabweans. This concept is worth trying.
There is nothing to lose in implementing it but everything to lose in
complacency and procrastination.
