Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Zimbabwe politics has become stale

Zimbabwe politics has become stale
Petros Gova -- Opinion
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:24:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR -- Many of us Zimbabweans who fought for 'change' wanted the creation of a proper Government in Zimbabwe, whether Zanu PF or MDC, not the 'coalition of the willing' that we have today.

Excuse my skepticism at a time when everybody seems to be rallying behind this inclusive Government, unity Government or whatever else these people want to call it.

The material well-being of the average Zimbabwean has not improved and I am not sure if this inclusive Government is going to deliver for the average person.

Many of us had rallied behind a party of choice and were hoping that our vote would count; but the flagrant disregard by the political actors of our right to choose a ruling party is very troubling and this coalition sets a bad precedent for our nation.

This is the second time we have had political actors form a unity Government. The first one was in 1987 with the merger of Zanu PF and PF Zapu after which we saw the looting of the country's resources by the privileged few. We are now going towards the same scenario where the few that join in enjoy the fruits of their office.

Efforts by the likes of Prof. Welshman Ncube to package this Government as 'inclusive' not a unity Government, should be resisted. This Government is a unity Government -- no more, no less. How do you differentiate the two? A Government is a system, and all elements function together.

Some of us would like to see a Government that delivers for the people. This is not about President Robert Mugabe or Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. We wanted the culture of looting of state resources to end and for the Government to be working for the people.

We do not see any likelihood of that happening with this bloated Government.

The MDC formations campaigned on a lean Government platform; but are now part and parcel of that bloated Government. What happened to their principles?

We thought the negotiations that they were involved in would at least bring the much needed change in Zimbabwe. In the same breath, we expected Zanu PF to learn from its previous mistakes and include a younger, more vibrant leadership which could take the party to other heights.

What we have today is a repetition of 1987, where new players are introduced and the looting continues.

What exactly will the two MDCs do to effect change now that they are part of the Zanu PF ruling elite? Every photograph we see in the media and every speech is about massaging the egos of those that are in the ruling class.

The MDCs have completely gone silent on the cholera epidemic, on the food crisis situation and on the size of the Government -- the principles that endeared them to the people who were seeking change.

Zanu PF has now found renewed energy in the pact with the two MDCs, and has no urgency in reforming a party that otherwise looked like it was on a slippery slope. It has become impervious to the needs and aspirations of the population of Zimbabwe.

This unity, or inclusive Government has given a new impetus and renewed energy to politicians who are beyond retirement age.

We need a new Opposition for Zimbabwe. Politics has simply become stale and uneventful and the House of Assembly has become a place of praise singing and not of holding one accountable to the other.

Who is now accountable to whom, when one Government sits in the Houses of Parliament?

Petros Gova
London, UK

Labels: POLITICS

posted by MrK @ 7:33 AM