The practice of using food as a bait to force people to support one’s party is not only dehumanising, but evil.
NewsDay Editorial
Media reports that President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF is using food aid to build political support ahead of general elections in Zimbabwe later this year make sad reading.
It is ironic that a political party that is always claiming to pursue “people-centred” politics is associated with such developments.
No right thinking politician should rejoice over the suffering of fellow citizens, not because of their own liking, but because of a natural disaster such as drought which has affected most parts of the country and has left more than 1,6 million people in need of food aid.
Reports therefore that some Zanu PF officials in the southern region — which is the most affected by drought — are circumventing the normal food distribution channels to enable them to give food aid in the form of maize and rice sourced by Mugabe to people they perceive to be loyal to Zanu PF are not only worrying, but a reflection of the small brains the politicians have.
It is said these officials are demanding to see Zanu PF membership cards before they hand over food parcels.
What such overzealous political nonentities do not realise is that people can buy the Zanu PF membership cards to use them as passports to access the food aid sourced by Mugabe, but this does not equate to votes for the former ruling party. Politics should be an art of persuasion rather than coercion.
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In fact, we regard the use of food aid as a political tool as nauseating as the evil practice of political violence.
Taking advantage of starving people is a dastardly political act that should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
With the trend of hunger likely to continue judging from the projections of low maize harvests, we shudder to imagine to what extent these Lucifers — which is really what they are — will intensify the evil and undemocratic practice of partisan food distribution.
This type of vote buying is indeed undemocratic and needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms.
In fact, those who monitor elections should note such evil practices and include them in their reports on the subsequent conduct of polls following such heinous campaign tactics.
We call upon Mugabe, whose name is being abused by his political lieutenants, to order them to desist from the practice as it has the potential of backfiring and is morally repugnant.
In a normal democracy political parties should compete on policies and not take advantage of situations to manipulate voters.
