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#Mugabe4Political euthanasia

Columnists
According to the Internet dictionary, the medical word “euthanasia” comes from the Greek words eu meaning “good” and thanatos meaning “death”.

According to the Internet dictionary, the medical word “euthanasia” comes from the Greek words eu meaning “good” and thanatos meaning “death”.

Some people call it mercy killing. Others prefer “assisted suicide”, “. . . a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering”.

That exactly is the situation we Zimbabweans find ourselves in — “intractable (persistent, unstoppable) political and economic suffering” by virtue of President Robert Mugabe’s reluctance to abdicate. Our country clings desperately on a political life-support system. All it takes is a courageous nephew, brother-in-law, son, and daughter, Parliament, central committee or politburo member — to pull the plug on Mugabe and we can inter our misery in eternal dignity. Good death. Eu thanatos.

I am not challenging his claim to “popularity” or so-called “resounding electoral mandate”. Political euthanasia has absolutely nothing to do with charisma, popularity or legitimacy.

In fact, the mere reason why someone clings to political power for this long is that his confidantes honestly believe that charisma, popularity or legitimacy is “clinical justification” for “unlimited tenure”. As long as he exhibits visible signs of charismatic, popular or legitimate relevance, it would seem an act of “political inhumanity” to pull the plug. His political “life-support system” still registers a semblance of “political vital organ” activity.

That is exactly why I am arguing for a case of “political mercy killing”, because the man lying on the “governance deathbed” has neither the physical ability nor the mental predisposition to decide. Political “good death” becomes an act of critical urgency to save the country from inevitable bankruptcy, economic mass hysteria and excruciating fiscal pain. No malice intended.

As a democrat, I believe that although Mugabe’s Zanu PF party manipulates all elections, there is still a sizeable yet misdirected chunk of Zimbabweans persuaded by his political deception. It is human nature to sentimentally cling to the past. My problem is that after 35 years at the helm, there is very little he can offer by way of sustainable development alternatives. A country cannot survive governed from a political deathbed, kept alive by a political life-support system. It might matter to his close constituency that “he is still there, clinically alive”, but that is at great cost to the nation in desperate need for presidential value addition rather than mere clinical presence. All we ask for is political good death. Eu thanatos.

I mean we all grow old, and when we do, we assume a profound state of vegetative incapacitation. Once we do, we become a burden to our loved ones, almost to the point of kindergarten nuisance. It is at that point that we can spare the world more trouble by retiring peacefully. For Mugabe, his recent history of tripping over carpets and missing crucial steps on podiums is not by his choice, but by the affliction of old age. Political euthanasia requires a high degree of mercy combined with unprecedented courage by those close to him — like his wife First Lady Grace or his nephews Leo and Youth minister Patrick Zhuwao, perhaps even collective valour of his Cabinet, parliamentary caucus, politburo and central committee — to pull the political plug. The results are far-reaching — a country saved from incremental debilitating poverty, international embarrassment and global ridicule.

Yet I do not see him taking voluntary euthanasia option. For good reason: He still thinks, feels and claims to pack bundles of political exuberance. Actually, the last thing you would want to ask a Mugabe-type political patient is the question: Would you like to volunteer that we switch off your political life-support system?

How predictably resounding the answer would be. “Over my dead body!”

Moreover, it is those around him — his cronies — who benefit most from the “drip” of his extended stay on the political life-support system. Access to government tenders, free farming inputs, indigenised company shares, ministerial and commission appointments, free trips oversees, tax exemptions, presidential scholarships, positions in government company boards, free medical treatment in public hospitals, free electricity and preferential drought relief. In reality, they are all inadvertently linked with Mugabe’s political life-support system. Once he is unplugged, their illicit livelihoods dissipate.

Robert-Mugabe

Why does Mugabe’s nephew, brother-in-law, son, daughter, Parliament, central committee or politburo member not just accept the damning inevitability of old age and resultant senility? A futile attempt at trying to downplay the course of nature.

If their feeble argument is that it is Mugabe himself who opts for political palliative treatment, we are pointing to tumbling over “poorly laid carpets” and missing crucial rostrum steps as empirical evidence that the Old Man is not of ideal predisposition to determine his own state of political fitness. The million dollar question being is: At what stage will Mugabe’s nephew, brother-in-law, son, daughter, Parliament, central committee or politburo member admit that he now is politically, mentally and physically unfit to govern? That is not the responsibility of the electorate.

Some might argue that it is good to outlaw political euthanasia because Mugabe’s nephews, political foes (opposition parties) or his “succession aspirants” have something to gain directly were his political life-support systems switched off. Every good act comes with a risk of collateral damage, but here I consider national, rather than individual, best interests.

Let me reiterate that the political vegetative state of Mugabe demands that his political life support system be unplugged. Continuous prolongation of political living has inadvertently turned into the prolongation of political dying. His cronies should do the nation a favour by relieving the Old Man from the painfully needless slow political death.

l Rejoice Ngwenya writes in his personal capacity.