ZANU PF has manufactured a monumental mess-up and they are taking us for idiots.
VINCE MUSEWE
When power is derived from instilling fear, violence and the penury of the oppressed, it inevitably soon becomes a burden too heavy to bear for the oppressor.
In our case, it is clear that the oppressor is failing, but he must, of course, continually refute it and, when deemed necessary, deploy his minions to regurgitate the propaganda that things couldn’t be better because he cannot countenance the truth.
Little does he realise that the truth shall set him free.
That truth is that our beloved country is in crisis and we effectively have a failed State manufactured by the Zanu PF government because of their failure to understand that the problems we face can never be resolved by denying their existence in the first place.
There is no doubt to most of us that despite President Robert Mugabe’s inexorable hold on power, we have a case of chronic leadership failure whose effects are being exacerbated by continuous and deliberate denial of the facts on the ground.
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As I have articulated for many years, the system which Zanu PF has created cannot be sustained simply because it is founded upon lies and the unceasing denial of the fact that Zimbabwe must change now or pay a heavy price for staying the same.
A certain man by the name Simon Khaya Moyo, who supposedly has his wits about him, but has no shame, recently had the audacity to claim that Zanu PF has done well.
This, once again, indicates to us the extent of the putrefaction within Zanu PF.
When those in power cannot accept the truth, how can they be the source of the solutions we seek?
Things are falling apart quickly and we now have an irreversible race to the bottom as long as Mugabe and his coterie of praise singers and charlatans stay in power. That is the truth, whether we like it or not.
If the poverty and degeneration around us is not an indicator of complete failure for Zanu PF, then what is?
If 90% unemployment, widespread poverty and lack of food security for many is success, then I cannot imagine what failure is.
One thing for sure is that Zanu PF has done well to destroy our country and retain political power against all odds.
They have certainly done well to remain in power to this day regardless of the fact that time is quickly rendering them impotent as architects of the new Zimbabwe that we seek. The saddest reality is that the architects of poverty actually think that they have succeeded.
That is a delusion. It is like visiting a mental asylum where those who must remain confined in it because they are mentally disturbed actually see you the visitor as the one who is mentally disturbed.
I have no doubt that this is the beginning of the end of our nightmare.
It is rather pleasing to note that Zimbabweans from all walks of life seem now to be gathering the courage and the necessary scruples to challenge the status quo as they realise that change can only come through their own positive action.
I predict that, sooner rather than later, we shall see more and more courageous individuals coming out and seeking that this government resign and that Mugabe be relieved of his duties. It is the right thing to do.
The solutions to our problems are very simple. We have to focus on economic revival and that requires new significant capital inflows.
Those inflows can only come once we create an attractive business environment both for local and foreign investors.
They will only come when we create a legitimate accountable government that meets its responsibilities to the people and to those we owe money.
This is what Zanu PF is refusing to acknowledge and thinks it can muddle through while hoping for the best. They are dreaming because the chickens always come home to roost.
In my opinion, no amount of reframing the problems we face or leadership change within Zanu PF will change these facts.
What the country needs is a new government, a new paradigm, a new beginning.
In addition to praying for rains to come, I think we should also all pray that God blesses us with a new political leadership this year because without that, we might remain a society that is well fed and yet oppressed and unhappy.
These things we have said again and again.
Countries succeed through good leadership and putting people first at the centre of their development.
One thing must be clear though: We must not and cannot expect things to be changed by Zanu PF.
We, the ordinary Zimbabwean citizens, must be the change that we want to see.
We must all take a good look in the mirror and realise that it is indeed the man or woman in the mirror who must create the future we desire. Nothing else will suffice.
A new Zimbabwe is beckoning and it needs each and every one of us to make it a reality. One thing I am sure of is that change will come, no matter what.
Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on [email protected]
