AT a time Zimbabweans are waiting for the release of the full results from the July 30 elections with bated breath, the nation should reflect on the future that all citizens want.
Editorial
The late release of the poll results may somewhat provoke violence given the anxiety that has gripped the citizens eager to confirm who between the two top contenders President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa scored the much-needed victory giving the green light to chat a new trajectory for the country.
Zimbabwe’s economy has been stagnated due to poor governance by the ruling Zanu PF’s successive regimes since 1980, and citizens believe it is time to pass on the leadership mettle to others.
Clearly, the poor majority whose hopes were shattered are disappointed and anxious that their victory could be stolen by the usual suspects eager to extend the Zanu PF hegemony, even as others rejoice and celebrate, depending on how much votes their preferred parties and candidates would have amassed.
We believe however, that such celebrations are always short-lived and afterwards, as for the next five years, whoever comes into power has a mammoth responsibility to rebuild this fractured nation. No doubt that the nation has been wounded and bleeding for far too long than is unhealthy. Nothing short of a clean bill of health will do.
It is our hope that there would be no chicanery in this election, something that has potential to stoke violence. The new leader, whoever that is, will have to consider a new culture that will help Zimbabwe move out of its economic doldrums –in which the nation has been mired for over three decades. One way of doing this is by drawing skills and brains from the various political parties whose members would have won one of the elections so that the country can enjoy the benefits of their skills and the new ideas they will obviously bring.
It would be terrible to continue with a system in which all the ministers will be drawn from just one political party. This is never healthy for any democracy, and creates redundancy as there would be no cross-pollination of ideas. We need to get beyond petty issues where we are divided along political lines. It is now time to put the interest of the nation and its future before personal and selfish interests.
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This is one way of undoing the deep-seated ‘Mugabeism’ that has continued to influence Mnangagwa’s administration long after former President Robert Mugabe has been deposed. Many Zimbabweans still recall the glimmer of hope they enjoyed following formation of the Government of National Unity that saw both Zanu PF and the MDC formations constituting the government at a time the country was teetering on the brink of collapse.
There would be no harm in adopting that same model of governance going forward, as it allows the nation to utilise the gifted human resource drawn from different political backgrounds and parties but have a lot to offer. What history has shown is that our political system has not done us good, especially the conflation between party and State, and the “new dispensation” that will be born out of this election will provide an opportunity to do things differently, and our prayer is that the political will, will be available for that.
