Mugabe says critics 'playing with fire'

A technocratic challenge for Zimbabwe

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• Poverty bites as Zimbabwe marks self rule

• Mutambara: we can run where others walked

• Tsvangirai: 26 years of chaos and trauma

• On the question of an unfinished revolution

• Nobuhle Nyathi: Matshazi's mind frozen in bad theories

• Your Shouts!: Kwinjeh ridiculed Africans

• Tony Namate: Matshazi's abject Pan-Africanism

• Julius Dewa: Mugabe has scathed African pride

• Matshazi: 'Kwinjeh ridiculed Africans'

• Mugabe's celebratory rant as Zim turns 25

• Zim gone 25 years backwards, says MDC

• Kwinjeh: Happy birthday to an unfinished revolution

• No cheer as Zim turns 24

• Independence war mass graves found

• Mugabe calls on exiles to return

This is a Heroes Acre message from MDC leader, Arthur Mutambara

By Arthur G.O. Mutambara

Introduction

Commemoration of Heroes’ Day is one of the most important annual activities for our country and nation. It is a reminder of our liberation struggle: the revolution that bound worker and peasant, young and old, guerilla and collaborator, and urban and rural folks in the fight for national self-determination.

Moreover, Heroes’ Day serves to remind us of the many that paid the ultimate sacrifice in the fight to free our land from minority rule and colonial oppression.

The Zimbabwean nation should never forget thousands of our compatriots whose remains lie scattered in the mountains, ravines, and valleys of this country and beyond. Today, tomorrow and into eternity, we should acknowledge the gratitude we owe our gallant fighters who lie buried at Freedom Camp, Nyadzonya, Chimoio, Tembwe, and countless other places outside and within our borders, whose blood irrigates the democratic institutions we seek to grow. This country should never make the mistake of losing its future direction by forgetting its history. The importance and historical significance of our war of liberation should never be a subject of debate or equivocation.

Heroes’ Day provides an opportunity for the entire nation of Zimbabwe to reflect on the values that formed the foundations of our national struggle: democracy; liberty; universal suffrage; and socio-economic justice. Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle was founded on the twin principles of full national determination and individual economic and political rights. Heroes’ Day is a time when we should take stock of the progress (or lack thereof) we have made in realizing these values and aspirations. Of necessity we should also pinpoint factors that have impeded the full realization of these principles and reflect on ways and means to reaffirm them.

Embracing Our Heroes: A Revisit

As we remember our national heroes we must expand the framework of analysis beyond the ahistorical and self-serving Zanu PF definitions. We must include other gallant freedom fighters such as Edison Sithole, Ackim Ndlovu, Edgar Tekere, James Chikerema, Ndabaningi Sithole, Nikita Mangena, John Mataure, Lookout Masuku, Dzino Machingura (Wilfred Mhanda), Mukudzei Mudzi, Moffat Hadebe, Crispen Mandizidza, and Henry Hamadziripi. We also need to embrace the unsung heroines of our struggle, such as Sheiba Tavarwisa, Jane Lungile Ngwenya, Catherine Garanewako, Jane Ndlovu, and Doreen Ncube. Women fought shoulder to shoulder with men in both ZIPRA and ZANLA. Where is their history and recognition?

By the way, it was not just Oppar Muchinguri and Joyce Mujuru. There were many female fighters quite senior to these two heroines. We should also acknowledge the role played by ordinary women who provided food, shelter and clothing to the armed guerrillas. Furthermore, let us address the welfare of the families of all freedom fighters, in particular the widows of the heroes we recognize. For example, whatever happened to the widows and families of Nikita Mangena, Josiah Tongogara, Lookout Masuku, and George Silundika? Do we even care? All we do is abuse their husbands’ legacy as we further entrench our misrule and primitive accumulation. Have we considered the welfare of the surviving families of all those who perished at Nyadzonia, Chimoio, Tembwe and Freedom Camp? Of all the land we seized, how much of it went to families of those freedom fighters who actually died during the struggle? Shame on us!

Resolving the Technocratic Challenge

Twenty-six years into independence, the very foundations upon which our liberation struggle rested are under assault. Our vision and aspirations for a free Zimbabwe are now mirages and illusions existing only in the realms of dreams and imagination, but not attainable. Our country is in the middle of an economic meltdown of epic proportions. Starvation, unemployment, deplorable working conditions, unmitigated suffering, and unprecedented hopelessness have become endemic. Basic and essential commodities are either unavailable or unaffordable. Hyper-inflationary conditions in a shrinking economy characterized by school fees, property rates, rentals and agricultural inputs that are beyond reach. The crippling fuel crisis, erratic power supply, destruction of commercial agriculture, food shortages, and lack of housing are devastating the population. Inflation has soared to record levels of 1200%, unemployment is above 85%, while poverty levels are above 90%. There is rampant corruption in both the private and public sectors, accentuated by poor public sector and corporate governance.

These problems constitute a technocratic challenge for Zimbabwe. If a new government was to assume power tomorrow, how will it transform this failed state and collapsed economy into a globally competitive and highly industrialized society? We need a new type of hero. These problems require technical solutions beyond sheer political change. As we seek governance solutions we must also develop technical remedies simultaneously. We need specific answers to address fundamentals of the Zimbabwean economy (inflation, interest rates, exchange rate, investment, trade, manufacturing). This should go beyond the ineffective piecemeal RBZ efforts that address symptoms of the crisis, while violating human and legal rights of Zimbabweans. Through its chaotic land reform program driven by greed, patronage, and political expediency, ZANU(PF) has created more problems than answers in agriculture. How will an alternative government specifically resolve the land revolution challenges (equity and fairness, compensation, security of tenure, productivity, secondary agriculture)? We need clear technical strategies in healthcare (HIV/AIDS), trade and investment, science and technology, education, and industrialization. How are we as Zimbabweans going to embrace globalization, and leverage the global ICT revolution? We need all these answers now.

Some elements of the technocratic solution include crafting a national economic vision & economic strategy, while developing comprehensive & tested blueprints. There is also scope to leveraging global best practice (Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, India, Ireland), in tandem to constructing unique and customized Zimbabwean economic models. There is also need to build economic and technocratic leadership capacity. What do our opposition leaders know about running a country? This question cannot be answered when they are in office, it must be addressed now. We must develop and build personal, institutional and organizational capacity in our political parties. We must also develop performance monitoring & measurement systems for government activities. If you cannot measure it you cannot manage it.

All this work to address the Zimbabwean technocratic challenge must be done BEFORE opposition parties achieve political power.

The Case for a New Value System

Core to the Zimbabwe crisis are issues of governance and legitimacy. Before the technocratic heroes can implement their economic blueprints, these foundational issues must be addressed. Elements of the political and governance solution include a new, people-driven democratic constitution and the general leveling of the political playing field through legal and electoral reforms; leading to internationally supervised, free and fair elections.

However, it is not enough to have a new people driven democratic constitution. How do you ensure that leaders respect that institution? In Zambia they had a good constitution with term limits but Chiluba tried to subvert it and seek a third term. Fortunately he was stopped by the people. The exact same situation obtained in Muluzi’s Malawi and Obasanjo’ Nigeria. How do you ensure that there is a strong belief in, and reverence for the constitution, such that leaders do not even think about changing it for flimsy and personal interest? How do you ensure that leaders respect the rule of law? Why is it that US army generals never even contemplate carrying out a coup detat to assume power, and yet their counterparts in Africa overthrow democracies and institute military regimes? It is not enough to have a good institution such as a people driven democratic constitution. We have to build a new value system that is rooted in the principles and values behind the good institution, cherishes respect for the institution, and is underpinned by the belief that the rule of law, human rights, freedom, and property rights are sacrosanct.

This value system cannot be legislated or imposed. It has to be developed over time through social mobilization, education, and exemplary leadership. Developing this new political culture rooted in values of democracy, non-violence, tolerance, accountability, the rule of law and good governance will take years, but we have to start today. In the US, after Bill Clinton’s two terms he was evidently more popular than Albert Gore and Gorge W. Bush put together. He was only 54 years old and would have definitely made a much better president than any of the contenders. Why is it that the US polity never even considered changing their term limits to allow Clinton to run for a third term? Denying their country the opportunity of 4 more years of the great presidency of Bill Clinton was a small price for the US to pay in order to keep a great constitution that protects society from the excesses of individuals. Good institutions are not free. There is always a price to pay. We should never depend on personalities but rather on institutions. Hence institution building and the respect of those institutions should be key elements of our nation building strategy.

We must also build a national consensus on what constitutes the national interest in Zimbabwe. Once this is established all political stakeholders across the political spectrum should subscribe to, and defend this national interest. In the US, their consensus is build around the US constitution, the American revolution, US strategic & economic interests, and to a lesser extend the US foreign policy objective. What is it that we can agree upon as Zimbabweans?

Beyond Zimbabwe, it is imperative for SADC and the AU to realize that Zimbabwe’s failure is their demise too. Under globalization there is no country that can prosper and stay competitive without effective regional integration. The global survival paradigm is regional economic integration predicated upon regional sovereignty that supersedes national sovereignty. Any economic meltdown in one regional member is catastrophic to the group’s strategic, economic and political interests. As the SADC annual summit convenes in Maseru next week, while we reflect on our liberation heroes, we urge SADC countries to take a vested interest approach to the resolution of the Zimbabwean political and economic crisis. In any case, the liberation struggles in Southern Africa were intertwined. Economies of SADC countries were destroyed because of their support for the struggle in Zimbabwe and SA. Clearly, the history and future of SADC countries are irrevocably linked.

However, when the chips are down, Zimbabweans will be masters of their own destiny. We will liberate ourselves. As we celebrate Heroes’ Day, let us take stock of the gains and failures of the past 26 years. Our decision should be that only a new political dispensation is needed to realize, reinstate, and defend the original ideals of the heroes of our nationalist armed struggle. The situation demands generational intervention. The baton has to be seized from the reluctant old guard by a new crop of freedom fighters and technocrats, who will then pass it on to subsequent generations.

Every generation has its mandate. Ours is resolving the Zimbabwean economic crisis, and the time is now. There are hard choices to be made. There are even more sacrifices to be made. For this fight, heroes and heroines are needed. Selflessness, compassion, hard work, creativity, agenda clarity, singleness and tenacity of purpose are critical as the road that lies ahead is fraught with imponderables. But we shall overcome. Right is mighty. Let us close ranks, put national interest before self-interest, work together, unlock synergies amongst all the democratic forces, and rededicate ourselves to the liberation of our country from the tyranny of Robert Mugabe and ZANU(PF). Together we can resolve the national economic crisis and make Zimbabwe the Singapore of Africa. It is our heroic mission.

Defeat is not on the agenda & Victory is certain.

The Struggle Continues Unabated.

Arthur G.O. Mutambara is one of two rival presidents of the opposition MDC President
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