Zimbabwe: talking with one voice

Zimbabwe: talking with one voice

By Tendeukai Bongozozo

ELECTIONS have come and gone. Whether they were stolen or not the result still stands: ZANU PF is the ruling party. NCA called for a boycott, ZINASU did the same, but the rabble wanted MDC to participate.

We meet again in the background of a shrinking democratic space. Every voice of resistance is being strangulated. When it was MDC under siege others were smiling, now that the sword is on them they are crying out loudly forgetting that only yesterday it was them who were reluctant to fight the smaller devil that was insidiously developing fangs. Everyone is now running to everyone in search of solace. This is a lesson to us all-this is a war on everyone thus everyone has to be involved!!

"The reason why we have failed is simple -- we have been fighting sporadic uncoordinated battles with no will to amalgamate our forces"

TENDEUKAI BONGOZOZO

The reason why we have failed is simple -- we have been fighting sporadic uncoordinated battles with no will to amalgamate our forces. We spent more time seated behind closed curtains articulating problems that were obvious to all and sundry. We have been taking a bourgeois’s approach towards the struggle. We have co-modified the struggle at the expense of our vision to realise a democratic Zimbabwe!

Why I call these sporadic is because we have limited our objectives and sought to pursue these without turning our heads towards other pressing and equally important issues. NCA has blended itself as a force for a people-driven constitution, ZINASU has limited itself to representing the interests of students and students alone whilst MDC wants to get into power and probably seek to make reforms from there. There are clashes of ideologies between forces whose main goal at the end of it all is the same -- to restore democracy in Zimbabwe.

Crisis in Zimbabwe coalition is shouting for democratic space, NCA is shouting for democratic space, WOZA is shouting for the same space, so is ZINASU and ZCTU. The question is why these organisations need democratic space. If Mugabe lifts all those repressive laws and allows NCA to consult freely, ZINASU and ZCTU to address students and workers respectively without fear or victimisation what will be next? Does it mean that NCA is just a pressure group pursuing a democratic constitution only, does it mean that ZINASU is only interested in issues pertaining to student affairs only. If given the space what will we do with it?

This is where we need to come clear; Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, NCA, ZINASU, ZCTU and other organisations are representative pressure groups. In their objectives they do not seek to rule this country nor to take part in the political governance of this country but to help in the democratic transformation, which would allow them to function more effectively and increase their relevance. MDC is a political party and not a pressure group.

The difference between these organisations and MDC is that they are pro-democratic forces in pursuit of isolated agendas with the ultimate hope of helping in the realisation of a better democracy in Zimbabwe whilst MDC is an instrument of implementation wanting democratic space to enable it to participate in the political governance of this country hopefully to attribute its existence to the will of the people. The point here is that MDC needs ZINASU but ZINASU will need MDC at least as a government for its continued existence and significance. What it implies is that out of the vision to perpetuate the legacy of students` rights ZINASU should not only sympathise with MDC but also support it especially in this critical time. The same applies to other organisations.

It does not help to pursue impulsive struggles for the sake of putting our names or the names of our organisations in the limelight. The nerve shown by Dr Madhuku to me is recklessness and a futile attempt to sustain relevance. What Madhuku should realise is that he can never push for a democratic constitution by himself alone. He needs the support of the people. In actual fact we as intellectuals support the idea but the constitution might mean nothing to a starving peasant down in Murombedzi. We respect Madhuku for showing us that this despotic system can be challenged but NCA now needs to broaden its activities and seek to orient everyone on the need and importance of a democratic constitution but more importantly a democratic government. That this can be achieved by primarily pushing for the current government to adopt a new people-driven constitution or by bringing a people’s government into power. This applies for all other organisations.

MDC on its part should also mature and act responsibly, wisely and sensibly. It is a blessing in disguise that it failed to take power within five years of its formation otherwise we could be in a deeper quagmire than what we are currently in. It is time they realise that they are a political party and not a pressure group, whose main objective is to rule this country and rule democratically. Upon recalling this, it should then weigh all the possible routes to democracy.

Firstly, not everyone in MDC is interested in change. It is time to sacrifice those who are not willing to sacrifice themselves for the purpose of the struggle. It is time to restructure. To a peasant farmer in Chikombedzi, MDC is an elitist party seeking to represent the interests of the rich only yet this is not correct-at least from the party’s view. There is need for democratic accountability and collective responsibility for all the actions that the party takes. It is not always feasible that everybody be consulted before the party makes a decision but it is very attainable to inform everyone of a decision taken. The party should desist from being an intellectuals` league but bear with the majority of its supporters who might not be at an equal academic footing with some of its leaders. Thus the party should not assume that everybody grasps their arguments at a level similar to theirs. For example, the RESTART PROGRAMME: not more than 10 % know about its existence, its contents or even its significance. What MDC has failed is to bring down for public consumption all those professional jargons, something that ZANU PF has perfected to its advantage.

"The nerve shown by Dr Madhuku to me is recklessness and a futile attempt to sustain relevance"

TENDEUKAI BONGOZOZO

Secondly, discipline is an imperative virtue that should punctuate the perpetual existence of any political party. In as much as we are all part of the party, it does not follow that we have the right to hold the party at ransom simply because we feel something has not been done right. Democracy does not mean the freedom to infringe on other people’s basic rights as individuals. At the end of it all the desires of the party should prevail over the needs and aspirations of individuals. It is politically improvident that someone hires a bunch of youths to harass other party members simply because of the need to consolidate political power and relevance. Morgan Tsvangirai is challenged to bring sanity to the party!

Finally, there is too much idleness at the party. It is not too late for the party to start embarking on a clear, precise and open agenda. If the party is saying the elections were rigged are they going to reclaim the elections? Right now MDC does not have the capacity to call for a nationwide mass action or strike but if they work in earnest.

With all the dedication and sacrifice that this requires very soon MDC would replant the zeal and enthusiasm seen in years gone by. What people should realise is that the party is going through a vital metamorphosis characteristic of all movements serious on taking power -- some chancers have to go while some new and dynamic voices have to be added. The same happened to the Red Army, Mensheviks, PF-ZAPU and even ZANU PF of the pre-independence era. Some people in MDC definitely have to go because they have made a fortune; they have co-modified the struggle. A capitalistic approach to the struggle brings with it mistrust and fear of loss. How can a man with six PRADOs sacrifice himself for the benefit of a puny midget treading the street with nothing to show of it to the world?

The struggle is not yet lost, a man who fights and runs lives to fight another day. A bend on the road is not the end of the road unless of course one fails to negotiate the curve -- LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY!!
Tendeukai Bongozozo is former chairman of the University of Zimbabwe Students Union
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
debate@newzimbabwe.com