The Zhuwao Brief: When it’s Zanu-PF vs Zanu-PF

10 May, 2015 - 00:05 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

It is totally unacceptable that a true leader will refuse to accept defeat in an electoral process one would have voluntarily subscribed to.

I am angry and upset that the Zhuwao Brief has been forced to divert from the economic slant of the series on “Dialogues for an Empowered Society and Growing Economy” to address the infantile squabbles that relate to the Zanu-PF candidature in the Harare East by-election.

After Tendai Biti was so generous to offer Zanu-PF a chance, not only in Harare but in 20 other constituencies, to increase its parliamentary majority, the Zanu-PF leadership is looking the gift horse in the mouth.

What utter rubbish!

All of this nonsense is occurring in the week that an Afrobarometer-Mass Public Opinion Institute survey indicated that the people of Zimbabwe have more confidence in President Mugabe than in any other politician or opposition political formations.

Several opposition writers have accepted President Mugabe’s popularity as well as acknowledging that opposition political parties and leaders are clueless.

This survey is not the only one to confirm the popularity of President Mugabe.

In 2013, Freedom House published results of a survey indicating President Mugabe would win that year’s election.

The Freedom House survey was supported by Professor Susan Booysen (I am not biased by the fact the she was my lecturer for the Power, Politics and Policy course at the Wits School of Governance!).

All of this was crowned by President Mugabe winning the Presidential election overwhelmingly in July 2013.

Despite this, some in Zanu-PF’s leadership choose to undermine President Mugabe and the victories he has scored for the party and country at large.

This behaviour is both base and perfidious.

It is incredulous that Zanu-PF will send two candidates to contest one seat. Nonsense!

Does Zanu-PF not have rules and regulations governing selection of candidates? Who constitutes Zanu-PF — the members or the leadership? What is so special about being an MP that some aspiring candidates refuse to accept defeat in primaries?

Did the Zanu-PF leadership not learn any lessons from similar debacles with Honourable Samkange and Honourable Kereke?

However, before addressing the issues raised above, I must admit to being close to the two leaders who are reported to be the protagonists in this matter.

I enjoy a very cordial relationship with Honourable Chombo who has been my mentor and big brother since my entry into active politics 20 years ago. And Honourable Kasukuwere is not just a colleague but also a friend.

Nonetheless, my relationship with them does not preclude me from being forthright and honest.

The ventilation of my perspective will therefore apply to all and every leader who is below these two leaders in terms of the Zanu-PF structure.

I will repeat that my main charge against the Zanu-PF leadership that has precipitated this unfortunate episode in Harare East is simple: you are undermining the President’s popularity.

Stop it!

Zanu-PF has rules and regulations governing selection of candidates for all elections. These rules include submission of potential candidates to the general membership in primary elections that are required to yield one winner.

The mere process of participating in such a primary election enjoins all participants to respect the outcome of such a process.

Participants of primary elections include the candidates as well as the leadership that prepares and conducts the polls.

It is disingenuous, amoral and hypocritical to engage in such an unscrupulous perfidy as rejecting the outcome of an electoral process that one participates in. A principled leader does not wait for the outcome of an electoral process to challenge the participants.

But more importantly, Zanu-PF is the membership. The members’ decisions need to be recognised and accepted.

Leaders are merely custodians of the party for and on behalf of the members.

The hallmark of poor leadership is a dogged and pig-headed negation of the wishes of the membership.

It is the membership that elects leaders. To disavow the electoral decision of the same membership is to reject one’s own position in leadership as elected by that membership.

It is totally unacceptable that a true leader will refuse to accept defeat in an electoral process one would have voluntarily subscribed to.

A democrat and a revolutionary cadre is required to rally supporters behind the winning candidate once the selection process has been concluded via primaries.

The refusal to accept the will of the people, as demonstrated by their vote, is indicative of a selfishness that places one’s desires above the collective good.

I, for one, accepted defeat in the 2013 primary elections.

Is Harare East cursed to persistently have losing primary election candidates taking the nomination ahead of those selected by the people?

This happened previously here when a character with the nickname of Dzuraman surreptitiously submitted his nomination papers ahead of the candidate who had won the primary elections. Did the nickname Dzuraman reflect a less than honest reputation bordering on corruption? Please, let us spare the people of Harare East.

Zanu-PF has traversed this route of fielding two candidates before.

In the 2013 elections, Bikita West and Mudzi South elected Honourable Kereke and Honourable Samkange, respectively.

In both cases, the candidates that lost primary elections were supported by some senior leaders despite the wishes of the constituents in those areas. Both MPs were denied the privilege of being Zanu-PF members for a short while.

The irony of it all is Zanu-PF readmitted both Honourable Kereke and Honourable Samkange into the party a few months ago.

That indicated realisation by the leadership that the wishes of the people in those constituencies were being subjugated to the succession whims of the Gamatox cabal.

It should not be lost on those concerned that such duplicitous negation of democracy did not yield the succession aspirations of that Gamatox cabal. In fact, the Gamatox cabal has been relegated to the rubbish bin of political oblivion, never to rise again.

It has also been observed that there is a tendency to attempt to intimidate those Zanu-PF members who don’t subscribe to certain views of some party leaders.

Some young people, under the cover of pseudonyms, are pouring vitriol on those that are suspected of having differing ideas. Labels are also being attached to those suspected of not conforming to some dubious agenda.

What is even more disconcerting has been the use of the opposition media by some of the leadership in ZanuPF in puerile efforts to set these agendas.

This is most unfortunate in that the First Lady is now being abused with some sections of the opposition media seeking to create misleading headlines.

It becomes problematic when Zanu-PF leaders have lunches with editors of opposition papers and show them internal party communications.

It is the same opposition media that has abandoned the MDC formations, and realised that the Gamatox cabal can never dislodge President Mugabe.

Dalliances with such opposition media are awkward in that the opposition media seeks to replace President Mugabe. Why sup with the devil?

These incidents of agenda setting in the opposition media are reminiscent of the tactics employed by the Gamatox cabal.

Such tactics did not work for Gamatox. They will not work for anyone else.

The Zhuwao Brief wishes to conclude by reminding all Zanu-PF leaders that they survive on President Mugabe’s popularity.

It is President Robert Mugabe that the people of Zimbabwe have confidence in. That is why Congress resolved to institutionalise one centre of power within the President and First Secretary.

The confusion that is manifesting itself in Harare East constituency undermines President Mugabe’s sterling work and sullies Zan-PF.

Stop it. Icho!

Patrick Zhuwao is chair of Zhuwao Institute, an economics, development and research think tank focused on integrating socio-political dimensions into business and economic decision-making, particularly strategic planning. He can be reached at [email protected]

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds