The Sunday Mail
The Sharp Shooter Vukani Madoda
Prolific theologian Richard Shaull was not far off the mark when he said: “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”
By now the leaders of the waning opposition in Zimbabwe are brutally aware that the logic of the present system of things is to conform with the status quo until such a time that a constitutional opportunity presents itself for them to attempt to enforce change or to change the country’s governing structures.
The perennial failure of their demonstrations from the days of the so-called Final Push exhibits the reality that the electorate is not gullible and not fooled that an unconstitutional demonstration can ever be a tool to eject the governing party.
Protests have broken out in cities across the United States since Donald Trump’s upset victory.
Some have been peaceful, but there has been much violence. A demonstration the other Thursday in Portland escalated into a destructive riot.
But has that changed the election results in the US?
Do the protests mean that Trump will not form the next American government?
Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe have fallen for the same fictitious day-dream that if they protest they will effect regime illegal change.
Since the days of the ill-fated 2002 “Final Push” through to the protests of 2016, including Friday’s attempt to demonstrate against bond notes, the level of success of these efforts is both pitiable and wretched.
Americans who did not go and vote for Hillary Clinton are disgracefully protesting against their own democracy in the hallucinatory hope that Trump will not be sworn in as the 45th president of the US.
People who do not vote are the greatest threat to any democracy. They believe that whistling and engaging in running battles with the police will bring about a transformation of their world.
Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe are being dishonest to their supporters and are not acting dialogically.
They insist on imposing their unconstitutional decisions, calling for a chain of useless demonstrations to the great detriment of the very people who they purport to serve.
They cannot even organise their people, but instead they manipulate them using social media while trying to paint a Utopian picture that any sort of demonstration is the best thing after sliced bread.
Selfishly, they do not liberate, nor are they liberated by their actions as opposition leaders. Instead they oppress and are oppressed by their thoughtless actions.
The opposition in Zimbabwe suffers from a debilitating leadership and identity crisis.
They really do not know what they are struggling for.
Surely, would any fair-minded citizen of this beautiful country find the time, energy and money to protest against the concept of bond notes?
Which citizen in their right mind would wake up, take a bath, smear body oil and tie shoelaces to go to the streets to demonstrate against a concept pending implementation rather than usefully engage in business that feeds their family?
Under such circumstances should one expect positive results from a political action programme which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people, that there were much better activities to engage in last Friday than facing arrested and being roughed up by law enforcement agents?
Certain members of the opposition have become the oppressor in as far as misguiding the few followers they have.
While they make noise to the effect that Zanu-PF is oppressing them, they have effectively become the oppressors through perpetuating bad ideology to their followers.
Theirs is a fundamentally paradoxical role, and has been throughout the history of their unbefitting struggle in which they have perpetuated the suffering of the masses.
Their betrayal continues to manifest itself as they continue to be exploiters of the naïve few who answer thoughtless calls to engage in demonstrations.
This does not surprise us.
After all, these are the same opposition leaders who called for sanctions to be slapped on the very same people whose interests they claim to represent.
There is also a serious streak of selfishness in the call for demonstrations.
Each time opposition leaders feel that they are sinking further into irrelevance and that the donors are tightening their purses, they have to do something big and stupid to get some attention.
They are exploiting their few supporters and putting their freedom at risk by urging them to confront the police in the streets and engage in orgies of looting and violence.
Talk about pure evil!
Now contrast this with Zanu-PF.
Only Zanu PF has the revolutionary background that makes gives it the gravitas to advance issues of real empowerment.
Zanu-PF talks to the people and advocates for their advancement. It does not urge its supporters to put themselves in harm’s way.
A real revolutionary party engages the people in their struggle; it does not induce them to engage in mindless unconstitutional demonstrations and protests.
Dubulaizitha!
