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Opinion Martin Stobart
ZIMBABWE’S harmonised elections have come and gone. The losers, as expected, are licking their wounds while the winners are in celebratory mood. That is the nature of politics. And so as a consequence of the elections we now have a whole new team of legislators: councillors, Senators and MPs. Of course some of these legislators are veterans of all these institutions. And, I dare say, rightly so as experience and greenness are blended.
Be that as it may, I would like to make some observations. Expectations are high among the people. Some of these expectations are justified, others are not, for the simple reason that they are too lofty, unrealistic and therefore not only unattainable but also unsustainable even under the most auspicious conditions (this refers to economic development).
I am hearing a lot of talk, or gripe, about non-performing legislators (MPs, Senators and councillors). The truth is that these legislators are the people’s representatives in these institutions; they are the people’s mouthpieces as it were.
However, what I know about their work is that where and when they appear to have failed in implementing developmental programmes it is not always the fault of the councillors or the MP or the Senator. You see, comrades, these legislators do not work alone.
They work with the people in their wards and constituencies. For them to be able to launch and implement developmental programmes they need funds. Therein lies the problem. The money they invest in these programmes does not come from their pockets.
I do not need to tell anyone where the funds come from suffice to say that if the Treasury does not release the needed funds the laid out programmes stall, or simply fail.
There is another twin problem; legislators are not elected exclusively on the basis of what they know. They are sponsored by their parties or organisations and in Zimbabwe’s case, through the party primaries.
Ipso facto, the electorate at large does not really have much say let alone influence as to who goes into the election proper. We still have yet another hurdle to overcome in finding the “right” candidate. Even in Zimbabwe where enrolment at basic education levels stands or stood, on gender parity (114 percent-114 percent) it is rather problematic to find suitable and competent female candidates especially in the rural areas.
According to statistics, the above quoted statistics taper significantly when it comes to secondary and tertiary education levels. And so it is really difficult to find women legislators who will perform, not miracles, but in the furtherance of economic development especially in the fulfillment of Zanu-PF’s policy (and slogan): indigenise, empower, develop and employ.
This policy is so well simplified and yet at the same time captures and encapsulates a broad gamut of development aspects.
These four words are pivotal to development. I just wonder how many Zimbabweans understand and take them seriously.
Therefore, the paucity of suitably enlightened women to draft into these institutions poses a problem for the parties and voters alike. The sending of political organisations of women into these august Houses purely on the basis of gender parity is, strictly and frankly speaking, counter-developmental.
The problem here is historical and therefore should not be treated superficially. I am quite aware that some women, especially the activists, will be offended by my sentiments. I am a development economist. I am giving analysis which I believe can assist Zimbabwean women to attain their goal of gender equity without affecting economic development.
Politicians, the world over, tend to “go with the tide”. Choosing the best candidate is an unwanted luxury. You cannot blame them.
We the electors are there to work with the legislators, to interface with them. We are with them today as we were with them at election time.
Some of us know much better in our diverse spheres of endeavour than the legislators we elected. The legislators themselves should know and accept this inescapable fact. Voters should not bother about the aquiline nose or the snub nose on the face of their legislators, least of all about gender or education.
My ideal MP, Senator or councillor is one who is sufficiently articulate in the House, someone who is with the people on the ground, sourcing ideas and wisdom. I really do not like Senators, MPs and councillors who are mute in the House.
On our part as voters, I am not impressed by persistent gripers who always blame their elected representative for the lack of development in their areas. “Akulalutho olwenzayo.”
As I mentioned above, we work with these representatives. As electors we have an inevitable right to “force” ourselves on them not with blame but with innovative ideas and suggestions. I am also sufficiently aware that a majority of these legislators are not amenable.
Notwithstanding that disposition or attitude on the part of some of them, engagement with him/her is the best thing to do. Two wrongs do not make a right, it has been said.
Zanu-PF won the 31 July harmonised elections on the back of a well articulated development programme. This is not the only reason for the party’s resounding victory. Another reason is a political one. Zanu-PF exhibited exceptional political skill which caught the opposition and the West snoozing.
Whereas in the past the party won a military victory to usher in independence, this time round Zanu-PF won the battle on the political front laying the facts bare for all to see that MDC-T is a front for the West. We saw this quite in HD (high definition: fancy my language, eh!) when the party took all the seats in Matabeleland South.
As I understand it, it was only in Bulawayo province where Zanu-PF failed to capture a single seat.
We should ask ourselves, who is rejecting Zanu-PF in Bulawayo province, and why? In addition to making a clean sweep in Matabeleland South Zanu-PF recouped some losses in Matabeleland North.
Now this serves as a good omen to address the issue in discussion. The win by Zanu-PF in the other provinces of Matabeleland do help us to isolate (not in the literary sense) as well as to diagnose the problem and hence to prescribe a solution.
The need for national unity is paramount. National unity must be insisted upon relentlessly. It goes without saying that unity is a national goal for any nation in the world. It can be said that it’s more important and indispensable than development. For national unity to have effect and work it should not be iconised nor should it revolve around an individual, past or present.
Our political leaders should not allow Bulawayo province to be the epicentre of disunity lest it be transformed into a haunt for fortune seekers.
We saw this in the 2008 election when disaffection against Zanu-PF in the towns and cities was centrifugalised and spread diffusively into the rural areas, hitherto strongholds of Zanu-PF. National unity is not quite the same thing as party unity although it is the bounden duty of a party, especially a ruling party, to strike to consolidate that unity and give it agglutinative ness and coherence.
Online Reporter