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Lawson Mabhena-Zimpapers Election Desk
In his talk titled: “There is a new scramble for Africa”, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba – one of Africa’s greatest thinkers – speaks sense to why our erstwhile colonisers are obsessed with our private affairs to the extent of interfering in our politics, military, law, economy, religion, culture and social lives.
He says interference in Africa started with slavery which graduated to colonisation and we are now in a stage “when the Europeans and Americans are in their most diabolical”, neo-colonialism.
Neo-colonialism is simply described as the use of political, economic, cultural or any other influence by a coloniser on a former colony.
We are now in the period of neo-colonialism – which Francis Kwame Nkrumah warned to be worse than colonialism itself – and political interference is the order of the day.
Money, through donor funding and loans from Bretton Woods institutions and other lenders, is the Maxim gun – the weapon of choice.
Our colonisers do not want to leave us alone. They agreed to our independence, but never had any intention of leaving Africa.
And unfortunately, as Africans, we are also in the habit of inviting them back into our lives. We have an insatiable appetite for their endorsement, education, systems and money.
It does not matter where you are in Africa, it always seems as if only an American or European can save us. Hollywood taught us too well.
The late Dr John Henrik Clarke, a leading pan-Africanist historian and intellectual, in his paper ‘Can African People Save Themselves?’ argued: “If African people are to save themselves, they must first know themselves. They must first know where they have been and what they have been, where they are and the significance of what they are . . . “
Dr Clarke was a true optimist. He actually believed that Africans could save themselves. But maybe he was also an idealist.
Recent events in Zimbabwe’s political landscape as the country prepares for harmonised elections breathe life into Dr Clarke’s question: “Can African people save themselves?”
Zanu-PF treasurer-general Cde Patrick Chinamasa ignited this burning question when he wrote a statement condemning “direct interference in Zimbabwe’s electoral political processes”.
“It has come to the notice of the Zanu PF Department of Finance that the United Kingdom, France, Australia, USAID, Sweden, Japan, the US Embassy in Harare, the USA-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the European Union, USA and UK-funded Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Elections Resource Centre (ERC) have announced that they are putting together a donation (of) US$10 million for the training of 12 500 election agents for each of the political parties participating in the forthcoming harmonised elections.
“I wish to make it abundantly clear that such offer of funding is illegal and in direct violation of Section 6 of the Political Parties (Finance Act) Chapter 2:11 which provides that: (1) ‘No political party, member of a political party or candidate shall accept any foreign donation whether directly from a donor or through a third person’.
“Zanu-PF considers the offer of US$10 million to train election agents of whatever political party as not only a direct interference in Zimbabwe’s electoral political processes, but a disguised strategy by the donors to prop up the waning political fortunes of Nelson Chamisa and his CCC party,” Chinamasa wrote.
Anyone who chooses not to see the neo-colonial agenda in this US$10 million donation is either far gone or plain greedy.
Blatant violation of our laws is one thing, but the intention behind the foreign interference is more worrying.
The motive is to train 12 500 election agents for each of the political parties participating in the forthcoming harmonised elections to enhance political participation, but what is the intention?
The intention is to influence the outcome of the elections. Always strive to know both the motive and intention. History has taught us that the motive is usually good, but the intention can be evil. The end of the job versus the end of the person.
Americans are always at loggerheads because elections in America are far from perfect, but here they are fixing our elections before they fix theirs. Rather they want to fix our elections the same way they fix theirs.
Who will these 12 500 election agents be loyal to at the end of the training?
Zanu-PF has every reason to be afraid, they are not necessarily America and Europe’s favourite Zimbabwean child.
In any case, if the Americans and Europeans are so generous as to train our election agents, why not give the US$10 million donation to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)?
ZEC is the only Constitutional body responsible for the management and administration of Zimbabwe’s electoral processes. So, why work directly with political parties?
Foreign interference in Zimbabwe’s electoral processes should not worry Zanu-PF alone.
It should worry all Zimbabweans. We are not independent if we cannot handle our own elections, if our colonisers are still in charge of our elections.
To steal from Dr Clarke, if Zimbabweans are to save themselves, they must first know themselves. We must remember where we have been and what we have been. We must know where we are and the significance of what we are.
There is no free lunch, especially for Africans. The neo-colonial agenda does not allow for such. It does not allow Africans to be more than slaves.
Online Reporter