Sibanda eyes political office

office for whichever party he wishes.
His decision to participate can be viewed within the context of providing Zimbabweans in the Diaspora a role to play in the future of the country.
Much has been said about the role of the Diasporans in Zimbabwe. It is not only in the economic arena, but political and all other areas of life, including politics.
It is within this context that Ezra has chosen to be the future of the country’s political landscape.
It is disingenuous for people to expect remittances or other forms of support from people in the Diaspora while at the same time not allowing them from participating in the development of the country in whichever facet of life.
We haven’t heard a huge backlash when native Zimbabweans send money home or buy properties. Why, then start a huge outcry when a person from the Diaspora chooses to run for political office. One likely explanation is the fear of competition among those in Zimbabwe that also seek to hold those political offices.
Competition for scarce opportunities and resources is natural, but I think people need to manage the competition in a constructive manner for the benefit of the country’s politics and the people that will be ultimately served. A badly managed competition might starve people of the best candidate, divide the society or even cause political violence. These are the vices that we are trying to eliminate. On the other hand, the native Zimbabweans intending to participate in the future of Zimbabwe should come in with clean hands, if they think that they can offer anything better than other candidates.
We acknowledge the polarisation in the last decade and the subsequent decisions Zimbabweans took in dealing with those challenges that arose. Many went abroad under the guise of persecution (while many cases were fake, some were genuine); others embarked on economic sabotage that included calling for economic sanctions against Zimbabwe; others caused violence, in its different forms, while others demonised anyone who was opposed to their political opinions.
Fast forward, the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September 2008 was signed. Imperfect though as it might have been, just as the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979, it provided a political platform from which we could all exploit to cease hostilities and build a more united Zimbabwe.
Many in the Diaspora have refused to recognise this important platform. Rather, they chose to continue the hostilities because to them, a new beginning is only possible with the banishing of Zanu-PF and President Mugabe. This is where the Ezra connection to his political ambitions comes to scrutiny. While we previously agreed that Ezra has the right to participate in the political process of the country, he has to accept that he has responsibilities as a citizen and a person who wants to be a political leader to conduct himself in a manner that befits his status.
Ezra continues to use inflammatory language on SW Radio Africa referring the country to koMgodoyi, just as one example. As a responsible person who needs to run for public office Ezra cannot continue using such language which promotes hatred and disrespect for the country otherwise it indicates the kind of a national leader that he is going to be.
There are unsubstantiated rumours that he has connections with the British MI6 who are, in fact, behind his political ambitions. If these are mere rumours, fine, but if they are true, then Ezra has some soul searching to consider whether he is the right person to build the more united Zimbabwe envisaged by everyone else.
Unsubstantiated rumours say that Ezra is now a naturalised British citizen, in that case he has to prove himself because that makes him ineligible to run for any public office in Zimbabwe. Ezra needs to put forward a policy agenda and not perpetuate the same polarising politics that we have seen used by successive politicians since 2000. His claim that the people of Vungu have pleaded with him to serve them is suspect without Ezra having articulated his policy agenda.
One would be hard pressed to believe that the Vungu people would approach Ezra to help them when he has never articulated what he has to offer? Its either Ezra is not telling the entire truth or simply politicking.
The mere fact that a person comes from the United Kingdom does not mean that they will serve them in a beneficial manner unless our people have been conditioned to believe that people from the UK and other Western countries are inherently rich, abundantly giving or have access to resources which they are so eager to give to the needy. Much as Ezra has rights to participate I suspect Ezra is just trying to exploit his former Radio Two popularity to fulfill his political ambitions.
Otherwise the declaration of Ezra to run for political office should be seen as part of the broader agreement by Zimbabweans that the Zimbabwean Diaspora has a role to play in all facets of life. However, that right does not diminish the responsibilities of the Zimbabweans in the Diaspora towards the country and its people. Those responsibilities will cause the Diasporans to be duly scrutinised to see whether they pass the test to represent the interests of the people and the country.