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Meluleki Moyo
A Ghanaian adage enlightens: “it takes different colours of thread to weave a beautiful kente cloth”. Probably with this in mind and in manifestation of lessons from the former colony, former British parliamentarian, Quintin Hogg once observed that countries cannot be fully free and at peace until they have an organised opposition.
At surface level, a politically alert mind would hasten to note that it takes different shades of opinions and ideologies from organised and vibrant minds to achieve socio-political harmony, added to consolidating a vibrant political system.
Owing to opposition’s inefficiency and failure to beam, Zanu-PF has arguably been the only visible colour in Zimbabwe’s political cloth, much to the boredom of the versatile brains within the ruling party.
They cannot afford to lie idle and unchallenged in some constructive debates. The opposition has failed to demonstrate the capacity to promote responsible, reasonable, let alone, reasoned debate besides screaming one’s opinion at each other, far from political development and maturity.
Added to holding the Government to account, probably for the sins of commission and omission, playing a watchdog role, the opposition has failed to achieve its role which includes serving as credible alternatives to the ruling party, offering competition which is healthy in ensuring better service delivery and preventing complacency by the sitting Government, among other prerogatives.
After all, the opposition’s main role is to question the Government of the day and hold it accountable to the public, challenging it’s policies and producing different policies where appropriate and applicable. In this regard, our opposition has dismally failed, much to the apathy of its handful of followers.
It gets worse in face of some politicians. Idleness is nowhere in their job description. In the dictates of common sense, when there is no one in sight to constructively criticise policies and put them to test, the very same policy makers can be found doing it themselves.
At the biblical sea of reeds, Pharaoh’s highly charged chariots stampeded on each other when the Israelites were no longer on sight. Today, in similar fashion, we hear of the so called G40 and Team Lacoste factions within the ruling party, simply because there is no opposition in sight.
In contrast with Pharaoh’s chariots which drowned, the invisible opposition gives the ruling party the opportunity to internally and undisturbed, try and test its policies as it flexes muscles, cranking gears towards 2018.
The so called voices of the voiceless led by the MDC, that real bull in the kraal of Southern Africa’s political splits, have over the years proved voiceless.
They have proved to be exploitative opportunists who disappear after seasonal defeats, only to appear with a simulacrum of decorations each time we slide towards the ballot. We are now used to their shenanigans anyway.
One such has been our once outspoken robotics Professor, Arthur Mutambara who recently emerged from his political hideout with a biography considered a premature loud-sounding nothing by many. In his relentless and tiresome endevour to bring his political career to fruition and in apparent admission to failure at turning his political dream to reality, the learned fellow, really thinks he has achieved much. He really thinks his so far pathetic political career deserves to be put in black and white? The robotics fellow feels he led and inspired people as he “turned strategic thinking into reality through the speed of execution”. He further believes he “participated and contributed to thought leadership-intellectual influence through innovative and pioneering thinking”. Like seriously?
On the contrary, many people believe Mutambara participated actively in misleadership, and this writer agrees with such views. He is a living testimony on how not to be a leader and policy maker. His failed political career was lived in pain, being equally yoked with like minds in that institution called the Movement for Democratic Change. His hands drip with the MDC appalling split and voter apathy.
In as much as these political bodies should as well provide some training ground for future leaders, our opposition has instead offered training ground for future misleaders, detached from national interests. It gets emotional and incapacitating when you think of young and wasted great minds in the likes of Nelson Chamisa and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
Jesus! How eloquent and articulate they were when they chose politics during the days of their youth, and how they stammer now! Behold, the tragedy of being equally yoked with spent forces during your prime time.
The opposition also has the responsibility to uphold and defend the sovereignty, unity and the national integrity of a nation. Ours has failed dismally in this regard. Added to calling for nationwide strikes which cripple the economy, in his shameless effort to “shut down Zimbabwe”, lest we forget, the father of opposition, Morgan Tsvangirai once begged Pretoria to cut her electricity supplies with Harare.
Real and meaningful opposition should therefore not engage in activities that could undermine the unity and stability of the state. In matters of real national disaster or misfortune, the opposition has a responsibility to join hands with the Government to tackle the misfortune. In the same vain, in moments of national pride and glory, the opposition also has the responsibility to come together with Government to celebrate and show national solidarity.
Yet in gross display of an insatiable hunger and unquenchable thirst for power, the Zimbabwe opposition only joined hands with the government during the global political agreement, obviously for the rich pickings, and how it went silent and temporarily desisted from its penchant of criticizing the ruling party, only to resurface after that serious routing in the 2013 harmonised elections.
The spent forces who dream of ruling Zimbabwe someday have cast a blind eye and shown disregard for national symbols and have on record, failed to show national solidarity. Not so long ago, when the rest of the nation blossomed into celebration, commemorating our independence, in clear demonstration that they do not have the nation at heart, Morgan Tsvangirai, Joice Mujuru and cabal, reportedly snubbed the commemorations.
Leave it at your own peril but the solid fact is, Zimbabwean opposition has proposed nothing and opposed everything. It has offered no meaningful challenge, much to the boredom of the hyperactive politicians in the ruling party.
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