|
Back to Index
State
of the nation: the Zimbabwe we seek
Arthur Mutambara
May 20, 2007
http://allafrica.com/stories/200705231073.html
THERE is increasing repression
in our country while the economic crisis is deepening. The recent
arrest and brutal physical attacks on lawyers have demonstrated
that this regime has lost any semblance of legitimacy.
The continued
detention of our political activists and leaders, their torture
in cells, the random abductions and killings of ordinary people
have marked the escalation of unprecedented brutality in our country.
At the same
time the economy is going through an unmitigated free fall, towards
4 000% inflation. Prices of basic commodities increase on a daily
basis, while joblessness and starvation are the order of the day.
School fees are not affordable, while the schools do not have enough
books, teachers or equipment. Hospitals are without sufficient medicines,
nurses or doctors. Zimbabwe is burning. We demand change. We do
not want that change tomorrow. Neither do we want it today. We demand
it yesterday.
It is not enough
for Zimbabweans to seek political change without discussing the
content of that revolution. We have seen meaningless democratic
change in Africa. In Zambia, Frederick Chiluba got into power and
he was worse than Kenneth Kaunda, while in Malawi Bakili Muluzi
proved more incompetent than Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
Although both
leaders (Chiluba and Muluzi) were products of democratic change,
they became dictators and wrecked their economies. To crown it all,
they ended up seeking third terms in office and were only stopped
by their people. This is a travesty of justice. It is not the kind
of transformation we seek in our country. Change must have both
form and substance. We must have a national economic vision and
a corresponding strategy to achieve that destination economy. We
have a duty and obligation to construct both technocratic solutions
and capacity to address specific national challenges. We must build
institutions and develop a value system that guarantee and provide
democratic checks and balances, while ensuring economic delivery.
There must be measurement, monitoring and feedback systems for all
economic programmes.
As MDC our vision
of Zimbabwe as the leading democracy in Africa characterised by
people-centred social development and economic growth. Our GDP and
per capita income should be in the top three in Africa. We want
a society where human rights, individual freedoms, property rights,
women's rights, workers' rights and economic rights are cherished
and respected. We want a nation of prosperity, economic opportunities,
affordable high quality public services, social justice, equity,
and gender justice. We want a country of business growth, productive
commercial agriculture, innovative entrepreneurship, creative managers,
and productive workers whose working conditions are decent. We seek
a Zimbabwean economy that leverages science and technology, while
emphasizing manufacturing, export-based investment and a thriving
services industry.
This is the
new mandate, an economic one that seeks to transform Zimbabwe into
a globally competitive and high performance economy. It is not enough
for Zimbabweans to aspire towards economic recovery, stabilisation
and survival. We must thrive to rise up, embark on economic transformation,
and grow into a global economic superstar: the Singapore of Africa!
In 1957 the GDP of Singapore was the same as that of Ghana. Today
the per capita income of Singapore is greater than those of Germany,
France and Britain. This is in spite of the fact that Singapore
is a city-state without much land and natural resources. With our
strength in natural resources, physical infrastructure, and human
capital surely we can do better. What is required is innovative
leadership and strategic thinking
Zimbabwe is
at the crossroads where to advance forward requires nation builders,
visionaries, statesmen and stateswomen; those skilled in the art
of crafting states. Statecraft speaks to the expertise and wisdom
in the effective management of public affairs. We refer here to
leaders in the genre of Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, Mahathir Mohamad
of Malaysia, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana,
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Indira Gandhi of India, Angela
Merkel of Germany, Ernesto Che Guevara in Cuba, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. These
were (are) men and women of immense talent, resolve, vision, and
strategy. More importantly they were (are) masters of the art of
execution and implementation.
Nation builders
are able to unite and mobilize people for a national cause. They
channel national energy and synergy towards the growth and development
of a country. Unfortunately, Robert Mugabe does not belong to this
group of nation builders. Great and significant leaders go beyond
the limited scope of Maslow's hierarchy of needs that ends with
self-actualisation. They thrive to self-transcend, go beyond self
and leave a legacy. Presumably, Mugabe's favourite political text
is that classic by Machiavelli, The Prince, where it is argued that
the prince (leader) must pursue, obtain, and maintain power at any
cost.
However, Machiavelli
also wrote a second book, The Discourses, where it is explained
that the prince (leader) must also care about his legacy and judgment
by history. This means the prince (leader) must be a state crafter.
I guess our learned President has not read this insightful text,
or if he did come across it, he never understood its import. What
a shame.
Zimbabwe must
become a globally competitive economy that rivals such nations like
Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. We need creative dreamers and parallel
thinkers who do not fear globalisation, but rather thrive on chaos
and uncertainty. Only freedom can allow our citizens to attain their
full potential and take our nation forward.
It is the duty
and obligation of every Zimbabwean to free our country from tyranny,
and build a better society. The revolution will not deliver itself.
Every citizen has a role to play. We must all become players. Zimbabwe's
future will be determined by Zimbabweans. External players can assist
and facilitate, but the buck stops with us. We cannot outsource
our emancipation to foreigners. We shall be our own liberators through
active struggle on the ground in the country.
All the progressive
and democratic forces in the country must close ranks in pursuit
of the collective national interest. Let us spurn Zanu PF's divide
and rule tactics. Let us fight together for conditions that will
allow for free and fair elections in our country: a new people driven
democratic constitution, electoral law reform, and the removal of
repressive legislation, such as AIPPA and POSA.
Let us ensure
that every Zimbabwean has the right to vote, including the Diaspora.
Voter registration and voter education are essential for all Zimbabweans.
In this way when conditions for free and fair elections obtain in
our country we will be ready to deliver change.
In any such
elections all opposition parties must close ranks in order to concentrate
on one enemy, Zanu PF. A united front inspired by a single candidate
principle is a categorical imperative in every poll (Presidential,
Parliament, Senate, Council). Every vote must count against Zanu
PF.
While this framework
will energize the generality of our people, it will also have strategic
national appeal to multitudes of progressive Zanu PF members and
supporters. There is absolutely no alternative to working together.
A peaceful, democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe is only possible
through unity of purpose and action.
* Arthur G O
Mutambara is President of the pro-Senate MDC
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
