9 October 2007
Posted to the web 9 October 2007

Reason Wafawarova

Since the historic passing of Constitutional Amendment Bill (No. 18) through the unanimous show of purpose by legislators across the divide in both Houses of Parliament, there has been a gaudy show of political muscle by some people whose political acumen and clout can only be described as delusional.

The loud-mouthed rabble-rousing Zimbabwean civil society groups have been dutifully barking with the courage of a puppy taking exception to the movement of a passer-by from the safety of a security fence.

Many of them have sharpened their heads in joining Lovemore Madhuku of the NCA circus as he has bestowed upon himself the role of leading the "MDC Yatengesa" chorus.

Fly-by-night article writers have been joined by a class of semi-illiterate political analysts in either attacking or defending the opposition's stance to join hands with the ruling party in passing Amendment (No. 18).

The emerging question after the passing of the Amendment seems to be a toss of whether or not the MDCs have engaged in a meritorious or treacherous act?

It would appear like many of those who are right on the ground in Zimbabwe are more than happy to join hands with the politicians who passed the legislation purely on the basis of a spirit of finding a lasting solution to the challenges bedevilling the country at the moment.

While the western sponsored civil society is clearly irate and baying for blood from a marooned position where they have apparently been overtaken by events, the western community itself is gasping for air as they have been mesmerised to hypnotism standards by the same events.

They are dumfounded by the recent developments and the mood of their media mouthpieces is all gloomy, hypochondriac and melancholic.

The western imperialist agents masquerading as members of the diplomatic corps are equally dismayed, as they cannot comprehend what the natives in the MDC leadership are up to.

It is highly unlikely that the promises of an election boycott as an atonement for this "provocative" act to the western diplomats by Morgan Tsvangirai will allay the increasing scepticism in the "regime change" community which styles itself as the "pro-democracy forces"; what with the doomed unity talks between the feuding MDC factions having already sapped whatever hope there was of an MDC victory in any election free and fair indeed or by western standards.

The western ruling elite, as represented by their politicians; themselves the pawns of powerful owners of multinational corporations are the most silenced by Amendment (No.18).

Some Chancellor turned Prime Minister British bloke by the name Gordon Brown does a classical child play posturing by threatening to boycott the EU-Africa summit if President Mugabe attends and Sadc tells the organisers and the world not to bother with preparations for the Summit if Zimbabwe's Mugabe is not invited.

The Western media cannot spin this one for anything and their politicians choose face-saving silent anger for a response.

Now their very own pride, the ever-reliable members of the western political project registered as an opposition political party in Zimbabwe -- does the unthinkable. They join hands with the land grabbing Zanu-PF; that party led by former Marxist guerrillas! And all they can offer for an explanation is some trust in that "dishonest broker" Thabo Mbeki of South Africa!

Talk of hard times for those "regime change" investors. And that "tyrant" Robert Mugabe has the temerity to outflank "Almighty" Bush at the UN General Assembly, placing him right in his "Devil" place, as Chavez would have it put.

And those Arabs, African natives, Latinos and Asians find the "tyrant" so amusing that they keep applauding wildly as Mugabe takes a successful go at the President of the United States!

This is the kind of political tide that sends rightwing think tanks into overdrive. Surely the days of the Non Aligned Movement are not reviving themselves.

One is reminded of the winds of change that swept across Africa in the second half of the 20th century; winds that blew off the yoke of colonial oppression, albeit in name and political power only.

Now the winds seem to threaten the western economic strongholds and principalities. No more western economic hegemony in Venezuela, Cuba, and China. What is more, troublesome Zimbabwe passes another piece of legislation declaring majority ownership of business by natives! One western so-called pro-democracy group has described the MDC move to help pass Amendment (No. 18) as "dangerous" while the BBC thinks the move is controversial

Yet what they do not admit is that the Bill would have passed with or without MDC support.

Zimbabweans themselves have seen a new supporter split in the MDC as the home-based supporters largely stand by the position taken by the MDC parliamentarians while the foreign based cyber supporters are largely infuriated and spewing their anger on the Internet with childish impotence.

Some of them have derided and denigrated the MDC leadership in a manner ten times worse than they have been doing in their eight-year vilification of President Mugabe and the Government.

The question is what is so important about the Constitutional Amendment in question that it has created so much commotion and confusion?

In content this new piece of legislation deals with the proposed new composition of both the Lower and Upper House by way of expanding both.

It also deals with the creation of new constituencies, smaller and subsequently more than the current 150 seats. It also shortens the presidential term of office from six years to five years, in line with the terms for Parliamentarians and Senators.

It also proposes the appointment of a president by Parliament in the event an incumbent is incapacitated, resigning or dying, all to the extent of the completion of the term of office in question.

It proposes harmonised elections for local government, parliamentary, senate and presidential elections, all in one day. Lastly, it proposes changes to the duties of the Electoral Commission as it also abolishes the Delimitation Commission.

Without meriting the politicised argument that Amendment (No. 18) empowers President Mugabe to appoint a successor the legislation does not give an impression of anything near controversy or treacherous politics.

If the Amendment had been passed in Uganda, Kenya or Malaysia no single foreign paper would even picked up the story for their last corner on the last news page.

But this is Zimbabwe where stakes are high. This is Zimbabwe where "property rights" need to be restored to their pre-2000 status, all for the benefit of English European settlers "whose" land was grabbed for the natives.

The MDC sin lies in the fact that they have endorsed a Bill that paves way for a democratic transition into the future leadership of the country at a time they are too weak to win any democratic election.

In their (MDC) moment of weakness, the depressed economy has played opposition to Zanu-PF and the feuding "lunatics" only turn around to help Zanu-PF end the crisis. This is the "madness" the western diplomats wanted Tsvangirai to explain.

While the western worries and frustrations can be understood in the context of their diminishing chances of ever controlling the economic resources of Zimbabwe through the planting of a pliant stooge regime, the rants from Madhuku are a song from a totally different hymnbook.

Madhuku has personal aspirations in his motivation for a new constitution, aspirations driven not only by the desire to make legal history as the brains behind such a long lasting document but also to create an environment that disregards criminal records for presidential aspirants, something of personal effect on him right now in as far as the current Madhuku-hated Constitution is concerned.

Away from the issues of history making and personal ambitions, Madhuku seems to have sanctimoniously perfected the art of swindling donors for a living.

He clearly is a master at setting his opponents against the donor community while provoking the same opponents into "persecuting" him all for the cause and goal of media attention and nothing else.

Madhuku is a master con man now so specialised in staging persecution that even the CIA can learn one or two things about manipulation from this Zimbabwean ex-convict. Now this bunch of MDC parliamentarians seems to have carelessly trampled their 41 pairs of feet right on Madhuku's gold mine. As far as he is concerned Constitutional matters are his domain and source of living and how dare the MDC engages in this "treacherous act".

The MDC has always carried the trademark of treachery as a western sponsored and directed party and they have done next to nothing to refute this position, and have vainly tried to present Tsvangirai's silence on this matter as a gesture of reticence.

This of course has failed to make any sense because, other than his silence on this issue of treachery Tsvangirai has a notorious tendency of empty mouthing.

Notwithstanding the MDC implicit admission of guilty by silence, they have this time taken great exception to Madhuku calling them traitors.

They have responded in numbers and across the factional divide and they have assured the nation that it is Madhuku who does not know what he is talking about and they know what they are doing.

They have even surprised all and sundry, this writer included, by saying they are seeking a solution to the country's problems.

It's like the medicine-wielding witch walking into the hut where her victim is lying in pain and saying that she will treat the ailment because she has realised the folly of killing for self-interest.

Obviously, the witch will take great exception if anyone dared accuse her of actually bringing more poison or if any of her ghosts and goblins were to complain that the witch was selling out by depriving them of an imminent meal.

If the MDC indeed betrayed, if they have sold out, then it is very difficult to figure out how they have betrayed or sold out on Zimbabweans.

The spirit and content of Amendment (No. 18) carries no threats to Zimbabwean livelihood even by the wildest stretch of imagination.

It removes the tax burden on elections, it shortens terms of office, it widens representation, it promises more efficiency in the running of the country and it gives Parliament more powers.

In that context, the Amendment itself cannot be treacherous. If it is not treacherous, then one wonders how those who passed it can be accused of treachery.

Surely, it cannot be a case of saying those in the opposition should oppose the ruling party for the sake of it -- playing politics for the sake of politics, as Professor Welshman Ncube would put it.

Anyway the MDC has not taken Madhuku's attacks kindly and they seem quite shaken by the effect of the attacks on the western community as represented by its ruling elite. Now the Diaspora Zimbabwean community has chipped in by blaming the MDC and its leadership with the energy as that of steroids. Of course, the majority of those in the Diaspora, particularly those in the UK; are direct beneficiaries of the economic problems in Zimbabwe, something they have misrepresented as political persecution for purposes of gaining the right to stay.

The last thing these con asylum seekers will ever want to hear is the recovery of Zimbabwe's economy.

Some have even publicly declared that they will kill themselves if that were to happen.

They cannot imagine being told to go back to Zimbabwe leaving the "comfort" of the nursing homes where they spend most of their time entertaining British grannies by telling them all manner of lies about the Zimbabwe situation when they are not playing slavery with the bottoms and vomit of the same senior citizens.

The MDC has tried to negotiate its course through the Sadc initiative - they are trying to mutate into a responsible political party. This seems to be the only viable route given the recent signs of isolation of the MDC by the African regional groupings including the AU itself.

That is good news to all Africans worthy the name and for the first time the MDC find themselves receiving compliments and support from angles that have traditionally shunned or criticised them.

While at this, they find half their traditional allies crying foul and loudly singing the "MDC Yatengesa" chorus with Madhuku.

They have trampled on the interests of fake asylum seekers, on Madhuku's gold mine as is found in gullible western donors and there is no assurance for the Western ruling elite that the dialogue between Zanu-PF and the MDC will help the cause of their imperialist interests.

It is time for the MDC to proceed with the dialogue in the spirit of nation building as opposed to politics of appeasement.

It is now incumbent upon both Zanu-PF and the MDC to focus on respecting the goodwill of our friends in Sadc by ensuring that this facilitated dialogue results in success as measured by a turnaround of the economy as well as peaceful co-existence between the governing party and the opposition.

After all, Madhuku is a self-elected advocate and those who passed the Amendment are indeed the elected representatives of Zimbabweans.

The con asylum seekers are, on the other hand, self-exiled Zimbabweans with no moral right to determine the fate of those who bear the brunt of the economic situation back home.

They are best advised to manufacture new lies or start marrying whatever can earn them the right to stay in their newly found "heavens".

This writer wishes well the team of four on whose shoulders the MDC and Zanu-PF have placed the task of negotiating the way forward for Zimbabwe.

The beginning has been commendable and we stand hoping for an equally commendable ending.

This writer urges the comrades in the MDC to ignore the selfish shouting voices and be driven by the national interest.

Equally those in Zanu-PF are urged to ignore those who also think that the ruling party is selling out by doing dialogue with puppets.

If these guys are or have been puppets, the fact still remains that they have been Zimbabwean puppets and in that vain they remain Zimbabwean before they excel or err.

No one can ever take away the right to Zimbabweanhood from any other person whose umbilical cord is buried in Zimbabwe.

Let those whose interests are divorced from Zimbabwe's national interest as defined by the aspirations and will of its people be reminded that there is no victory in sight.

This writer has no doubt that Zimbabweans will not allow aversive forces from outside to have their way into the heritage of our country, not this writer at least. Let us unite in our diversity of opinion, beliefs and affiliations.

That is the Zimbabwe we want. That way we will prosper.