Lets pray for Chiwenga WE NEED HIM.
avoid concentration of power at one centre that would surely lead to dictatorship. Tyranny and misrule we witnessed during the Robert Mugabe was enabled by the one centre of power
politics. With Robert no one could balance it from ZANU PF to ZDF to Parliament from 2000 onwards. For he owed nothing to no one while everyone in government ,ZDF or party owed their
position and status to him in one way or the other. He could hire and fire whoever whenever and however. Robert unlimited and absolute one centre of power personal rule couldn’t have been
possible in the 80s when power was separated between the guerrillas who brought the independence and the political elite who had led from the Diaspora. Guerillas had physical
power and the President had political power. Everyone in 1980 government and party felt that they had earned their position through their critical contribution to the struggle , positions were thus nothing but expected spoils of war. It was by the grace of the President that one attained a position but by each individual contribution which couldn’t be ignored. However as time passed
guerrillas lost their physical power as their numbers dwindled with most dying ,some being bought ,many being replaced by born frees in the ZNA .The guerillas capacity to influence power or balance was founded on their threat capability to return to the bush or mobilize masses but as they lost their pillars of power Robert gained power asymmetrically till he attained one
centre of power.
Zimbabwe new dispensation politics has structural similarities with the 80s political structure. As the guerrillas delivered new Zimbabwe ,born free soldiers delivered the new dispensation. In both cases it is the gun that delivered critical change. In all situations the political mechanisms and institutions that existed failed to grant the change that was demanded by the public as the
state was serving the interest of one class. In new dispensation the masses feel that without the November march there would be no dispensation and the soldiers feel without the November
deployment there wouldn’t be both the masses march and Robert resignation. While everyone who gained a position in the post Mugabe government contributed to Bobs removal. Therefore
like in the 80s there is a sense of ownership, entitlement and political justification to attaining a senior government position.
The one centre of power which was destroyed by the coup should remain dead. Though it is ideal to construct a new separation of power mechanism through empowering the legislature but for now it is impossible as high political elites from both ZANU and MDCA wish to keep their MPs on a leash as they hold fast to the section 129 of the constitution which state that “ (1) The seat of
a Member of Parliament becomes vacant …(k) if the Member has ceased to belong to the political party of which he or she was a member when elected to Parliament and the politicalparty concerned, by written notice to the Speaker or the President of the Senate, as the case may be, has declared that the Member has ceased to belong to it;…’’this provision has always been used and abused by both President of ZANU and MDCA to fire members who are critical of the executive. Mugabe used it to fire Mujuru and her sympathizers and Morgan used it to fire Biti and company during their call for leadership renewal ED threteaned to use it and Chamisa used it on Khupe and her disciples .Once fired from a political party ones political career is almost over as proven by the cases of Biti, Mujuru, Ncube ,Khupe Gutu ,Gumbo, Mutasa etc. Therefore as
long the clause exist the Legislature cannot be a balance or a separation of any kind but only a rubber stamp of the president desires.
The civil society is also weak, the opposition does not have the numbers ,political parties are just personal tools of party presidents and the parliament is constitutionally handcuffed when it comes to balance and separation of political power. In all instances rational tools of restraining the executive are ineffective. Therefore only those who delivered political change and offered it
as a gift to politicians can balance and restrain all those with political power. As such the gun shall not lead but balance politics until the fulfillment ofMontesquieu’s dogma.
As history has shown through Mugabe’s reign we cannot rely on the goodwill, intelligence, morality and the good heart of a ruler for good leadership. For these virtues can be lost and be discarded whenever it befits the ruler. Moreover human nature reflects that man are evil and selfish and they seek to maximize gains above others. This human nature and the incapacity of the legislature to balance the powers of the executive makes it necessary for the existence of
Chiwenga to act as a balance power ,an insurance for the masses and a leash for the executive. Chiwenga is the new dispensation Tongogara a man who necessitated Zimbabwe first post colonial transition enabling what both the ruling party and opposition failed to do for decades. Like a post independent Tongogara ,Besides how many believe that Mugabe would have ruled for 37 years if Tongo was alive?Therefore lets pray for Chiwenga we all need him.
malikmpereki@blogspot.com
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