What is the ideal political party for Zimbabwe?

Sunday News

By Stanford Chiwanga

3 February 2013

Zimbabwe is set to hold elections this year where the majority of citizens are expected to vote into power a political party that they deem to possess the ideal principles to lead the country into an era of sustained development and harmony.

It is a fact that the existence of an ideal political party is a myth, no party can be perfect, but there is many a political party that can be said to be the best thing to perfection. Such a party would have core values that make it the best party in in the land.

 As we get closer and closer to elections it is predictable that each political party contesting the elections will claim to be of the people, for the people and by the people. Finger pointing will begin that this and that party does not have the people at heart. The parties will question each other manifestos and stand on high ground claiming to be the ideal political party. All parties will go out to assert that their policies stem from the core values of the nation. The onus will be on Zimbabweans to discern the truth from fiction.

But which of Zimbabwe’s main political parties can be said to be the nearest thing to an ideal political party?

Is there a political party that recognizes the core values that set Zimbabwe apart from other counties? Is there a party that is aware that as much as Zimbabwe has an entire universe of values, there are other values that are so primary, so important that no matter the direction the country takes- socially, economically and politically- those principles remain?

In a survey by Lets Talk, the data collected revealed that the majority of people, despite their different political inclinations, believe that Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and any party that claims to be for Zimbabweans needs to jealously guard that sovereignty. They also said the ideal party also needs to recognize the role that the liberation struggle played in securing majority rule.

The near-perfect-party would be patriotic and not allow Zimbabwe to a colony or a neo-colony of another country. No matter what stands in its way such a party would not sell Zimbabwe for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver.

An ideal party, to quote the Bible, should “not be quick to shed blood”, but should promote and preserve peace and unity among the different races and tribes that are inhabitants of Zimbabwe. It would respect cultural diversity.

Such a party would be the first to admit that in a country with a population that runs into millions, diverse political leanings are a reality. Instead of trying to silence those with political views that party would allow those dissimilar voices to be heard. In a nutshell such a party believes in democracy.

It would respect freedom of religion and would not suppress freedom of expression. It would respect life and property. In short it would value and promote the respect of human rights.

An ideal party for Zimbabwe would know that homosexuality is not a human right. It would condemn and discourage all sexual deviances. In fact it would make such bizarre behaviours, which are an affront to Zimbabwe’s culture, acts of crime.

Without a shadow of doubt an ideal political party can be said to be one that is concerned about the welfare of it people. It would not only want but would act to indigenise the economy and empower the people of Zimbabwe.

When the [political parties that are in existence in Zimbabwe today were created they convinced themselves and are forever caught in a vicious cycle to convince Zimbabweans that they are the ideal party. Today the questions still remain- what type of issues would be important to these parties and why? What makes each of the parties think that they could serve the interests of Zimbabwe better than the other parties?

Zanu-PF Deputy spokesperson and Governor and Resident Minister of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Cde Cain Mathema believes that the closest thing to the definition of a political party is Zanu-PF.

“An ideal political party had people at heart; it is guided by the will of the majority. It is a unifying party and it suffers when it sees people fighting among themselves. It empowers it s people and ensures that the resources of its country are under the control of the citizenry. It allows democracy to flourish. It believes in the rule of the majority. If a minority rules it goes all out to liberate the majority from the yoke of the few. In short, an ideal political party can be defined as Zanu-PF,” said Cde Mathema.

Mr Edwin Ndlovu the Bulawayo Province MDC spokesperson defines an ideal political party as one that believes in democracy and economic growth.

“The ideal political party that Zimbabwe deserves is the one with democratic principles , the one which promotes peace and brings both political and economic stability, the party that can bring investment to the country. We need a good manager for this country. We do not want a party that ‘teaches history’ but which brings bread and butter to the table,” said Mr Ndlovu.

MDC-T Harare Province spokesperson and Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Mr Obert Gutu said there was no ideal political party anywhere in the world, in his eyes all parties, since they are led by imperfect humans, are flawed.

He said: “In the world of mortals where some of us live, there is nothing like an ideal political party. Human beings are not perfect so I am not going mislead the readers by purporting that we can have a so-called ideal political party. I will not hide the world of escapism and talk about idealism.

“I will only talk about realism. Zimbabwe is a young democratizing nation that is, certainly, in need of modern, democratic and well managed political parties. Thus, an ideal political party should be one that shuns dictatorship, corruption, gerontocracy and greed. This type of party should appreciate and understand the basic norm of dialectical materialism that is, nothing lasts forever and also the old inevitably collapses into the new.”

History ahs proved that most political parties before they get into power promise the electorate miracles. The parties do and say whatever they must to win. When on the campaign trail politicians fool the pwople into thinking that their interest s would be best served by them. The problem is they don’t mean every word they give. When in power many a political party reexamines its policies and throws out people centred policies in favour of measures that protect the interests of the internationalcommunity and foreign investors.

This split personality has, throughout history, fueled the belief that no political party can ever be ideal. Perfectio,n in politics, is a myth. It is no wonder that politics is seen as a dirty game. Polticial parties have a chameleon attitude and they never change.

Cde Mathema is of the standing that Zanu PF is divorced from such political parties that do not fulfill promises made to the electorate. He is convinced that Zanu PF is the only party that is working for the good of Zimbabwe.

“All political parties are formed by a class that is aggrieved by what is happening in their era. The formed political parties serves the interests of the group that formed it or the people it was created to represent. Zanu PF is a party that was formed to liberate the black majority and it did that. It aimed to gain power so that it would achieve the total independence of Zimbabwe. The total independence we refer to covers all aspects of life, socially, economically, and politically. WE have achieved political independence though the imperialists want to colonize us again. Socially we are getting there. Economically the social continues as we indigenize the economy and empower our people.”

“We chose unity over tribalism and civil war. In other words we are the ideal party for Zimbabwe. Compare us with MDC-T; it is a party of the British imperialists while represented in Zimbabwe by the remaining Rhodesians who have put black fronts who masquerade as a democratic political party. The MDC-T is a bourgeoisie party. It is made of sell outs who do not appreciate that Zimbabwe was born of bloodshed. They do not believe that Zimbabweans can build the country on their own. They do not support the land reform programme, the indigenization and empowerment programme.” Said Cde Mathema.

But Mr Ndlovu is adamant that MDC is the ideal party for Zimbabwe. He said that his party, if given the power to govern, would fulfill all the social, political and economical needs of Zimbabwe.

“ The country needs a result orientated party like MDC lead by Professor Welshman Ncube. Our leaders proved themselves in the inclusive government. Minister (David) Coltart, (Priscilla) Mushonga, (Moses) Mzila, and Prof Ncube did wonders in the inclusive government. Before the inclusive government textbooks were with teachers only. But now each and every pupil has a textbook. Coltart also managed to forge a good working relationship with teachers and made them go back to the classrooms.”

“Minister Ncube brought smiles back to the people of KweKwe and Redcliff by looking for investors for Zisco steel although some creatures with evil minds are trying to reserve the deal with ESSAR. Madam Mushonga successfully engaged the Western world and the EU over challenges affecting the country including the removal of sanctions.” Mister Ndlovu said.

Mister Ndlovu added that MDC was “people-centred” party that has no self serving interests.

He said: “Honest people within COPAC would tell you that she fought very hard for women’s seats, devolution of power, and so called minority languages. Minister Mzila was the lone voice in the Ministry of National Healing. Given a bigger mandate by the people we can do more. Even during the formation of this government when others were fighting for security ministries we negotiated for social ministries.”

“Our programmes are people centred as we have been rehabilitating schools across the country. We have a principled leader in Prof Ncube who has never indicated left to turn right. We urge the people of Zimbabwe to vote for us and give us a clean and clear mandate to govern this country as we have able leaders in our party who have proved that they can deliver.”

Mr Gutu said MDC-T is a party that is concerned about the welfare of Zimbabweans and is convinced that only the MDC has the clue of what needs to be done to turn around the fortunes of Zimbabwe,

“The MDC is the present and the future of Zimbabwe politics. We have policies, such as the recently launched Juice, that resonate with the aspirations of the ordinary people. We are a pro-poor labour-based party that clearly understands what has to be done to turn around the political and socio-economic fortunes of the country. Our competitors, mainly Zanu PF has become like the dinosaur or the Dodo of Mauritius; they have dismally failed to evolve and adapt to the demands of the modern political tapestry. I can bet my bottom dollar that ZANU PF will soon collapse into small and insignificant little parties based on factionalism. Mark my words.”

“Zanu PF is a party in terminal decline and inevitably it is heading towards extinction. On the other hand, the MDC lead by Morgan Tsvangirai oozes with youthful dynamism and intellectual vibrancy. This is a party that is not a personality cult. The MDC is a social democratic party that appreciates that everything is in constant change mode. Put simply, the MDC, while appreciating the need to link with our past history, also notes that there is, at all times, the need to engage the future and seek to harmonize it with the people’s aspirations. Zanu PF is archaic club of old men and women who seem to have absolutely no clue as to what the future needs of the nation are. Zanu PF is morbidly trapped and lost in the past. They have absolutely no hope of reinventing themselves so that they can successfully engage the future.” Mr Gutu said.