The visionless National Vision Document

(Fra Zinasus Weekly Vanguard)

I belong to the school of thought that 'processes must protect the content' . In this regard, I humbly dismiss the pro-ZANU PF national vision document basing on the simple facts that the process of formulating the document was non-inclusive and fundamentally flawed. The people, students, included were not consulted so as the civic society which is basically the ambassador of the world's poor, the voice of the voiceless and the watch-dog of the Government. I am also going to highlight some of the loop holes in the national vision document as I try to outline the tasks of a democratic movement in eroding an authoritarian regime.

First, democratic institutions must resist integration and guard their autonomy zones against the regime. In this case the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference have failed as they are now being used as cannon fodder by Mugabe. It is common knowledge that what is right with Mugabe is wrong with everyone, such as the total and brutal Gukurahundi which left more than 20 000 people dead and many mass graves, Operation Murambatsvina, which left an unprecedented trail of destruction, the beatings of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions leaders, an act which was condemned by all and sundry, Operation Sunrise, which was a clear case of legalized theft by the government among other cases of madness. Criticizing Mugabe is now sacrilegious and terms like freedom of speech has been perverted and criminalized. This church grouping has been swallowed by the vampire regime and it is also alleged that the government edited the final 'visionless' national vision document.

It is also a public secret that Mugabe is illegitimate because he stole the elections of 9-10 June 2000, 30 and 31 March 2002 presidential election and June 2005 general election. The church grouping is now going out of its way to legitimize the illegitimacy. Disputing the legitimacy of authoritarian regime is part of the tasks of any democratic movement trying to erode authoritarianism. Manhanga and his band of sanctimonious followers must know better. How are they going to raise the cost of maintaining a dictatorship when they are now going to bed with the government? How are they going to create a viable democratic movement when they are not working with other pro-democracy movements like Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, National Constitutional Assembly, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, the lawyers for human rights, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, students among others?

It is true that Mugabe is the problem and also part of the solution, it is true that eroding an authoritarian regime must include construction of democracy, it is true that good politicians are the ones who know when to negotiate but the rebel leader of the rebel regime has proven beyond any ghost of doubt that he is not committed to the democratization processes in Zimbabwe. Ask Jonathan Moyo and his Tsholotsho project participants. In the church initiative Mugabe is just buying time. Given this the civic society must go to the people and have the masses on their side.