Eating sovereignty and voting for puppies
An article found via Zimbabwe Situation today sums up the vibes I pick up from Zimbabweans everywhere. Titled ‘Villagers walk away as Msika speaks’, it cites irritated villagers as responding to the same old boring Zanu PF rhetoric in this way:
But before Msika could conclude his speech, incensed villagers walked off in protest. They told The Standard they could no longer afford to wait to hear “such lies” when they had to do chores “to fend for our children”.
“These are the same old Zanu PF lies. They shift the blame onto others yet they are responsible for the ruin of this country,” villagers said.
“We don’t eat sovereignty. We know the liberation war history; we do not need to be told that. We want to hear how they are going to mend things if we vote for them again.”
The problem with blaming all the problems in the country on a big fat Western conspiracy is that it strips Zanu PF of campaign options and promises. If their thesis goes that everything that has gone wrong has only gone wrong because the West hates Zanu PF and wants regime change, then what is the solution for the starving unemployed citizen? To vote for Zanu PF again and inevitably (on the grounds of Zanu’s thesis) starve even more?
Why would anyone do that? Loyalty because they think we see them as a bunch of really really really nice guys who don’t deserve what’s happened? Because we owe them because of history? Why on earth do they think we’d starve our children for reasons like that? Because make no mistake about it, we are at starvation stage and have been for a long time now.
Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF baffle me. They have talked themselves into a corner. I wish I could be a fly on the wall and know what goes on in their heads because the position they demand in our society is so incredible and outragous and unsustainable that I can’t actually get my head around it.
Unless they can come up with real solutions for the economy, they are finished. The problem with promising us the mines or ownership of other businesses (or whatever it is they have robbed from Peter to give to Paul today) is we have the experience of the land behind us now: we know that redistribution doesn’t have anything to do with the people; that all benefits go to the elite and the economy falls apart at the seams as a result. There is nothing left to dangle before our noses.
I want to relax, and sit back and enjoy watching Zanu PF learn the lessons of corrupt mismanagement, of lying to its people, of sheer unadulterated arrogance. But unfortunately they are such horrendous accomplished election thieves that I have to keep working working working.
But articles like this one, where villagers show their disgust and walk away, are bright spots in tired days as we lurch drunkenly towards elections.
I have to allow myself one other little belly-laugh from the article. As much as I enjoyed the vision of villagers walking away I almost enjoyed this (surely a typo?) even more. Apparently Msika said:
“Changing of leadership like the way we change our shirts is a luxury we cannot afford . . . Do not vote sellouts, renegades and puppies.”
I don’t know Comrade Msika, I think even puppies could do a better job than Zanu PF!
March 25th, 2008 03:02
Thank you for what you do to keep reminding the rest of the world about the Zimbabwean people’s experience with the miracle of socialism.
I have you on my blog roll and occasionally post something from you. Maybe it will help.
March 25th, 2008 12:17
The saddest thing about Mugabe is the way he lives in a fantasyland now. He blames businesses for putting up prices, while he is printing out a flood of worthless money. He says Zimbabwe is a 100 times better than other African countries, as people starve. Then when asked in an interview why things are so bad he says “Oh it will be better in 2 years”. He lives in hope of some miracle happening.
The miracle will happen when the silly old fool steps down.
March 28th, 2008 22:05
Zimbabweans, all over the world we hope and pray for a miracle. Vote tomorrow for a better and brighter future. Go for it.
March 29th, 2008 12:03
MG
Nothing short of a miracle will help Zimbabwe, if praying helps you, fair enough, but you know that Zimbabwe is ruined thanks to the “miracles” of the mugabe regime. Who is going to restore this ruined land? Will your God sort it out…I dont think so somehow.
March 29th, 2008 15:24
Mugabe should just respect the will of the people and step down for fresh blood. However there’re some principles set by him which shoul NEVER be compromised. These are:
1.THE LAND DISTRIBUTION
This should never be reversed but some policies should be implemented in a new Government to empower the new farmers and also carryout an audit for multiple ownership and corrupt ownership
2.EDUCATION
Before the going down of the economy, our education had always been the best in Africa. there is no doubt about that with literacy way more than 90%. The new government should built the economy buy just simply investing more in Education than spending money in presidential security etc…
3.BLACK EMPOWERMENT
This was a brilliant idea by Gabriel but it was abused by him and his corrupt elite cabinet.
4. AFRO-MORAL VALUES
Lets carry on the legacy Gabriel left to uplift and guard jealously our African heritage,morals and resources from interested parties like the Western countries. We Zimbabweans) should never allow the European countries to define human rights as the expression of a male to have sex with other men!! Then one day they will tell us to sleep with donkeys and dogs and we will abide. Lets have limits to what we devour from the international community. We should find out the interests they have first. We should know why they want Mugabe out. I believe most western countries have the wrong reasons to have Robert out of power.