The Shutdown Zimbabwe campaign and the hypocrisy of leftist democracy

THE polarised depiction of Zimbabwe’s political environment by anti-establishment forces in their interest to capture power has popularised the naive view that the Government is completely incapable, clueless and unable to govern.

Criticism of the state on constructive and rational terms has never been at the centre of Zimbabwe’s opposition politics. As such, the ruling party like any other sober political body has functioned under watertight power consolidation measures. In the process, constitutionalism has been the benchmark of governance execution initiatives.

This has been proved by how Pastor Evan Mawarire was acquitted by the same State he has lambasted for alleged abuse of power through injustice and corruption. Mawarire’s freedom after trial last week is a clear indication of Zimbabwe’s adherence to principles of democracy. Likewise, in the past opposition leaders like Morgan Tsvangirai have once found themselves in Mawarire’s last week “life and death” situation.

However, principles of Zimbabwean democracy have proved to be just and true to what it means to be a democratic state. Over the years, Zimbabwean courts have made rulings in favour of several opposition politicians whose survival is hinged on selfproclaimed victimisation allegedly caused by the State.

In return this has earned them first preference grant earnings from Western countries to “introduce democracy and foster good governance practices in Africa”. This gimmick has also produced several asylum seekers who make the West their habitat away from the purported iron fisted rule of Zanu-PF.

This opportunistic leftist route has presented Zimbabwe as an unsafe country with automatic guillotining mechanisms to all sources of opposition to the state.

The above account suggests that the country has two contesting forms of democracy; one which attracts funding for opposition political bodies and the second form of democracy is an albatross on the neck of the ruling party as an elected Government which must deliver justice and a conducive environment for all citizens’ active political participation. As such the concept of democracy in Zimbabwe’s context is problematic to comprehend.

To try and simplify this complexity, in this discussion; I argue that democracy is a tool for good governance which draws its existence from normative values of what an ideal state ought to be.

In general terms, democracy can be understood as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a State, typically through elected representatives. Governments conceived through democracy acquire their absolute power through electoral endorsements.

Governments born out of direct or indirect democracy represent the interest of in the electorate within a given tenure of office. Attempts to dethrone governments born out of confirmed democratic principles and endorsements is anarchy and is illegal. Even the slightest insinuations to decapitate the mandate given to a government through the ballot is not acceptable by any State in the world.

This is where the State is justified to exploit force to gain monopoly over uncircumcised contestations of its existence. On the other hand, the bearer of power (the state) expresses exercise of democracy through institutionalising the following; rule of law, freedom of press, respect of human rights and active political processes.

Therefore, democracy should create a twoway political communication system between the state and the citizenry.

In the same manner citizen representative bodies constitute that democracy ecosystem. Democracy as a form of political communication houses contradictions, conflicts of interest and pluralism sustained tolerance of thought diversity. Democracy reinventions In Zimbabwe, the concept of democracy draws its inspiration from the common African anti-colonial experience. The anticolonial experience has been suffocated by coloniality pressures which have led to problematic exertions of less liberating political actions in favour of leftist instigations of democracy.

The mantra of this form of democracy is radically anti-state. The defiance of Zimbabwe’s leftist forces is to fight the ruling to a point of comatose.

As stated in my instalment published in this newspaper on the 3rd of this month I argued that the context of democracy in Zimbabwe has been narrowed to a scheme of demonising the person of President Robert Mugabe and the ruling party, Zanu-PF. This Zimbabwean version of democracy which draws its inspiration from the ghosts of coloniality survives on lambasting the ruling government’s alleged policy challenges and failed public service delivery.

This anti-Zanu-PF democracy survives on effects of Western imposed global-south targeted arm-twisting political-economy models; not to mention the failed state mimicry of colonial principles. Unlike in many African countries, these colonial tendencies no longer have compatible functioning space in Zimbabwe’s advancement towards postcoloniality enshrined in the country’s formal and colloquial political culture. This leftist democracy thrives on retrogressive mechanisms which attempt to assassinate the legitimacy of an elected government. The abortive forces to the legitimacy of a Government by the people for the people since 1980 constitutes a new reinvention of democracy which has lived to attack Zanu-PF for mothering the alleged “Zimbabwean Crisis”. End of an era The “Zimbabwean crisis” has been categorised as political power legitimacy deficits with Zanu-PF solely presented as the antagonist with no traces of a protagonist character in the script produced by the West showcased for the regime change plans. The self-ordained moral prefects of Zimbabwe’s political terrain (now turned theatre of democracy) have made several attempts since the launch of the fast track land reform programme to displace Zanu-PF. Therefore, it is clear that Zimbabwe’s leftist driven democracy was premised on undermining the values of the liberation struggle which were reignited through the land question in 1997. Zanu-PF’s 2013 victory proved that the leftist Zimbabwean invented democracy had died with no optimism for resurrection. This marked a new paradigm defined as the “End of an era” by Brian Raftopolous (2013). Now the end is here The recent unstructured demonstrations against the rule of Zanu-PF lately indicate the “end” of opposition legitimacy to the people of Zimbabwe. However, the new mode of leftist democratic appeal has been facilitated by several individuals and cliques who have substituted the tired horses of leftist manufactured democracy. The symptoms of this collapse of conventional opposition politics has affirmed the legitimacy of Zanu-PF since 2013 election. As such the future of opposition politics is now in the hands of young political mavericks namely Pastor Evan Mawarire — William Gerald Mutumanje masquerading as Acie Lumumba and the Tajumuka group. These have managed to use the social media to express their contradictions to the ruling. It’s undisputable, these emerging young leftists have manipulated social media platforms to communicate their intentions as far as exerting leftist democracy is concerned. However, unlike their predecessors they acknowledge the legitimacy of the Government in power and advocate for policy alterations. Nevertheless — in their castigation of the current political system and governance challenges there are traceable suggestions of regime change. As a result this offers a clear indication of the desperation of the leftist democracy model which has now lost its favour at political party level. Further proof to this view is Tsvangirai’s recent appointment of Elias Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa as MDC-T Vice- Presidents with Thokozani Khuphe emerging as the first Vice-President. This a clear indication of insecurity within MDC-T which at this point is feeling the pressure of the change of the guard as far as opposition framed anti-Mugabe democracy is concerned.

This move comes after Pastor Evan Mawarire proved that the future of opposition politics could be in the hands of an individual as opposition political parties have lost their appeal to the masses.

This is an amazing irony. A registered opposition political party feeling threatened by an ordinary activist? Never mind what these social media activists will achieve, as history has taught us, the ruling party cannot be pushed aside as it has strong roots in the masses. But this is a sign that currently there is a huge cloud of confusion in the opposition’s anti — Mugabe model of democracy. For now — with Pastor Evan Mawarire at the centre of the leftist democracy route it looks like the fight against Zanu-PF is now waged through prayers. Singazi njalo…

Finally, I wish the late Bishop Abel Muzorewa — Reverend Canaan Banana and Ndabaningi Sithole were alive to warn elements like Mawarire to stick to scriptures and tithe collection.

Richard Runyararo Mahomva is an independent academic researcher, Founder of Leaders for Africa Network — LAN. Convener of the Back to Pan-Africanism Conference and the Reading Pan-Africa Symposium (REPS) and can be contacted on rasmkhonto@gmail.com