Politicians: Students of the tutor of tyrants’
WRITING in his book, e Prince, political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli submits that for political leaders to engage successfully in the “beastly” struggle for power, they must know the game of the “lion and the fox.”
e lion is defenceless against traps but can easily frighten off wolves.
Conversely, the fox is defenceless against wolves but can ably recognise traps.
To him, opponents should be ruthlessly dealt with because it is better to be feared than to be loved.
However, beastly enough.
He advises princes to be crafty and cunning, keeping their word only when it suits their interests.
Machiavelli argues that to survive and prosper, a ruler must be a skilled “deceiver” or else he will be tricked by the conniving and self-serving figures that surround him.
“To be a successful ruler is to be a skilled liar and in the service of the state, dishonesty becomes a virtue,” writes Machiavelli.
His analysis of political figures and their intentions to acquire, maintain and exercise power is most apt when one examines the array of political conflicts that characterised Zimbabwe’s political landscape throughout 2021.
With the 2023 plebiscite drawing close, political players have been jostling and engaging in incessant dog fights as they seek to position themselves in the leadership matrix.
To outwit, frustrate and paralyse political opponents, political players employed the teachings of Machiavelli, a man often referred to as the tutor of tyrants or the disciple of Satan.
Within and between political conflicts have manifested.
In the ruling Zanu-PF, widening.
e party’s factional wrangling is continuing unabated despite the façade of a party that is a well-oiled machine.
Party members have reportedly taken sides with either President Emmerson Mnangagwa or pitched their tent in another faction associated with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.
e setting up of district structures earlier in the year was marred by violence.
Several district elections suffered stillbirths.
Mnangagwa acknowledged the revolutionary party had relapsed into turmoil, after which he threatened a crackdown against violators of the party’s constitution.
However, his threats have fallen on deaf ears, as dogfights continue to plague the party.
Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Harare, Masvingo, and the Midlands provinces have been flashpoints of intra-party conflicts.
While some analysts have argued that violence is synonymous with politics, infighting threatens peace and security.
“After winning the liberation struggle, Zanu PF failed to put in place post-conflict recovery mechanisms. e party does not know how to handle conflict. It believes that violence is the answer,” said media and conflict resolution researcher Lazarus Sauti.
“Against this backdrop, the party resorts to violence to solve its intra-party issues as well as to deal with citizens. Because of state-party conflation in Zimbabwe, infighting in Zanu PF is narrowing democratic space and this is further threatening peace and security in Zimbabwe,” added Sauti.
Poor governance for its part, to a large extent, goes hand-in-hand with the loss of legitimacy and authority, offering fertile ground for violence and further conflict.
Political analyst Tanaka Mandizvidza said: “Pervasive intra-party conflicts, which have now assumed crisis dimensions, are not given, but have been nurtured by certain structural factors which have shaped the contours of politics in Zimbabwe.”
Infighting within the opposition MDC -T party led by Douglas Mwonzora has also posed a threat to peace and security.
Kudzanai Mashumba, a former okozani Khupe aide was recently manhandled by MDC-T youth leader, Yvonne Musarurwa and several others at a press conference where he claimed he was set to expose mismanagement of funds. power alone is fissures not parties, are
Violent clashes between Zanu-PF and the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC in Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Harare and Mashonaland Central have sent shivers down the spines of many who fear that these confrontations might be a precursor to violent showdowns ahead of the 2023 plebiscite.
e ruling party is targeting five million votes while the MDC Alliance is targeting six million votes.
e tussle for votes has led political actors to employ Machiavellian brute force tactics.
e consequences of such actions on human security are dire.
“Political parties in Zimbabwe need to urgently re-examine and re-engineer their internal and external mechanisms for managing conflicts,” said analyst Jethro Makumbe.
“Although there is no doubt that almost all political parties in the country have processes for internal and external conflict management enshrined in their constitutions, it would appear from existential realities that these institutional frameworks are weak. ey, therefore, need to be reengineered and further strengthened.”
Political parties should consider consolidating the capacities of local branches in the sphere of conflict resolution.
Replacing a centralised approach to inter- and intra-party conflict resolution with a decentralised approach in which local branches play critical roles is key.
e incorporation of non-adversarial conflict management models into party internal and external conflict management menus is important as it inculcates a culture of trust and win-win attitudes at all levels within and outside parties.
Additionally, the judiciary should be reformed for enhanced electoral justice delivery. e setting up of election petition tribunals, with jurisdictions over intraparty conflicts, should be considered, according to analysts.
An efficient judicial sector that can deliver justice speedily will contribute to lessening tensions among disputants within and outside parties, say experts.