“I love [my country] more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticise her perpetually”.
Watching Zanu PF province after province declare their desire that President Mnangagwa should be in office in 2030, one is left wondering: what should a genuine supporter of the party and the President do?
The question is relevant because of three reasons. First, as per the current Constitution of Zimbabwe, the President is not allowed to serve more than two terms and his current, the second and last such term, ends in August 2028. Second, while the constitution permits an amendment to extend term limits, it says that the person who is President when such an amendment is done cannot benefit from the amendment. Third, because he, the President, on the two occasions that he has addressed the issue publicly, has made clear that this is his last term.
So, how does one react to the dominos of province after province saying No, 2030 he will be in office? To say he can’t, risks attacks from the lunatic fringe, with words like “G40” easily directed at one without any thought of what they mean: sometimes by erstwhile G40s themselves!
To ululate and support this slogan or campaign or rave or whatever this is, is to set aside the law and the stated position of the President himself.
And yet, it is easy for one to be both principled and loyal: respect the law.
It is only by being faithful to the law that we can achieve the President’s stated goal of Vision 2030: a middle income country by that time. You do not achieve economic progress on this planet without following a set of rules to guide your journey, chopping and changing them on a whim has not yet been proved to be a harbinger of success.
And while we are busy pointing fingers at each other and calling each each G40s, the man seems to be working hard on the task. Yes, we are fixing roads in Harare because of the SADC conference but so what? When the SADC conference is gone, will those roads go away with the delegates, or will we still have them? Yes, we are arresting some corrupt criminals because they went public about other criminals but, at least we are finally arresting some criminals, right?
So, is the best party supporter the one who thinks that we must be judged on the basis of a slogan or on supporting actual work being done? I think not. I think a true supporter of both party and President must remain principled and true: when wrong is happening it must be pointed out.
It was James Baldwin that once said: I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticise her perpetually”. What was true for him vis-a-vis America is true for every Zimbabwean who stands up and says “this here is wrong”.
Those in government, those who control the State’s legitimate use of force, would do the country and the President they claim to support a great service if they but paid heed to this truth. Because the voice of he that wails in the wilderness exhorting everyone to do better is not a voice of hate, but of indomitable affinity for the country.
Not everyone that says we must not be jailing mothers with babies on their backs hates our country. Not everyone who thinks that the Constitution gives them the right to demonstrate during the SADC summit about “stolen elections” is an enemy: they could be wrong about a stolen election yes but the Constitution really does give them the right to demonstrate still. Pulling people out of airplanes and then bringing them to court (within the lawful period of time) looking disheveled and visibly injured is not law and order, it is just barbarism and wrong. Our country deserves better, and it starts with all of us agreeing that wrong is wrong.
When we try too hard to show that we are right, we risk proving the other person’s argument. In the movie Kung Fu Panda, there is a line of great wisdom: one often finds their destiny on the road they take to avoid it.
After all, as the President himself has said, the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Advocate Tinomudaishe Chinyoka
While i agree with you on some aspects, what if the “2030” slogan was invented by ED himself. I mean if one reads correct the political events in Zimbabwe, its very obvious that this was a planned script right from recalls by Chabangu. For ED to publicly announce that he will resign in 2028 was just formality to the international eye. If ED really wants to stick to constitutionalism, why don’t he denounce this crazy 2030 thing?? Why don’t he publicly denounce abductions, torture and wrongful arrests? Infact he was filmed threatening citizens “Tokusvasvangai” as if we are his kids.A fish rots from the head. ED is the major problem here.