via ZUNDE on Politics March 18, 2014
This is the second of a three-part series from ZUNDE on Governance, Politics and Rule of Law.
In the first part of the series, we made a commitment that ZUNDE subscribes to the idea that governance is all about the capacity to steer society, the economy and how to reach collective goals, the capacity to make and to implement policy decided upon with the involvement and consent of the people who are being governed.
By definition, politics is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a civic or individual level. It is not about coercion nor “mobocracy” as other players would like us to believe. For ZUNDE, everyone must have the freedom to participate in political activities of their own calling without any fear whatsoever. Politics is about public affairs. It is about acquiring the art of governing, an art that must be taught, leant, understood and applied. At ZUNDE, we strongly believe that politics is a vocation, not a profession. As such, leaders will come and go while values stay. For us, politics is about service, not self-aggrandisement.
Aristotle, the Greek Philosopher, described man as a political animal in the sense that it is only within a political community that human beings can live the good life. From this viewpoint, politics is clearly an ethical activity, far from being the dirty game of political intrigue and fraud that we have seen in Zimbabwe so far. It is not about violence as we often see on the Zimbabwean political landscape, unfortunately on both sides of politics. It should never be about ethnic cleansing as we saw during Gukurahundi. It can’t be about torture as witnessed in 2008. Politics must not be about displacement of vulnerable communities as we saw during Murambatsvina as well as the chaotic land reform program. We value competition, not dynastic or monarchical leadership.
ZUNDE believes in acquiring and improving skills of governing. At ZUNDE, we want to see properly knowledgeable people becoming Ministers of Government, not those whose only attribute to their credit is the capacity to shout the loudest slogans or sing the longest praise for the dear leader. Having a Minister of Finance who cannot run a tuckshop, a Minister of Mines whose only qualification is his close relationship with the president or a Minister of Agriculture who imports grain every season from neighbours much poorer than us, must be a thing of the past. Judges must be men and women accomplished in the fine art of law not those who mastered the art of rigging elections or delivering judgements informed by political correctness.
The public sector needs to have the capacity and capability to be able to deliver the services it is tasked to do. And that does not come because the President assigns you that portfolio. It comes because of a deliberate effort to build that capacity. We want to have the first Faculty of Government and Strategic Studies at our main universities, where our public managers, (not servants), intelligence teams, military strategists are trained in modern skills as a matter of their own choice, not because they have been made to do it. Resources wasted on training ‘Green Bombers’ must be put to much better use.
At ZUNDE, politics is an exercise of control within society through the making and enforcement of collective decisions and people-sourced policies. Politics is associated with inclusive policy that has been properly formulated, thoroughly analysed and effectively implemented. Politics is about knowing how good policies are created, not how they are violated.
It is about compromise and consensus, as a means of solving conflict through conciliation and negotiation, rather than through force or naked power. For this reason politics has been called the art of the possible and we at ZUNDE believe it is possible in Zimbabwe to defeat this ZANU PF dictatorship and respect the will of the people. That will happen in our lifetime. We accept that conflict among social groups is inevitable, that it can be avoided if those in power respect the will of the people. But when that happens, with the power that people have, the conflict can be and should be conciliated.
All we are doing in politics is to try and improve the lives of our people and create a good society. We have seen this happen in the Diaspora communities where at least a quarter of Zimbabweans live. We have contributed significantly to economies around the world. We know we can do it in our Zimbabwe. And for sure we will.
Information & Publicity – ZUNDE
COMMENTS
The Politics of Zimbabwe at this time and point needs a Political party that is able to take on Zanu pf in the Political arena and in the field as well. I for one say that these Zunde articles make interesting reading that is why I comment on them. The only thing that I question is as much as people on this forum will have access to this material and will understand it’s contents will the Masses have the same? I am by no means saying that the masses won’t savvy the message because they are academically challenged. Far from that. I am saying that those that are there at the moment have taken their message to the people and have been beaten and jailed for that in some instances. Will Zanu in it’s present state allow this particular Party to send out it’s message? Are the leaders of this Party prepared to come in and face persecution at the hands of the rulers?
Considering my past comments on this new Party I do not want to sound like I am against them. I just hope that they turn out to be people that will be prepared for what faces them when they come into the country. It will be interesting to see how they engage the masses. It will be also interesting to see how they perform in the trenches because that is what Politics is about in Zimbabwe at this time and point.
Is ZUNDE a political party? Or are they sticking to their original idea of bringing all progressive democratic forces together. I am now a bit confused. I also find their ideas interesting but we have a nation fast sliding down the tubes. What is the more immediate solution in practical terms?
We should be seeing the leadership moving around canvassing for support. I think financing the movement for it to be effective will be the biggest challenge. Wish them well.
ZUNDE comes in a time when we need strong leadership. Fear of Zanu should be the thing of the past. Those running the Zanu organs should be indoctrinated now in realising their time is up and change is inevitable . I hope for the best for ZUNDE and as a Democracry we hope to achieve in our beloved country, I pray we are not being taken for a ride by ZUNDE.
Nyoni keep on hoping as you dash from one hope to another. Zunde reminds me of FORUM, a party led by Dr E Dumbutchena. The party was too intellectual and academic and Zanu only got a mosquito bite from it.
As a non politician and occupying no political space it is my opinion that politicians are the same and a greedy lot especially in Africa.
We should by all means use them to our advantage by keeping them weak and not give them any absolute power like what we did with ZANU in the beginning as we completely abandoned ZAPU through Mugabe’s tribal propaganda.
Again it is my humble opinion that MDC-T has given ZANU no rest, has more stamina to weaken or even unseat them, despite their weaknesses. Abandoning them and working hard to create another is not an option at this juncture.The CIO would glare with joy as another bit the dust, after ZAPU, ZUD, ZUM, FORUM, MDC and now ZUNDE.
Instead lets encourage them to unite…what a formidable force it will be… Tsvangson, Simba, Dabengwa, Dongo.
But remember we still however need to keep ZANU live.
Lets learn from Kenya..it is now becoming the icon of Africa with massive investment inflow.
This is a theoretical party, i doubt if the members have met before. None from Grassroots knows the existence of Zunde
easily fooled, I get the feeling that you only believe people when they are sent to prison for offences they did not commit or subjected to the brutality of Green Bombers. Unless you’re an active member of ZUNDE, what evidence do you have that they haven’t met before? What exactly do you mean by meeting????
We should encourage all progressive forces such as ZUNDE seems to be. Not enough people in Zimbabwe are exposed to alternative values & think that we are concemned to live under oppressive regimes indefinitely. We need to offer them a new narrative that is based on a progressive grouping with good governing values & move as far away as we can from being focused on one person. I like what I read from this group.
There is a big difference between people with a vision and clarity of mind and those who do not have. Zunde is demonstrating to you all that they understand what politics means and the role politics plays among citizens, The same for their article on governance. Why are you people so academically bankrupt to ignore intelligent ideas. Zunde will one day be popular and you will by them know exactly what their philosophy is. They just want you to understand them better and to know what they stand for. What is wrong with that?
I cannot see how they can form an organization without knowing each other. They are not stupid and I think they mean well for Zimbabwe. Let us urge them on. They may have a solution to our problems especially in the current political climate dominated by decrepit and tainted parties like ZANU PF and MDC
No Problem ZUNDE if you say and do the right things you will get support, the people are tired even the Rural people. however lets see your manifesto, we see you understand what the Job is and your manifesto should now tell us how you will achieve this, let the people look at the method and your ideas and from there experts can try to advise us on a way forward.
Good on you ZAnuPF cannot look in all directions so although many parties can fragment the vote if you are all working together and the plan is UNITY for all Zimbabweans, race,creed,colour then no problem and the first thing is to get all like minded persons together no matter what party or belief, what colour or lifestyle in the end we all are one ZIMBABWEANS and mostly good Zimbabweans that just want a peaceful life most only want to be rich because….
Continued.
MDC got the following Because of the cause they were and are chasing but time has elapsed and although still the best bet on the ground they are losing people/voters, not to the opposition but to the don’t care atitude as nothing is happening, just complaints of fraud. lets put that behind us it cannot be changed but we should be working to the future when we can all be part od this country where we can all expect through hard work honesty and devotion to our alloted jobs we will come through.
So ZUNDE good on you you are talking the talk we need to see walk the walk, we need to see brave leaders leading from the front not glass houses.
MDC you hasve not been deserted but we need options at the moment we have NOTHING but threats and many cowed voters as we have no strong arms to lean on and to lead us forward out of Egypt and into the Hanging gardens of Babylon, which by the way we were once.
I can see ZUNDE leaders packing their bags prepaibg to lead the people to the land of Canaan. They will one day do exactly that. I think they are just putting their house in order. There already is a sizeable following on the ground in Zimbabwe and if you did not know, you eventually will know. They will need resources and it is up to us to invest our energy and resources in them and make one giant leap ahead together, differences and other idiosyncracies aside.
Obama summed it up .
Until ZIMBABWEANS realise that progress comes from initial participation,all activities will be doomed.
NOTHING HAPPENS, EVERYTHING IS ORGANISED.THERE IS NO LUCK.
ZUNDE propagates the same message as many visionary fellowmen,within and outside our beloved country,eg V MUSEWE.T.WHANDE et al.
Currently ZUNDE may not be active as a unit in ZIMBABWE,but their message resonates with many activists but we will not work with them due to our own vested interests within the various political parties.
As MUTO WAGWAMBA has stated,the ship is about to sail.Will u and I be on it or hope and pray that it ends up like the TITANIC?
Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery ; it cannot be advanced softly , gradually , carefully , considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly and modestly. A Revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another. ” stated , Mao Zedong.
Ordinary peace loving Zimbabweans are faced with a tyrannical Dictatorship whose MAIN and probably only language in Civic Democratic engagment is oppressive forceful violence. Given the former it becomes quite apparent that the latter is our ONLY form of recourse.
Hence it begs the question…. ” Fellow Beloved Country Folk…are we willing to stand EACH FOR ALL AND ALL FOR EACH , with the Power and Will of Human Dignity and DECLARE THAT OUR FREEDOM AND ASPIRATIONS ARE NOT UP FOR NEGOTIATION…THE REVOLUTION IS HERE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT…YOU CAN’T KILL US ALL EVEN IF YOU TRY !!!