Shun political turncoats

 

From the appointment of former High Court Judge Rita Makarau to head the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the successful referendum a few weeks ago, it is clear that the populace seem to be progressing well as a united front.

Of note however is the plebiscite period that the country will be heading towards following President Mugabe’s announcement that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in this year, signaling an end to the Government of national Unity.

Already preparations are on course in different aspects of the plebiscite that will culminate in this national event that has been dominating space in both newspapers and people’s minds, in the last few months if not years. There is a flurry of activities in constituencies and communities with prospective candidates from different political parties, already campaigning, canvassing or currying favour with the electorate-which ever starts as the election mood grips Zimbabwe.

In all this hype about the elections you cant help but feel for the voter, who has to make a decision between fly-by-night politicians out to make a quick buck through the ballot and seasoned politicians who remain committed to serve their people, for whatever costs and by all means necessary.

More often than not this is the period you get long lost cousins, visiting the rural areas, bringing loads of groceries in well-pimped four-wheeled drive vehicles, while flaunting a few dollars to hoodwink unsuspecting but well meaning relatives. The relatives, happy to reunite with their long lost kith and kin, will gladly slaughter a cock and gladly partake

in the festivities, while talking about “politics of the day”.
Intermittent laughs, jibes, and the old jokes that usually accompany such festives, will take centre stage, and in the process allowing the lost cousins ample time to declare their intentions to campaign for prospective candidates, domiciled in the cities or in the Diaspora in the forthcoming elections, without necessarily having to explain where they have been all along, and what they have done to the people, to warrant any vote from anyone, for that matter.

A packet of sugar, a few metres of clothing material, a crate of beer and host of other trinkets become baits to hoodwink the voter into parting with a voter that should have been give to a deserving candidate, whose mission to transform people’s lives is not part of his or her campaigning manifesto, but will ultimately empower people through giving them land, mining concessions and other means of production rather than

Now if you ask me, the idea of prospective candidates who are appearing from nowhere especially from the Diaspora and have since resorted to vote buying as a political strategy is nothing more than cheap politics at its best.  While it is well-known that fly by night politicians often resort to vote buying in order to coerce people to endorse them only disappear after they have been voted into power, that kind of modus operand greatly disadvantage the electorate.

It is the kind of attitude that should not be tolerated this time around and should serve as a warning and a reminder that such individuals have no space in serious politics, but should rather be relegating to less meaning and other trivial social activities like soccer.

Rather than put their faith and vote in political turncoats with no history of serving their communities, but who are keen on distributing freebies, the electorate would need to vote for individuals — whether men or women — who are keen on transforming communities by bringing in new ideas and work with the people.

These individuals are in our midst and have probably shown their commitment in bringing transformational change through their contribution even at cell level. If anything they have probably shown their commitment to the well beings of their communities through working hard, something that a lot of people are not keen on doing. World over rich people like Sir Richard Charles Branson, Nigerian Aliko Dankote and Folorunso Alakija, one of the richest woman in the world acknowledge the importance of working hard and often say achievement is better obtained through hard work and personal development.

These virtues are not a modern ideology, but have been espoused for generations across nations and races, and those who continue to follow them can easily attest that they are currently riding on fertile land, which is best achieved through hard work, proper branding and personal development.

These are the kind of individuals-whether men or women — that the electorate should trust with their vote. Of course there is a school of thought which firmly believes that men have had their fair share of politics in Zimbabwe and it is high time that the electorate should now widen their choices and also look at capable women in their midst’s, who have good credentials and are willing to serve their communities.

Instead of allowing fly by night politicians to steal the limelight, the electorate should also look at women as good if not better placed to take charge of their constituencies and represent them well even at national level.

The world is slowly moving towards gendered leadership, an aspect that the electorate should embrace with haste and vote more women in positions of power, instead of entrusting their votes to political turncoats who will vanish once they have been voted into power.

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