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stand as an independent. But what is it for the voter?
Those card carrying members of parties need no convincing as they will vote for a candidate from their party. But, swing voters will play a decisive role in the forthcoming elections because they vote for the quality of the candidate. Will these elections be decided solely by party allegiance or by the individual candidate’s credentials?
The selection of candidates to represent various parties will play a crucial role. Many voters now want to vote for a candidate of substance. Gone are the times when voters would cast their ballots for party loyalty.
Voters will want to scrutinise the credentials of a candidate. After 32 years of independence, the time has come for the electorate to pass judgment on the candidate’s suitability to represent them. Voters will be looking for responsible candidates and people of high integrity.
I have always wondered why local government elections do not attract candidates who are willing to deal with social issues that affect residents they represent. It is difficult to look to national issues when service delivery at the local level leaves a lot to be desired.
In any local government area, be it a district, town or city, the provision of services is the most important to sustain an economy and the normal life of the people. The quality of local government candidates for election has to improve.
It is very disappointing to elect councillors who may not be ratepayers themselves. Some have been known to have no experience of running any organisation at all. Local government issues are very crucial to residents who pay rates without getting any adequate services in return.
I have said it many times that, unless one has excelled at local government level, he or she may then aspire to become a Member of Parliament or become a Senator. Maybe, it was difficult to do so at Independence or soon after the first elections, but as for now, candidates for national elections should have cut their teeth at the local level.
What is going to be the campaigning theme? Of course, political parties will have their manifestos. But, it is the candidate that will make a difference between winning and losing in an election.
I have always thought that pressing the flesh is more effective than trying to address rallies. Voters must be given a chance to question a candidate about their programmes.
In the next election, the political parties that have tested national responsibilities in the inclusive Government have a lot to explain about their time in Government. It is no longer a blame game against another party.
The people want to know why the economy is not performing as it should have done with three political parties sharing ideas together. Many questions will be put especially to three parties that have been in Government.
Why is agriculture not performing or not receiving adequate subsidies to make it grow from subsistence to commercial entities? Why are civil servants earning wages below the Poverty Datum Line? What is going to happen to the Zimdollar accounts especially for pensioners and other depositors?
Those aspiring to be candidates for national elections have to come up with credible answers to these troubling issues. At local government level, the state of our roads and other services will come under scrutiny.
Gone are the times when politicians would get away with flimsy answers or just blaming others for failure at the local or national levels. Promises will not suffice in this election.
It is the vision that the voter is looking at. How can we as a people stand to better ourselves in this world? Yes, some may talk about the universal education for our children. But the major drawback is the application of knowledge to develop our country.
At present, the country seems to be drifting and developing as a dumping ground for old vehicles and  clothes. If anything is new, it is found on our supermarket shelves, but not manufactured in Zimbabwe.
But one must be encouraged when some leaders actually go out of their way to set up factories to produce products that we now see on our supermarket shelves. I take off my hat to the President for going into the dairy industry and exhibit his products at the Harare Agricultural Show for all and sundry to see what can be done locally.
Where are all the other politicians who just talk and not produce anything? The time for handouts from Europe, whose countries are deep in debt, is over. Even those countries in Africa, that used to receive budget support, are now suffering.
The electorate cannot be hoodwinked anymore by false promises. It is sad when MPs don’t prefer cars assembled in Zimbabwe and they expect the voter to elect them into office.
It is sad that the hard earned money from taxes is misused or go unaccounted for when given to MPs as constituency developing funds.
These MPs expect to be returned to office. The 2013 elections will be very crucial indeed. The voter will speak though the ballot.