Tsholotsho MP and political turncoat Prof Jonathan Moyo has written a letter to ZANU PF seeking readmission to a party which he himself had only recently described as a dead duck on the shelf, only breathing from the evils of state security and abuse of state funds! Seeking readmission is well within Jona’s right but what has brought consternation among those who have been closely following developments on the political arena has been the readiness and speed with which ZANU PF functionaries have rejoiced over his impending readmission, raising questions about what ZANU PF has up its sleeve, considering the posturing which is now threatening the very survival of the SADC pet project, the Inclusive Government. ZANU PF is digging in its heels, stalling implementation and honouring of its obligations under the Global Political Agreement, under the pretext that MDC has not lifted sanctions.
Everyone knows that MDC does not have the power to lift the sanctions imposed by outsiders such as the USA and the European Union. Accusing the MDC is a fig leaf to cover up ZANU PF’s refusal to cooperate in the implementation of the GPA. Success of the Inclusive Government will give credit to the GPA, as everyone can compare what was there before to what is there now. It is in Zimbabwe’s interest for the PGA to succeed, but it is not in ZANU PF’s interest to allow the GPA to succeed.
Tellingly heavyweights in ZANU PF and Mugabe loyalists, including Didymus Mutasa and Patrick Chinamasa, have since acknowledged receipt of his application. This only serves to confirm that his readmission into the troubled and sinking party is only a matter of formality, going by the hail of praises from the two loyalists who ranted and raved about his work and abilities during his tenure in the party and government.
His readmission at this point seems automatic, but the question is who needs the other most?
It remains a fact that ZANU PF finds itself in the abyss, in the wilderness, and is seeking any systems go to reposition itself and reclaim lost ground. No wonder they see Jona as their “Messiah”. The party needs the Professor more and recalling him recalls the nostalgia of years gone by –from 2000 to around 2005 -when the party pulverised the opposition with sheer media terrorism spearheaded by the Professor. Who will forget the years when TV and radio became Jona’s fiefdom and arena to further the interest of the then ruling party at the expense of Zimbabwe, heralding the trampling of basic rights. Zimbabweans were stripped of the right to determine and question content. Draconian legislation to destroy freedom of the press were introduced.
Negative impact aside, he displayed outstanding abilities. He is indeed the Goebbels of ZANU PF. ZANU PF, now on the verge of collapse, has found its “messiah”, to lead the strategy in a propaganda war. Jonathan is being rehired by the party to extricate it from its intricate web of internally induced fissures. He worked wonders for the ailing ZANU PF and President Mugabe in the past, winning by hook or by crook.
But is the second coming of the ZANU PF “messiah” going to save the party from collapse this time? The party has irretrievably lost its support among ordinary Zimbabweans to MDC-T and MDC-M, a re-invigorated ZAPU and Mavambo-Kusile-Dawn (MKD). Given what has happened in 2008, I personally don’t think that Jonathan can perform any miracle. An analogy of ZANU PF as something that has the deadly HIV virus would suffice in this case. The party is now suffering from advanced AIDS, rendering Anti-retroviral therapy less helpful as resistance has set in, owing to abuse of prescribed norms and values of conducting politics. Failure to reinvent the party which is still steeped in 19th century politics in this day of evolving systems premised on democracy and respect for human rights has proved sufficient to slowly render the party irrelevant to the wishes and aspirations of Zimbabweans and the country.
Resentment of the status quo and of the professor are deep rooted. This is partly an offshoot of his escapades when he handled the media portfolio. Moreover the theft of cattle and goats from ordinary people, the terror, violence, the burning of houses and the killing of opposition members have left an unforgettable mark on the population. People do not vote for those who have robbed and killed them in a free and fair election.
Watch this space as Jona will soon be marshalling the party and Government information machinery. His duty will be to continuously discredit political competitors.
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