A telling example of the reaction came from Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an MDC T affiliated NGO, which placed an expensive half-page advert in some national newspapers claiming that it was hypocritical for this writer to rejoin Zanu PF given his criticism of its leadership in an article published by this newspaper on March 7, 2008, 22 days ahead of the March 29, 2008 harmonised elections which this writer won in Tsholotsho North as an independent candidate for the House of Assembly.
What is confused about the reaction is that, despite purporting to be a human rights and democracy NGO, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition — and by extension the MDC T — has a problem with this writer’s exercise of his right to freedom of association enshrined and protected in our constitution.
What business is it to Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition or anyone else that this writer is rejoining the very same Zanu PF party he has previously criticised? On what binding democratic and human rights grounds does this writer’s criticism of Zanu PF’s leadership or policies ahead of the 2005 or 2008 general elections mean that he cannot rejoin it in 2009?
Even stranger is that the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has the audacity to even ask this writer that, given his criticism of Zanu PF before the March 29, 2008 elections, what has now changed for him to rejoin Zanu PF?
If this dilettante question was genuine, which it is not, this writer would refer its peddlers to the perennial wisdom of the great economist James Maynard Keynes who said of himself: “When facts change, I also change my opinion and what do you do?”
Decisions on political affiliations are based on a balance of principles, strategies and tactics. Principles are enduring and this writer’s principles have never differed from Zanu PF’s. Differences have been on personalities, strategies and tactics which change with facts. As such, political writings or statements and even scientific theories are not biblical gospels but simply opinions that are depended on ever changing facts.
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A lot has changed in our national politics not only since 2005 but also particularly since the March 29 2008 elections whose inconclusive outcome threw up very serious dangers that caused nationalists to regroup behind Zanu PF and against hostile foreign interests and their local political agents to safeguard the gains of the liberation struggle.
So yes, the facts on the ground have radically changed and this writer is accordingly restoring his original political affiliation without changing his principles as an expression of his inalienable freedom of association.
Maybe it is too much to expect Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and the MDC T to understand that freedom of association is a fundamental and thus unqualified human right but what is particularly confusing though is that their American creators and funders in Usaid who should know better also do not understand this principle despite always claiming that the US government is committed to supporting human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe.
How will we have human rights and democracy in the country if those who purport to be leading their promotion under the cover of political and media reforms do not understand that neither democracy nor human rights will be achieved unless the freedom of association is respected and defended for all Zimbabweans by everyone at all times and in all circumstances?
Only charlatans who are running fake and phoney human rights and democracy NGOs will dare do what Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has by attacking this writer’s exercise of his freedom of association to rejoin Zanu PF.
But because Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is an American creature of Zidera (the so called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act), the question that must be interrogated is whether American taxpayers actually know that their Embassy in Harare is abusing their hard earned dollars to fund and entrench political intolerance in Zimbabwe for purposes of supporting the MDC T under the Zidera guise of human rights and democracy?
This question of the confusing American funding of confused NGOs like Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition to support political intolerance in Zimbabwe on behalf of the MDC T is made more urgent and fundamentally critical by growing revelations that American taxpayer dollars have also been poured into the so called World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund to underwrite what turns out to be an MDC T parallel government in the Office of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai whose incumbents are earning scandalous monthly top up salaries ranging between US$700 and US$7 000.00.
Although there have been vehement denials from both the World Bank and the MDC T about the existence of a parallel government whose nucleus is in the Prime Minister’s office, the matter has refused to die not only because the evidence that is now in the public domain is hard to ignore but also because official responses from the World Bank and the MDC T have raised more questions than they have provided answers.
For example, the MDC T issued an official statement last Friday charging that media reports of a parallel government in the Prime Minister’s office are mischievous allegedly because the Prime Minister is the head of the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
The MDC T’s allegation that Prime Minister Tsvangirai is the head of government is not only false but also foolish because everyone knows that the apex of government in Zimbabwe is the Cabinet which is constitutionally chaired by its head, President Robert Mugabe with Tsvangirai as deputy chair.
Anybody who believes that as deputy chair of Cabinet Prime Minister Tsvangirai is the head of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe needs to have their head examined by a competent psychiatrist unless of course they mean that he is heading a sinister parallel government.
Besides all this, and particularly putting aside the top up salaries of up to US$7 000 being paid to regularised and even higher amounts paid to unregularised civil servants in the Prime Minister’s office and the shadow offices they run in Harare and Bulawayo, the one screaming signature and symbol of the parallel government is the Prime Minister’s newsletter.
It is now quite clear that this controversial newsletter, which always refers to Prime Minister Tsvangirai as head of government when the Constitution of Zimbabwe is clear that he is not, is actually an “official” publication of the parallel government.
The fact that the Newsletter is funded from the opaque and unaccountable World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund, as opposed to the real Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund, puts paid to the existence of the parallel government run from the Prime Minister’s office.
Jonathan Moyo is independent MP for Tsholotsho North
Jonathan Moyo
