NEW PARLIAMENT IN ZIMBABWE: A SYMBOL OF PAST FAILURES AND FUTURE QUESTIONS
The completion of the new Sino-sponsored Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Mt Hampden, a few kilometers from the capital city of Harare, presents Zanu PF with the opportunity to close the chapter on past failures. However, the previous Parliament has been home to many poor policies, turning the country from the breadbasket of Africa to a beggar in Africa.
The new Parliament raises many questions. Why is China helping Zimbabwe construct a modern, sophisticated structure? Is it all for free? Our all-weather friends are involved in shady business schemes with our corrupt top officials. The Parliament is a gesture of appreciating the illicit trade between Zanu PF political gods and the Chinese emissaries. The consequences will come with time. The same friends, after constructing the African Parliament, were found to have installed spyware to monitor African forums and meetings. Unfortunately, in Zimbabwe, we have nothing concrete that the Parliament and its members have done to improve the standard of living of the common citizen, except getting luxury cars and incentives while poverty continues to suffocate society at large.
The Village Court system, or Dare, compared to the Zimbabwe Parliament, addresses genuine societal concerns while drawing impartial solutions. The new Parliament will be a place for politicians to dine and whine while ignoring pivotal issues, snoring in hotels after spending the day making noise instead of progress, passing stringent laws to stiffen the political space, promising heaven in their presentations while all we experience is political, societal, and economic wrath that denies us any sort of freedom.
The majority of citizens are not concerned with where the bread is being baked; it is the taste and quality of the bread that matters. Quality and quantity alone will market the bread to increase its market space. Whenever policies are passed, it is their character in relation to societal burning issues, how they are addressed, and suggested solutions that make any government of the day people-centered, democratic, and responsible. The problem was not with the old building but with the old minds of old politicians who still deny change to conserve their wealth gained through corrupt means. They centralize power to escape the justice system and violate the freedoms of citizens to paralyze them with fear, achieving and inserting political propaganda that propels political illiteracy and ignorance.
The new Parliament building is a reflection that Zanu PF can’t initiate development without dependency. Its development is politically motivated, and economically, they lack the tools and minds to free the youth population from the shackles of unemployment and drug abuse.
Our all-weather friends, China, are involved in questionable business schemes with our top corrupt officials. This new Parliament is a symbol of appreciation for the illicit trade between Zanu PF political gods and Chinese emissaries. The consequences of this partnership will come with time. Years after constructing the African Parliament, it was detected that China had installed spyware around the building to monitor African forums and meetings. Sadly, in Zimbabwe, our Parliament and its members have done little to improve the standard of living for the common citizen, focusing instead on acquiring luxury cars and incentives while poverty continues to strangle society at large.
The Village Court system, or Dare, compares favorably to Zimbabwe’s Parliament when it comes to progress. The Dare addresses genuine societal concerns and draws impartial solutions. Meanwhile, the new Parliament will be a place for politicians to dine and complain while ignoring important issues, snoring in hotels after a day of making noise instead of progress. They pass strict laws to tighten the political space and promise heaven in their presentations. Yet, all we experience is political, societal, and economic wrath that denies us any freedom.
Most citizens do not care where the bread is baked; they care about its taste and quality. Quality and quantity alone will market the bread and increase its market space. When policies are passed, their character in relation to societal burning issues, how they are addressed, and suggested solutions make any government people-centered, democratic, and responsible. The problem was not the old building but the old minds of politicians who still deny change. They conserve their wealth gained through corrupt means, centralize power to escape justice, and violate the freedoms of citizens, paralyzing them with fear and inserting political propaganda that promotes political illiteracy and ignorance.
The new Parliament building shows that Zanu PF cannot initiate development without dependency. Their development is politically motivated, and economically, they lack the tools and minds to free the youth population from unemployment and drug abuse.