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What next?
I think we can all see that this regime has not got long to go.
Inflation at
50 per cent per month, spiraling expenditures that cannot be stopped or
they
will trigger the inevitable retribution, food shortages of every sort
and a
universally hostile global community. Something is about to break; when
it
does it will be fast and unexpected.
Why am I so sure of the above statement? Simply because history shows
that
this is what happens to governments that screw up to the extent that
the
Mugabe regime has done. Never imagine they get away with their madness
-
they do not, eventually it catches up with them and they are consumed
by it.
I recently heard an account of life in the Hitler bunker in Berlin in
1945
as the Allies were closing in on that particularly nasty blot on human
history. It was not pleasant and you could almost feel sorry for Hitler
and
his closest compatriots.
What would be a tragedy at this juncture is if it happens and we are
not
ready and do not have a plan. They say we are a very resourceful people
- we
can "always make a plan". Well what is ours?
We in the MDC have just emerged from a nasty split in our leadership.
This
is just about over and discussions are taking place as to the possible
basis
of a divorce. The people who have effectively left the MDC will now go
off
and start a new political party and those of us who have remained in
the MDC
will get on with what we have always seen as our task - that of
removing
Zanu PF from power and replacing them with a democratically elected,
law
abiding government that will respect all our rights as a people. The
main
distinguishing features of these two party's will be that the new group
will
continue to fight elections and we will not - at least not until we
have a
new constitution and can be assured of a level playing field.
People must now decide where they belong and go off and join the new
group
or stay with the MDC. For me there has never been any question as to
where
the people are - they are still with the MDC. Under the surface of this
storm, the water has been quite calm and undisturbed. I am always
amazed and
pleasantly surprised at the wisdom, insight and understanding of the
ordinary voter.
The MDC is busy deciding (never a short process in any democratic
movement)
what to do but the outline of the way forward is emerging - we are not
going
to play games with Zanu PF anymore - we will resolve at Congress to
withdraw
from the democratic process until we have change. In the light of this
growing consensus we have decided we will not contest two elections
coming
up this month in Bulawayo. Both certain MDC seats, we still feel that
not
only is this a waste of time, it will in fact do nothing to secure our
primary goal.
Yesterday we held a major consultation with civil society in Manicaland
- a
prelude to starting a campaign of democratic resistance to the Mugabe
regime
in that region. Once this programme is under way it will spread to
other
areas, gradually increasing the domestic pressure on the regime.
Soon we will meet with civil society to debate the way forward and to
try
and secure agreement on our goals and strategies. This meeting will
include
all the organisations that made up the Working People's Convention that
launched the MDC on its way in the late 90's. At this meeting the MDC,
as a
child of this group, will report its progress and failures as a party.
We
will be able to point to our victories and admit our mistakes, but most
of
all to say that the electoral system here is now so subverted that it
no
longer offers us a route for change. Remember the WPC gave us a mandate
to
pursue change by democratic, peaceful, legal means.
Does this mean that we are now turning to violence? Not at all and the
regime here knows that - just this past week when the MDC held a short
strategy session in Zambia and Zambia was asked to evict us, when the
Zambian army, police, intelligence and immigration officers came to our
hotel to comply with the request from the Zimbabwe regime, they did not
bother to search us, our rooms or our luggage. They knew full well we
were
there purely on political business and that all we wanted was 48 hours
free
of CIO surveillance and monitoring. So much for SADC commitments to
normal
democratic activity.
In fact our road map has not changed at all - all we are demanding is
that
we are allowed to hold a national all stakeholders constitutional
conference, agree on implementation procedures and a transitional
administration and then are allowed to hold free and fair elections for
our
leadership under international supervision. Simple.
The question is how do we get there and when. Well the economy and the
dollar are doing their bit - both are in steep decline. We have
effectively
devalued by more than 50 per cent in the past two weeks. Prices are
spiraling out of control and the shortages are becoming more acute
daily.
Power outages are now the norm and we are close to almost complete
collapse.
We are going to ask our people to also do their bit. If we all start in
a
small way to disobey the State - stop paying our bills to the State,
helping
distribute information to each other and to persuade the armed forces
to
join the people's campaign for a new constitution. Write funny messages
on
walls and stop buying the State controlled newspapers - we can all do
something.
We are going to ask our civil society partners (parents) to adopt the
MDC
road map to change. Then to decide what they can each do to help push
the
agenda forward. We will ask the Churches to devote Easter this year to
prayers for change and renewal. We will ask the Unions to get workers
to
demand a new constitution, we will ask the Chiefs to do the same and
will
initiate a campaign in the armed forces. If they join us in our
struggle for
a new Zimbabwe, then it is over; they are the only remaining pillars
supporting Zanu PF power.
We will be going to the international community, including the UN to
demand
that they come with us on this new agenda. Do they have an alternative?
This
is democratic; it could be peaceful and will then enable us to restore
the
rule of law and all human and political rights so that a new Zimbabwe
can
rise from the ashes of the old. We will demand that the SADC back us in
this
initiative and just as they did in 1979, force all local political
leaders
to attend the conference and to participate until agreement is reached
on a
consensual basis. Zanu PF has no choice but to come to the conference
and to
negotiate its survival and future.
And this is where you come in - we need money and people. You cannot
survive
for long in politics without both. We have the people - but no money!
Ncube
stole what we had, the State denies us what is ours and our business
leaders
are scared of their shadows and trying to survive the economic storm
that
rages here. We have stopped wasting our time on the recent spat inside
the
MDC and are now working flat out on the implementation of the MDC road
map.
We will not make progress without funds and we must all stop sitting on
our
chequebooks because we are uncertain about which faction the money will
go
to or what will be done with it. There is only one MDC, its leader is
Morgan
Tsvangirai and it is the only possible vehicle for change - no one else
has
the people on their side. For those in South Africa - remember Zimfund,
for
those in Zimbabwe - just contact us. In the US and the EU contact your
nearest branch. Remember 10 pounds is now worth Z$2,5 million. It all
helps.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 5th February 2006.
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