As election day comes closer, I cannot help myself but believe that I should play a key role in this election. Zimbabwe, my country whom I love so much, is on the verge of being thrown to the dogs for yet another six long years unless we all act. Since I cannot have my say at the ballot box, the least I can do is help those wielding the axe to know who to stick it to.

Of course, we all want ZANU (PF) and especially Robert Mugabe to go. Many of us genuinely feel that this might be one of those ‘now or never’ situations. He and his party have presided over the nation for 28 years with little or no success at all. Credit to them for their health and education policies in the early eighties. It saw Zimbabwe being rated one of the most literate countries in the developing world and indeed, the world at large. We had some of the most comprehensive healthcare systems in Africa. That is, until greed, corruption and lust for power eroded all the ground we had covered. To date, our health system is skeletal, with doctors and nurses leaving enmass for a better life elsewhere. The education system, likewise, has also gone southwards. Schools are barely managing to stay open, and universities have gone out of reach of the ordinary man/woman on the street. There is no reason to try to diagonise the problem any longer. We all know that Mugabe and his cronies have fed the country to the dogs just so he could stay in power for a while longer.

Therefore, it stands to reason that we should choose between Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai and Dr. Simba Makoni in this predential election. A trade unionist versus a businessman. An O’level graduate against a doctor of medicinal chemistry. And I say we pick the O’level graduate……….

I can understand the euphoria surrounding the candidacy of Dr. Makoni for the presidency. He has always been the fair-haired boy of the nation. Most of his appeal though has been based on myths and legends rather than fact. I say this because aside from being the youngest deputy minister (and then subsequently minister in 1981) ever when he was appointed, to me, Makoni has never done anything tangible and visible within Zimbabwe. He was shipped of to the continent soon after his appointment to become Executive Secretary to SADC. God knows what he was doing over there. The fact is, we really do not know whether he was successful or not over there. And then he came back. After a stint out of politics, with Zim Papers, he was appointed finance minister and as usual, his appointment was met with applause from all over the country. I, like many others, believed he could turn the economy around. The fact is, however, he did not. Some might say he was never given the resources nor the time to implement his policies. It is true he was at loggerheads with the rest of the ZANU (PF) elite, but thats about all we know. How then can we know if he is as great as we have always percieved him to be?

What makes my skin crawl is not that he is more educated or that he is largely untested. Makoni wanted to run for a parliamentary seat under the ZANU (PF) banner in this very election that he now says he wants to be an independent presidential candidate. If you believe the newspapers, he swore that he was not going to run for the office of the president when the rumours first surfaced. This gross betrayal can not be excused for any reason at all. He is like a chameleon which changes its colour to match its surroundings. In other words, he is a wolf in sheep skin. Politics is about trust. That is the only way we can believe that when we elect our politicians into office they will do what they promised us. By changing his position several times in a period of weeks (not months or years), Makoni failed that trust.

And then there is the issue of who he will bring into cabinet if he becomes president. Makoni has declared that he is not leaving ZANU (PF), but just providing an alternative. He is being backed by the likes of Dabengwa, known ZANU (PF) stalwarts whose loyalty to this eveil regime is unquestionable. Of course, he has the likes of Dr. Nkosana Moyo and Fay Chung backing him as well. Dr. Moyo has proven himself to be true to his principles by walking out on Mugabe and for that I salute Makoni for bringing him in. However, I doubt that Moyo will have much clout. And then there is Edgar Tekere, Margarett Dongo and other disgruntled former ZANU members whose support of Makoni is most likely revenge on Mugabe rather than a change in political philosophy. In short, there is no way of telling who Makoni will bring into cabinet and what they will do. I fear it will be the “same script different cast”.

Which brings us to Mr. Tsvangirai. The Gutu born man rose to prominence for leading the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and breaking their traditional alligiance to the ruling ZANU (PF). A man of the people. A working class fellow like most of us in this country. I like Tsvangirai because he has been selfless in giving himself to the struggle against Mugabe. He has been constantly persecuted by this regime and has more than once walked the thin line between life and death. And yet he has not faltered in his commitment to the cause. He has continued to call strikes and continues to go to march with the masses even at the risk of imprisonment or his own life. Contrary to what you may believe, I am not disillusioned into thinking Tsangirai has not gained anything from all this. He has certainly become more prosperous since becoming leader of MDC. For instance, moving from Malborough to Strathaven is a noticeable change in lifestyle. He obviously drives a better car now and has probably made some important business connections through his affiliations with the MDC. I happen to believe that politicians deserve such luxuries for their sacrifices. Afterall, they have families to feed. I am not one to condemn the Tony Blairs of this world for benefiting from their international profile so long they do not steal from the people and their gains are legitimate.

Some have called his strategy of resistance a failed policy and believe Morgan should find a different way. Others like Dr. Mutambara and company have said he should be replaced because he is turning into another Mugabe, refusing to yield power to others. I think he has persevered in a very difficult environment and his stubbornness has kept the opposition alive. Do I think he is the greatest leader to ever come out of Zimbabwe? Certainly not! I however feel that he has been genuine and true to his political philosophy. I believe he has been an outstanding labour leader who understands what the people on the ground really want. His knowledge is borne of experience and not education. He knows what we are all going through. As far as trust is concerned, he has hardly faltered. As far as his hold on leadership, I believe it is necessary to have some consistency in the party especially now. Call me an optimist, but I can see Morgan letting go of power after a short while if he becomes president. He may not be a technocrat or a doctor of some sort, but I believe he is the best chance we have of success, post Mugabe. I think it is time we let a labour leader who came from the very grassroots we hail from ourselves run our country,if only for a little while.

The bottom line though, is that this travesty must not be allowed to go on any longer. Mugabe must go now. Whether Makoni or Tsvangirai takes over the presidency is a secondary issue. For all our sakes, and the sake of our children, we must make a bold and unfaltering stand on March 29th 2008. Mugabe believes the people of Zimbabwe are timid and cowardly. That we will not fight for our freedom. That when the going gets tough, we, the people of Zimbabwe, will run like hell.

Well, we, the people of Zimbabwe say ENOUGH! Enough of this corrossive corruption that has eaten the core of our nation. Enough of the lawlessness that has seen murderers go unpunished and thieves rewarded with cabinet posts. Enough of this strangle-hold on power which has seen one man cling to power for almost 3 decades. Enough of the decline in healthcare which has caused so many needless deaths and made our country into a nation of starving orphans. The ghosts of the millions of children, women and men who have been casualties of this government are crying out for us to act now. They torment us and haunt our dreams night after night calling on us to stop this massacre of innocent souls. Enough, they say. ENOUGH!!