‘We are called to serve’-President ED
3 min readBy Tinashe Mukori
The leader of the beleaguered and troubled opposition party CCC addressed a press conference today where many people across the breadth and width of our country were left mouth-agape after he labeled the leaders and members of ZANU PF baboons, in the most disrespectful and condescending manner!
This is not the first time that the leader of the struggling opposition Party, which is neck-deep and grappling with issues emanating from lack of constitutive documents, lack of ideology, structures and nothing in the form of a well pronounced vision to rally people, has acted and proved to be this unpresidential in his speeches.
He at one point in time called his supporters stupid on live TV and in another instance, demonstrated his disregard for women by snatching a mic from his wife in the gaze of his supporters at a rally that left everyone dumbfounded and greatly astonished.
The same crude behavior and intolerance has found roots among his supporters and the structureless cult in which he has made himself a demi-god. A vacuum created by lack of sound ideology has provided a fecund and fertile ground for the blossoming of untold vitriol, intolerance, hate speech and simmering violent tendencies manifesting itself even against their peers in opposition like the leader of the newly formed DUZ, Robert Chapman and many others who have been called all sorts of names for holding different views, undoubtedly inherent in maturing democratic societies like Zimbabwe .
This is happening amid allegations that, completely divorced from the tenets of democratic descourse they purport to espouse, he is going to single-handedly cherry-pick and impose candidates without following democratic processes.
In total contrast to this unbecoming behavior, just across town, President ED Mnangagwa, the President and First Secretary of ZANU PF, was chairing a Politburo Meeting at ZANU PF Headquarters and had this to say;
“We are called to serve. The principles of servant leadership must characterise our work ethic. We are a revolutionary mass Party of the people, by the people and for the people,”.
This statement from the President, precise and pregnant with meaning, demonstrate his all-embracing, inclusive, maturity and immaculate statesmanship. In this concise statement, he has shown superior leadership qualities , proven to be a mature unifier and servant leader in propelling national development, leaving no-one and no place behind regardless of different political persuasions.
The President directed that preparations for the holding of the revolutionary party’s internal democratic primary elections should begin in earnest, adding that the party must ready itself for a massive win in this year’s general elections.
“More importantly, we must all gear ourselves to work with other structures in the ongoing mobilisation work towards our Party’s thunderous victory in the upcoming 2023 Harmonised General Elections, he said.
“The Party Manifesto must be finalised as the other critical aspects related to our internal Election Road Map unfold, Equally, all Provinces are directed to constitute themselves in readiness for responsive grassroots-based mobilisation campaigns ahead of the Harmonised General Elections.
“Provinces must further raise the requisite resources for campaigns at their level Voter registration and grassroots-oriented mobilisation strategies centred at the Cells and Villages should continue. Nothing must be left to chance.
“Organising our people to exercise their sacred right to vote for the defence of independence, Sovereignty, constitutionalism, freedom, and democracy is everyone’s responsibility. United as ZANU and ZAPU, ZANLA and ZIPRA, we waged a protracted armed war so that our people can enjoy free, fair and transparent elections”, he concluded.
The differences in the two addresses is so telling as to who has the capacity to rally the Zimbabwean people towards a Shared National Vision.
I submit that as we go for the watershed harmonised elections, Zimbabwe needs to continue with a mature, all-embracing leader we have in President ED Mnangagwa. We need to foster a spirit of oneness, togetherness and continue watering the much needed healing for purposes of national interest and the greater good.
Despite our political differences, no one deserves to be called a baboon only because of having a different view.
Mr Chamisa is not yet mature enough to lead a great country like Zimbabwe, with its God fearing, peace-loving Zimbabweans.
In President ED Mnangagwa we BelievED!!!