Saturday, January 1, 2011

Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country- J.F.K. Kennedy

The post-transitional political dispensation requires selfless politicians who answer the call for public service not out of the pursuit of personal glory and wealth but the desire to contribute towards the advancement of our people. Equally so, it demands an active electorate whose mandate will be to hold these public leaders accountable.
The duty to move the country forward rests on man and women whose moral character is molded by recognition of our fiduciary responsibilities as ward councilors, mayors, legislators, and public servants. The principles of transparency and accountability should hitherto be utilized to maintain trust amongst the citizenry.
Not only does this duty rest on the elected but on those who elect. It is a right of those who elect to reserve the right to express confidence or lack thereof of the individuals whom they elect through any legal mechanisms at their disposal. According to section 23 of the amended constitution number 19, “every citizen will have the right to free, fair, and regular elections for any legislative body, including a local authority.”
Since this writer is a human services professional, it is only proper to tackle this issue from that perspective. Prior to independence, Zimbabwe has had its own form of local governance system headed by the chief ably assisted by the “Dare” and the advent of colonialism ushered in a new era of local and national administrative structures comprising of rural and urban councils as well as the parliament and the cabinet. The office of the chief which has existed until this day has somewhat continued with the role of providing a safety net for the deserving poor through the “Zunde ramambo” concept and solving civil matters. On the other hand, urban and rural councils as well as the legislature and the executive brought in a western dimension of governance whose prerogative is to administer the affairs of the council, parliament, and government. Simply put, rural and urban councils have to manage public works, provide water to residents, and acquire and alienate land for council and state purposes (Urban Councils Act: 29). The Zimbabwean parliament and executive have the responsibilities of making laws and administering them respectively. The judiciary interprets, applies the laws, and ensures their constitutionality.
Supreme to all the matters discussed above, through the constitution of Zimbabwe every citizen enjoys the rights and protections to the following: protection of right to life; protection of right to personal liberty, protection from slavery and forced labor, protection from inhuman treatment, protection from deprivation of property, agricultural land acquired for resettlement, agricultural land acquired for resettlement and other purposes, protection from arbitrary search or entry, provisions to secure protection of law, protection of freedom of conscience, protection of freedom of expression, protection of freedom of assembly and association, protection of freedom of movement, protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, etc.
The foregoing leads us to the issue of upholding those rights. While activities of parliament have been in the public domain one cannot say the same about the workings of the executive. Understandably, the dominance of ZANU PF in both local and national politics from 1980 to 1999 was the reason for this politiburo veil of secrecy in running the affairs of councils, parliament, and the executive. During this period, local and national public leaders became indispensable regardless of their failures in providing and managing resources. However, the advent of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999 somewhat lifted that veil leading to horrendous expositions of corruption, incompetence, and misgovernance. A cursory look at our laws indicates that there are guarantees for the protection of human rights and the advancement of the people of Zimbabwe in all spheres of life, however, this writer will argue that there is a dearth of selfless individuals who will implement the laws and work for the positive development of our nation. In other words, the culture of corruption is thriving contributing to Zimbabwe’s underdevelopment.
I contend that transparency and accountability needs to start from ward level up to the executive branch of government. The management of human and material resources by these public bodies has to indicate that there is transparency and accountability through the utilization of the committee system as enshrined by the urban council’s act and the Zimbabwean constitution. In the same vein, citizens need to actively engage these public servants through a robust community organizing strategy which utilizes these committees and regular hearings. Management of community and national resources is not only a prerogative of those elected but also of those who elect.
Currently, Zimbabwe is being governed by the GPA document which recognizes and accepts and acknowledges that the values of justice, fairness, openness, tolerance, equality, non-discrimination and respect of all persons without regard to race, class, gender, ethnicity, language, religion, political opinion, place of origin or birth are the bedrock of our democracy and good governance. It is a transitional mechanism which has to elapse after a new constitution is in place and substantive parliamentary and presidential elections are held and is not a guarantee for the attainment of economic and political stability. While many pundits focus on our legal framework, I argue and emphasize that mechanisms are not enough without selfless, dedicated, and committed public servants and a proactive electorate which holds these public leaders accountable.
Charles M. Mutama is studying a PhD in Human Services at Capella University, USA.