WINNING ATTITUDE MATTERS IN DEMOCRATIZATION

FEBRUARY 2011

WINNING ATTITUDE MATTERS IN DEMOCRATIZATION

Winning is not just the actual act of succeeding at a particular point. It is an attitude. Winning is a settled way of thinking or feeling about something that is reflected in behavior. Perversely in Zimbabwe, it is losers who know this common wisdom best and use the practice of a winning attitude to claim victories that are not theirs. ZANU PF and its leader, Robert Mugabe wipe their feet on this wisdom, and in spite of their waning support, have defeated the  “pro democracy movement”, and the will of Zimbabweans, largely on this basis of falsely projecting themselves as winners and refusing to accept electoral outcomes.

Those who are supposed to own the victory seem to underestimate the value of winning as an attitude. So when they are poised for victory or actually win, they project themselves as victims (which they often are), and losers (which they certainly aren’t), eventually failing to claim the victories that are legitimately theirs.

The above thinking may seem simplistic, but it is a critical element of emancipation philosophy anywhere in the world. There are other things that have sustained the rogue ZANU PF regime in power in spite of arguably loosing every general and presidential election since the year 2000. These things are the ones, outside the preemptive false claims of obvious victory, that are akin to the rough play on the soccer-field, the gigantic but skill-less players, and the panga wielding thugs on the sidelines of a soccer money game, who also bark instructions to the referee and intimidate the players. In real terms, outside the well-articulated technical deficiencies to our electoral framework and poisonous political environment, there is also the reality of a creeping military oligarchy. This can be seen through the general militarization of political, social and economic spaces and civilian processes. The country has also had to contend with criminal elements masquerading as war veterans terrorizing the same population that they purport to have liberated. In tow, you have the youth militia - heavily drugged by false notions of patriotism that owe no allegiance to neither flag nor the constitution, but to the shriveled old hand that feeds them.

It may appear as “madness” to want to confront such a determined oppressive machinery. It may well need that “ madness” to do so. Thomas Sankara was right that; you cannot carryout fundamental change without a certain amount of “madness”. In order to be liberated from the oppression that has held Zimbabwe hostage through ZANU PF rule, it needs citizens who are prepared to dare to invent the future through being part of those “mad” men and women. 

There is no one-way to archive democracy, but cross cutting in all methods, has to be a fundamental belief on the part of the strugglers that they can win, some times in spite of the odds. The following may assist In Zimbabwe.

Firstly, There is a need to go beyond the narrative of just stating the difficulties. The Failure to go beyond the scary narrative has been a major problem of the pro-democracy movement including the progressive press. Daily, Zimbabweans are subjected to a narrative of the difficulties attendant to attaining democratization without any affirmation that in spite of stated challenges, the people will prevail. While there is a need to confront the brutal facts, the narrative needs to show how the stated reality can be confronted and defeated. This is the point at which loosing and winning starts.

Secondly, Apathy is a real cause for concern in Zimbabwe. According to ZEC statistics, during the 2008 Harmonized election, an estimated 40% of registered voters cast their votes in Harare, 38,8% in Bulawayo, and 34,8% in Matabeleland South. The recent COPAC outreach meetings statistics showed us that, only 12% of the participants were from the Youth Demographic, which is the biggest demographic group in the country. In addition, ZANU PF’s mobilized minority ran riot at meetings and dominated discourse in most areas- while the bulk of well meaning Zimbabweans and even members of the prodemocracy movement stayed at home. A fair amount of those who stayed at home thought it was a lost cause not worth fighting. They were defeated before the process even began. This silent majority needs to be reawakened in order to make it harder to manipulate political processes and rig election outcomes.

Thirdly, Without underestimating the role of the region, Zimbabweans need to reclaim responsibility for their emancipation. There is a threshold to what the region and the international community can do. The bulk of that responsibility lies with Zimbabweans. Zimbabweans over reliance sometimes on other actors make them victims of a vicious cycle of inaction by international actors. Where they are found rushing from the International Community to the AU, AU to SADC, SADC to the Troika, Troika to the Facilitator, Facilitator back to Zimbabwe with problems still unsolved. Instead of expecting the region to deliver alone, Zimbabweans need to embrace their own challenge and live up to the fighting tradition that led them to emancipating themselves from colonialism. That fighting spirit was never, and is not, the preserve of ZANU PF. Over reliance on other actors, is another sign of the resigned spirit, and lack of belief in ones on capacity to win.

Zimbabweans need to start believing in their ability and power and claim what is rightfully theirs from those who put on airs, that victory is theirs when all objective indications on the ground show that they are nothing more than a tired and defeated lot. Your words inform your attitudes, your attitudes translate to your actions, which inform perceptions, and your perceptions can easily become your reality.