Multiple award winner, film maker and investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono sited that if the opposite party is weak, lacks opposition political cohesion and unity they will never takes power from the ruling party.
This comes after Senegal’s main opposition packed the streets, march against the move taken by President Macky Sall. On his X (formerly twiter) account Chin’ono wrote the following:
This is in Senegal yesterday as citizens protested against President Macky Sall’s postponement of the upcoming coming general election.
Yesterday I talked about how ZANUPF is not all that, and how its continued rule is a direct result of a weak opposition and lack of opposition political cohesion and unity.
I said its continued grip on power is not a sign of its strength or how it exclusively controls State institutions.
Any dictatorship will use state institutions as ZANUPF does, but many dictatorships stronger and wealthier than the ZANUPF dictatorship have fallen in the face of a well organised and fearless opposition.
This week the Senegalese president announced the postponement of elections because he knows that defeat is on the doorstep, the people are fed up.
Senegalese citizens packed the streets, the army didn’t shoot because it knows that you can’t shoot thousands of citizens and get away with it!
There is always a threshold that can’t be crossed, there is always a redline for the international community in such cases, and please don’t compare this to Gaza, it is different.
The Senegalese army knows that if it kills a disproportionate number of citizens, the region and the world will intervene.
Last year the Senegalese opposition leader was imprisoned by the Senegalese dictatorship, the citizens went to the prison and took him out!
It was the equivalent of Zimbabwean citizens and the opposition marching to Chikurubi and retrieving Job Sikhala.
The Senegalese army is stronger than the Zimbabwean army, but more importantly, the Senegalese opposition is more organised and unified than the Zimbabwean opposition.
That difference is what gives the Senegalese citizens the ability to get what they want, THEY ARE WELL LED.
They don’t make excuses such as, “…..the judiciary is captured” or “…the army is with the regime.”
This is because that is always the case in the life and times of dictatorships.
The army responds to how the citizens led by a strong or weak and organised or disorganised opposition leadership show their political mettle or lack of it.
It is indeed interesting and fascinating to observe how the effectiveness of opposition and citizens’ movements vary based on factors like organisation and unity.
Leadership and the ability to mobilize people play crucial roles in challenging entrenched ruthless regimes.
The Senegalese example teaches us the impact of a well led opposition in shaping political outcomes.
These are facts and not opinions, we must not defend our cowardice and mediocrity in organisational skills and fear of leading.
The regime illegally extended the Chief Justice’s term limit, we folded, it dismantled the MDCA, we folded, it allowed the MDC HQ to be taken away, we folded, it ran one of the most shambolic elections Zimbabwe has ever had, we folded, it removed legitimately elected MPs from parliament, we folded, it blocked the recalled MPs from contesting the by-elections, we folded, now it will start butchering the constitution and again we will fold.
You can’t blame ZANUPF for our incoherent organisation, lack of bravery and fear of the army.
The opposition leadership even talks about that fear of the army as if they are showing off, psychologically reinforcing it in the minds of the citizens.
We are told that we should negotiate with the army, you think it will negotiate itself out of power?
The leadership asks citizens what they are doing, citizens have to be led for anything to happen, they can’t lead themselves.
But I don’t blame the opposition leadership anymore because their followers rush to defend their mediocrity when it is exposed by scholars, journalists and political critics.
That is why they say people get the leadership they deserve!
Effective leadership and organisation are important in addressing dealing with dictatorships.
The captured judiciary will not stop giving unconstitutional rulings in favour of the regime until someone STOPS it!
It is that simple!!!
Source NewsreportZim.com
