MPs and mercs make me sick.

I read with interest that Eric Matinenga, the new minister of constitutional and parliamentary affairs, tried to get MDC MPs to take a united stand and turn down the fancy Mercedes Benz that Mugabe was giving every newly appointed minister. Eric didn’t get much success. Well unless you count David Coltart who said no thanks. The others said yes to their new status symbol, including Eric .

We need an audit.

We need an audit of this kind of thoughtless expenditure whilst Zimbabweans are starving and whilst our politicians ask for a bail out.

We need an audit of the perks and pleasures being handed out to this unwanted bloated new government.

We need an audit of the “ghosts” on the civil service payroll; we need to weed them out before asking foreign governments to pay our wage bills.

We need an audit of the number of farms under Mugabe’s land reform program that are actually being worked rather than laying idle before we ask foreign governments to give us money; money without conditions.

Reuters reports that “The government is seeking $5 billion. Winning that, however, depends on Western donors being satisfied that a democratic government is in place and that economic reforms are being implemented to reverse a decade-long collapse which Mugabe’s critics blame on his policies.”

Quite clearly there isn’t a democratic government in place. There is a political arrangement in place. And until those in power take reform in all its forms seriously, they shouldn’t get a cent.

These are interesting times in Zimbabwe. Political analysts are battling to make sense of recent pronouncements by President Robert Mugabe and other members of ZANU-PF’s inner sanctum. A case in point is Mugabe’s condolence message to ‘the Honourable Prime Minister’, Morgan Tsvangirai on the tragic loss of his wife. Another perplexing statement came from ZANU-PF Home Affairs Minister calling for an end to violence. But perhaps most perplexing of all is Mugabe’s plea for aid. These statements, to the uninitiated, may be a reflection of a changed and reformed ZANU-PF. Taken in isolation and at face value, a call for an end to violence by a ZANU-PF Minister paints a picture of a party ready to start afresh and make the necessary amends leading to the restoration of the rule of law, human rights and democracy. However, l urge dear readers not to put much emphasis on the words uttered by ZANU-PF leaders, but instead, to look at ZANU-PF’s body language for clues on where they really stand.

That talk is cheap cannot be over-emphasized. If indeed, the President cares so much about the MDC and its Prime Minister, does his conduct towards the MDC bear testimony to such concern? A close look at the treatment of the political prisoners, comprising civil society and MDC activists at the hands of the police and prison officers who answer only to ZANU-PF will reveal a different story of brutality, torture, and untold suffering. Shadreck Manyere, the photo journalist abductee still being held at Chikurubi Prison has a totally different understanding of ZANU-PF, based on his continued persecution under the guise of lawful prosecution.

Taking Mugabe’s plea for the international community to loosen purse strings and bail out Zimbabwe, one may believe that ZANU-PF has reformed. But when one considers the conduct of ZANU-PF a different story emerges. While Mugabe is calling for international aid at the Rainbow Towers, hundreds of ZANU-PF supporters are busy invading the farms of the last remaining white farmers. And the invaders are not just small fish in ZANU-PF, some of then hold very senior posts in ZANU-PF and in government. Not a word from ZANU-PF leadership condemning such an affront to property rights and other fundamental freedoms. Instead of taking steps to guarantee and protect property rights and by so doing boost international investor confidence, ZANU-PF’s body language betrays stubbornness and an unwillingness to change that never ceases to amaze me.

By carefully studying ZANU-PF’s body language l have arrived at the inescapable conclusion that ZANU-PF wishes to ‘have its cake and eat it,’ or to have it both ways. It is quite conceivable that President Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF have made one huge mistake which is this: they assumed that MDC is the silver bullet needed to unlock international aid and that by merely having the MDC as part of an inclusive government then the international community would scramble to blindly pour in the much needed aid. Proceeding with this logic, ZANU-PF pressured and pestered the MDC to join the inclusive government. As soon as MDC was on board, ZANU-PF quickly called for aid to be given, pointing to the government of national unity as evidence of change.

At the same time, ZANU-PF firmly resisted any attempts at genuine reform. All the repressive and oppressive media laws are still firmly in place and functional. There has been no move to address openly political violence, to arrest perpetrators of political violence and ensure justice for victims of political violence. Instead, Kembo Mohadi, ZANU-PF Home Affairs Minister recently said to the nation, “Let bygones be bygones and let us focus on nation building.” What genuine, long lasting, and sustainable nation building can be done when victims are forced to forget about their wounds and pain and are denied access to justice? What national healing is possible when those who unleashed a reign of terror during the 2008 general and presidential elections walk free? What guarantees are there that, come the next parliamentary or presidential elections, the same thugs will not again unleash violence?

It is not enough for political leaders to talk about change without taking firm steps to implement that change. Change is not about having MDC as a partner in the inclusive government. Change is not about giving MDC ministers Mercedes benz cars and other so-called ‘symbols of power’. Change is about opening up political space and expanding the freedoms of all people who live within the borders of Zimbabwe. Change is about letting victims of political violence speak and listening to them and ensuring that they feel that justice has been done. Change is about bringing perpetrators of human rights violations to account in an impartial way. Change is about making sure that political leaders in Zimbabwe, as in all other respectable democracies, are accountable to the people.

While the international community demands accountability from the government of Zimbabwe, we, the citizens of Zimbabwe, also demand transparency and accountability on the part of our government. At the moment ZANU-PF’s body language is speaking loudly and clearly that genuine and wholesome change is not nigh. It appears the international community is also intently studying ZANU-PF’s body language to gauge levels of sincerity and commitment to change. This time, the proof of the pudding is required before eating. The body language of most Zimbabweans scattered across the globe with regards inclusive government developments has been quite telling; not many have been stirred to break camp and return home. As a patriotic Zimbabwean who firmly believes in the audacity of hope, l continue to look for signs of hope and life. I desperately want to give ZANU-PF the benefit of the doubt; however, a careful study of events on the ground cautions me against rush and misplaced optimism. I therefore reconcile myself to the sad and yet very real possibility that this inclusive government may disappoint absolutely.

The political arrangement in Zimbabwe between Zanu PF and the MDC has challenged those of us who are more idealistic than pragmatic. Some people say the arrangement is a good thing believing that it will put bread back on the table. Others, like a man who walked into my office the other day, said that democracy has been eaten up and crapped out.

The President of Botswana, Ian Khama recently described developments in Zimbabwe and Kenya as “bad precedents for the democracy in the continent.”

Writing for ISN Security Watch, Edoardo Totolo discusses power sharing in Africa. Here’s an excerpt

Power sharing, therefore, is a dilemma for post-conflict development theorists: It represents a compromise that can halt conflict and save lives in the short-term at the expense of good-governance and long-term political stability.

Recently l had a quiet chuckle as l reflected on the role of trust in Zimbabwean politics. The reflection led me to recall a story my father often told me. The story goes something like this: There was a man in my father’s village who was notorious for poisoning the beer of colleagues as they drank in open mugs. The entire village feared him and no-one dared drink with him. My father shared this fear and mistrust but wanted to show this man but he told wanted to show this guy he trusted him, so, quite exceptionally they went for a beer drink together. During the course of drinking it became inevitable that my father had to respond to the call of nature and of course had to leave the notorious villager in sole custody of his beer mug. As he walked back to  rejoin the notorious villager, my father was faced with a difficult situation: whether to trust that the villager had not tempered with his beer and just finish the beer in the mug or to reveal his deep mistrust by not finishing up his beer. Fortunately my father was lucky to have a brain wave; he feigned a drunken stupor, stumbled around and tipped the mug over, immediately removing the need to take the ultimate test of trust. Political parties in Zimbabwe may not be so lucky to escape taking the test of trust.

The question of trust was recently thrust to the fore of people’s minds by the tragic death of the Prime Minister’s wife Amai Susan Tsvangirai (may her soul rest in peace) in a tragic road traffic accident. While the causes of the accident will not be examined in detail here, leaving that to an independent investigator, suffice it here to state that the nation was immediately gripped with deep suspicion – and many, including yours truly, saw, not the hand of God, but the hand of ZANU-PF behind the unfortunate event. This, l believe, demonstrates fully the level of distrust that prevails in Zimbabwe.

Now that the Global Political Agreement has ushered in an inclusive government that necessarily requires ZANU-PF and MDC to work together for the good of Zimbabwe, one wonders whether there is sufficient mutual trust to enable the parties to work effectively together. Trust generally refers to a firm belief in someone or something or being confident about someone or something. Trust develops over time, based on solid past experiences that inform present levels of trust. Trust is not nurtured by beautiful speeches of flowery language; it feeds on consistent action to deliver on promises made.

If history is anything to go by, then it will be very difficult to trust ZANU-PF. Its human rights and social services delivery record when it was in government for the past 29 years is appalling and its propensity to break promises made to the people astounding to say the least. Distrust of ZANU-PF is therefore not paranoia, rather, blind trust of ZANU-PF maybe be an indication of serious amnesia. To what extent can ZANU-PF as a political party and partner in government be trusted by the MDC and by the people of Zimbabwe to deliver food, health, democracy and fundamental freedoms to the people of Zimbabwe? Or, is it a sign of mutual trust that MDC and ZANU-PF have joined hands in this inclusive government or a sign of desperation on the part of both parties? I hazard a guess that the inclusive government is not a reflection of trust but desperation. ZANU-PF and MDC are trying to work together under a dark cloud of mistrust while pretending that there is not a speck of mistrust in the bright blue sky of the partnership.

For the GPA or anything to work, or any relationship for that matter, there is need for a certain level of mutual trust to exist. For parties that have worked together for a long time in a spirit of opposition and mistrust, to build and raise trust to required minimal levels requires solid political will and a lot of hard work. It requires a change of attitude and a radical paradigm shift. ZANU-PF must demonstrate, by concrete positive actions, that it has turned over a new leaf and is now worthy of the nation’s trust.

At the moment, ZANU-PF’s trust account is in overdraft, there is need to work gradually and progressively to restore people’s confidence as well as the trust of the international community that Zimbabwe is open for clean business. The international community must see for them concrete evidence that, for instance, financial accountability has been restored at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and that if aid is given it will reach intended beneficiaries and not vanish into thin air.

Unfortunately recent events in Zimbabwe do not contribute to the genesis and growth of trust; rather, they fan the fires of mistrust and suspicion and confirm to the unconverted that perhaps ZANU-PF, much like the proverbial leopard, will never changes its spots.  Instead of reassuring the nation that abductions and acting outside the framework of the rule of law are a thing of the past, even as the parties and joining hands, a senior member of the MDC and deputy Minister of Agriculture designate is abducted and slapped with trumped-up and politically motivated charges. Not only that, in open violation of constitutional and GPA provisions, all parties to the GPA agree to swear-in more cabinet ministers than provided for. How can both the MDC and ZANU-PF persuade the nation to trust them that they are indeed putting the best interests of the nation ahead of their own?  Again, quite oblivious of the need to build trust, President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF unilaterally sought to make appointments of Permanent Secretaries to all ministries.

Another interesting development that raises the question of trust once more is the fact that MDC members of cabinet have been allocated State security agents for their personal security. One really wonders whether these ministers feel more secure or more insecure as a result. My father used to tell me of a statement coined by opposition parties in the 1980s to refer to ZANU-PF. It says, ‘ZANU-PF Isinjonjo – tamba wakachenjera,’ which in English is ‘when in partnership with ZANU-PF, always be on the watch out – better sleep with one eye open.’

Finally, word of advice to ZANU-PF is that trust is earned and once earned must be guarded jealously. To earn the trust of the nation and indeed of MDC, there is need to demonstrate, through action, that there is a difference between the ZANU-PF in the inclusive government and the other one that belongs in that past. The MDC must also earn the trust of the nation that they have their bearings and priorities right and that they represent a change that brings bread to the table for all. Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister also needs to earn the trust of the international community from whom Zimbabwe is seeking aid, and one way of earning this trust is to clean-up the Reserve Bank and put in place water-tight systems of financial accountability while ensuring that both small and big fish found guilty of looting national resources are locked away. I end by quoting and respectfully agreeing with Arthur Mutambara who at his swearing in ceremony as the new Deputy Prime Minister said it was high time for political parties in Zimbabwe to “deliver, deliver and deliver.”

I have to agree with Bev. Mugabe’s motorcade and aggressive outriders have been more than an irritant in our lives all these years. To consider yet another motorcade for another chef is a dreadful thought.

We expect the MDC to come up with creative solutions to address the havoc wrought on our nation by years of unrestrained Zanu(PF) excess – not a tit for tat wrestling for privileges.

Tendai Biti should have used this very sad incident to highlight the need to: rehabilitate our roads; reform, retrain and properly remunerate the police force; restore law and order to our country and a sense of community and social responsibility in all of us.

Susan’s death is a tragedy – but no more or less of a tragedy than those lives lost prematurely in other accidents on the roads this year.

Come on MDC, step up to the challenge and show us how different you can be from Zanu(PF).