zimfinalpush
20 March 2007
By Munyaradzi Gwisai
There are a number of commendable things about the recent actions including - involvement of a much larger united platform than previous actions which can therefore not simply be dismissed as an MDC front activity; and the fact of the leaders leading from the front and in fact receiving the harshest end of the regime's brutality. But Kubatana is correct that there are a number of challenges that it raises. Critically is the need to ensure greater participation and involvement of the masses and issues concerning them. Today the ordinary people are suffering from both political dictatorship as well as massive escalating poverty as a result of the capitalist neo-liberal free market policies that the regime has been pursuing for the last three years under the leadership of RBZ Governor G. Gono. These have, especially in the context of the sanctions, led to vicious suffering of the urban and rural commons as well as growing sections of the middle classes.
Business people have unleashed vicious price increases on every basic used by the people, whilst employers are paying monthly wages of less than $150 000, when the official Poverty Datum Line is now over $600 000. Indeed the current 'wages' are not even enough to cover transport to work! Thousands are dying from lack of ARV drugs... Its not like the money is not there and everyone is suffering. Just like Gono splashing billions on posh cars,mansions etc, bosses and many of the NGO Lords of Poverty are also spending the same, 'earning' huge often forex denominated salaries and benefits. Capitalists have been making such considerable profits to the extent that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange was voted amongst the top three performing in Africa in 2006!
It is important also to note that the very same western diplomats who are today lauding the bourgeois opposition were also the ones, led by the USA ambassador, to sent effusive congrajulations to RBZ Governor Gono on his monetary policy which effectively was a message to the ruling party elites that they embrace a total and naked neoliberal agenda to save the regime from economic and social implosion but on condition that they bring on board compliant sections of the opposition, organised labour and civic societyin -- who will obviously be used as a safety valve to contain mounting anger from below.
The idea is therefore to come out with an immediate elite settlement or 'social contract' of the elites in government and in opposition, supported by the forces of global neoliberalism, that will see an end to Mugabe but continue with the murderous neoliberal ESAP programme that his government has started. The other aim is also to pre-empt the current struggles from below, especially since the begining of this year from radicalising further and becoming a challenge not only to the corrupt and brutal Mugabe regime but criticially also the neo-liberal freemarket capitalist foundations on which it is now embedded. In other words a movement similar to the anti-neoliberal, anti-capitalist, anti-dictatorship and anti-imperialist movements we have seen in Latin America.
To prevent the above, is now the common objective of local and international elites viz the Zimbabwe crisis, as shown in the recent International Crisis Group review of Zimbabwe. It is this which drives the marginalisation of the ordianry people from direct participation in the struggles. The hope is that of controlled tap mass actions which will make Mugabe see sense, embolden the moderate elites of Zanu PF and generally prod the Mugabe regime to make the neccessary concessions leading to a transitional arrangement between ruling party and opposition elites rather than achieve real social and political transformation that removes both political dictatorship as well as the economic dictatorship of neoliberal capitalism.
The above defines the challenges that face the radical movements that have emerged in the immediate past. A clear ideological understanding of the current crisis in its full political economic context as a crisis of an authoritarian neoliberal capitalist 3rd world state rather than a simple misgovernance crisis by the Mugabe regime. Without such understanding the movements are in danger of co-option, colonisation and neutralisation by local and international hostile capitalist forces as happened in 1996 - 1999 in Zimbabwe and earlier on in places like Zambia, Malawi, Eastern Europe etc.
Already one can sense these dangers in the huge monies likely to pour into the political and civic groups as well as the plethora of individual bravery awards being granted to leaders of the movements from abroad, the latest being that given to Jane Williams of WOZA by the USA State Department --- the butchers of tens of thousands of Iraq and Palestine women and children now giving awards of 'Women of Courage!'
The second challenge is to expand and accelarate the current economic struggles by workers, residents, traders, women, AIDS HIV activists, students, disability rights activists, debt cancellation activists, to hopefully link up with potential struggles of the rural poor but also critically with the political struggles. It is now that we must start defining the content of the change we want --- that is both political democracy as well as economic democracy in the public and private spheres of life.
That means movements that fight for a new people driven democratic constitution that not only guarantees free and fair elections but also guarantees the right to free and quality education, access to health, water, housing, electricity, facilities for the disabled; an end to patriachal and capitalist oppression of women and support for poor farmers as well as a living wage, pension and state support for workers, the elderly, pensioneers, war veterans and the disabled. Such constitution must surbodinate both public and private wealth wealtht o fulfil such demands. By definition that movement can only be anti-noeliberal, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist. By its very demands it cannot sup in the same bed with the Dells and Pollocks of this world!
This perspective is not day dreaming as shown by the numerus struggles from below that have erupted in Zimbabwe such as the teachers strike and the students boycotts. Critically is the growing role of organised labour -- the most powerful and strategic component of the broad movement of the commons. Arising from various strikes from below since the beginning of the year, the ZCTU leaders have called for a national mass action in the form of a stayway on the 3rd-4th April in demand of various economic, social and political demands that affect the commons. The damands link the various political and economic demands of the poor and oppressed in the manner outlined above unlike the limited demands of the bourgeois opposition parties and civic societies.
This is why the Zimbabwe Social Forum in its 10 March National Strategic Meeting placed total committment in mobilising the different segments and clusters of the social forum process in Zimbabwe and regionally for this action and promised subsequent ones as happened with the 2005 ZCTU led Anti-Poverty Demonstrations. It is heartening to see the solidarity action already being planned in South Africa, Botswana and the UK in regards to the same. The challenge is to develop this kind of action into a sustainable programme of full scale democratic united actions from below in the next couple of months. Without this, there remains the real danger that the courageous fight, sacrifices including that of blood that we have seen in the last few months might be channelled into a dead end elite settlement for the benefit of the few rather than the many. Yet in the last few months the commons have shown their willingness, courage and preparedness to go further than this.
Another world is indeed possible ... But only with struggle from below!
comradely
Munyaradzi Gwisai
Gwisai is a member of the National Co-ordinating Committee of the International Socialist Organisation as well as the Deputy Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Social Forum but writes here in his personal capacity.
Gwisai is a member of the National Co-ordinating Committee of the International Socialist Organisation as well as the Deputy Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Social Forum but writes here in his personal capacity.
New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.
No comments:
Post a Comment