WHILE pondering the enormous task of winning souls in the Bible, Jesus bemoaned that there were only a few people to assist in this task.
Report by Herbert Moyo
“The harvest is plenty but the labourers are few,” he lamented.
In selecting candidates for the imminent, high-stakes general elections, the MDC-T seems to have no such worries, but a headache of a different variety.
Apparently, there are just too many candidates chasing too few posts up for grabs in the elections later this year.
You could describe it as a case of too many labourers for the harvest.
Last week, some MDC-T officials said the party faces a huge challenge in coming up with the right people to govern the country should it win elections as most aspiring candidates lack the requisite expertise and qualifications to lead.
The party officials said of the more than 4 000 applications received so far, only Masvingo province has suitably qualified people, while most serving MPs’ qualifications fell short of expectations.
They warned this was likely to force the party to look elsewhere — outside its structures — for people with craft literacy and craft competence to fill in government posts should the MDC-T win the next elections.
It is a worrisome scenario, officials said, that some prospective candidates list the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate (Form 2) as their highest qualification.
There is also a general lack of the right mix of age, qualifications and track record of performance, as most candidates with the right expertise and qualifications are too old while the young ones lack suitable credentials.
When the MDC was formed in 1999 against the background of a groundswell of disenchantment with Zanu PF’s repressive and failed rule, it faced the dilemma of finding educated and professionally qualified candidates to contest the 2000 and 2005 elections due to the high levels of violence and intimidation.
So dire was the situation that the fledgling party had to field green former students who had no working and professional experience such as the late Learnmore Jongwe, Job Sikhala and Tafadzwa Musekiwa to contest against veteran Zanu PF MPs as experienced professionals and intellectuals kept clear of politics, fearing losing their jobs and destroying their careers.
They preferred only to be associated with the party in what party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora called “unofficial capacities”.
Fast-forward to 2013 when the political environment has changed dramatically. There are now too many people — including those from the diaspora — keen to represent the party, amid claims that some want to reap where they did not sow or view politics as a way out of poverty or to good life, not an opportunity to offer public service.
Dividing opinion within and outside the MDC-T is whether the party should discard tried and tested MPs because of lack of qualifications and expertise in favour of johnnies-come-lately who, despite high qualifications, lack the experience and courage to endure the rough and tumble of local politics.
Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo is one of party veterans facing MDC-T purges.
“I built the party’s Bulawayo East structures from scratch, traversing the length and breadth of suburbs from Woodville to Burnside,” she once said. “I’m not aware of any attempt to remove anybody, especially tried and tested cadres as that would be akin to removing those with an institutional memory of the party in favour of newcomers.”
Daily News cartoonist and political satirist Tony Namate summed the feeling of party veterans when he said on Facebook: “The MDC-T says it is worried about the low qualifications of most of the aspiring parliamentary candidates, but when they were in the trenches no one was worried about their CVs.”
Former United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell once said there was merit in allowing new blood, including those in the diaspora, to come into the party and assume leadership positions.
Dell stoked controversy following the release by WikiLeaks of secret US diplomatic cables in 2010 in which he made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s leadership qualities, describing him as “a flawed figure, not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgement”. He suggested Zimbabwe’s future leaders were in the diaspora.
“The saving grace of the MDC is likely to be found in the diaspora,” he said.
Political analyst and convenor of the Southern African Political Economy Series Trust’s policy dialogue forum Ibbo Mandaza said while ditching the old party faithful would be “fatal” for any party, it is important to technocratise government by bringing in people who are competent.
“We have a serious problem where we have some people who win elections resoundingly and yet when appointed Minister of Transport, for instance, they have no clue on how to run the ministry,” said Mandaza.
Mandaza said Zimbabwe should have followed the Kenyan model during the constitution-making exercise where MPs remain in their constituencies, but technocrats are brought in from outside to run government ministries like chief executive officers.
Zimbabwe Democracy Institute executive director Pedzisai Ruhanya said purges were not necessary.
“The technocrats they are talking about are needed to run government ministries and departments. Civil servants will guide the politicians,” said Ruhanya. “So in choosing party candidates, they should not confuse political leadership with technocrats needed for the civil service.”
Critics say given the need to balance party loyalty with competence in running government, the MDC-T runs the risk of alienating some of its loyal but less-educated members for educated newcomers, possibly with disastrous results.
If the MDC is as democratic as they claim then they should allow the chips to fall where they may. Let the people’s choice be the final yardstick to measure who represents them in parliament, outside this they are courting disaster. We also need to draw a line between education and wisdom.
@veremu, is it being seriously argued that our politicians don’t need education? If so then we are doomed. What nonsense is called wisdom in politics?
@Tommy- I may have got this wrong but then do you know of any other parliament in the world which has more PHDs per capita than our own?..and look where it has taken us..six feet underground, No? Of course our parliamentarians should have some mode of general literacy and numeracy. Remember the telling words of Lenin, “A cook can run government”.If you look deep enough into this statement a good cook knows how to use the right ingredients to make a good meal. There is nothing remotely mysterious about running government and you dont need to be a PHD to run it, far from it. The UK saw phenomenal growth under John Major whose only claim to being educated was a high school diploma. What Zimbabwe needs are upright citizens who know how to interact and consult with their constituents to articulate issues and are able to shun corruption and use murder to cover up their indiscretions. Only upright citizens are able to move the land forward.No? Who ever the people choose to represent them irregardless of their qualifications should be given lee way to represent, us that is my take. Of course it would help if they were educated but the main criteria is that they be FIT to represent us and that they are not THIEVES and MURDERERS.Those who are asked to serve in government should have a more stringent criteria but not ordinary MPs..we have seen cruel proof of what the so-called educated have done to us before. I would like to see a situation where confirmation hearings as done in the states are done for cabinet ministers..I would like them interviewed and confirmed for the job rather than be handpicked. Our ministers should be confirmed by parliamentary committees with public hearings held.This way nothing is left to chance and thieves who may have slipped through the net at parliamentary elections will simply eliminate themselves as they will know they can not stamd up to the scrutiny that they will be exposed to, those brave enough will face the music not a system where one man can pack cabinet with his friends who may be thieves..Wisdom in politics is the ability to tell what is right and what is wrong examples might be a wise man will certainly know that it is not right to steal or kill while an educated man might do so (need proof of this?) and then spend a lifetime trying to cover up for his misdeamenor but ultimately the truth will out any way. I guess while the wise man is governed by morals the educated man ‘might’ not be. If we can get an educated man who is wise, thats a bonus, but the latter tips the scale for me. But then like you, I just express an opinion.
@Chris Veremu I support your view 100% and find this report disturbing and trying to put the party of the tract. There are no hard and fast rules as far as bieng an MP and bieng in govt is concerned. Look at SA nest door they have a mixture of paliamentarians and things are working well. I think like what Chris has the will of the people should be respected first and anything else will come later and if the govt is united they will be able to move forward. MDC T do not be fooled to dump people who have helped your all along till today for those fly by nights. this has been a slow but fruitful journey you are the most popular party in the country today because of those uneducted MPs and the educated MPs your have do not be misled.
Anongove moderately educated is the right candidate for the job AS LONG AS ASIRI CORRUPT, A MURDERER, ETC because the seemingly “very educated” candidates VANOZOTISHUPA mhani……
MDC is busy registering candidates Zanupf is busy registeriung voters. All they can do is complain that ZEc is tilting the game in favour of ZPf without doing anything about it.meanhile the party leader is playing suicide by being asked to announce the appointment of a zanupf son as a human right chief. AKOMANA ONE THING YOU SHOULD BE SPENDING YOUR EFFORTS ON IS ENSURING ALL SUPPORTERS AND SYMPATHISERS ARE REGISTERED
Good observation Chaili Ngoma. MDC needs to seriously school its leadership on politics otherwise the whole country will plunge into the deep end soon after elections assumimg they garner a few “muzorewa type ” votes. This is the problem when the blind lead the enlightened which is the case in chemababie’s party.
What the hell is this moron saying.Cant find people with qualifications to rule the country.Zimbabwe has lots of them .you are just looking in the wrong places.Tsvangirai has no qualifications and what the hell is he doing at the helm of the party.we cant have one rule for them and one for us lesser mortals.Its either we have no qualifications or each one has to have them .so get rid of tsvangirayi first and put someone with certificates there.Nice try but come up with a better reason than that.
Vana mai mjuru vakabva kuhondo vasina even certificate re grade nanhasi ndimp cum vice president. Kana munhu akashinga chete. Zanypf busy kuregister vanhu kuvhota but hapana ari kusungwa but mahumen rights groups leaders vachisungwa. Morgen svinurawo haazi mamps achakuvhotera asi povo dzakavana mukana wekuregister.
I think most of polices in both Zanu-PF and MDC are made by a select few and the rest of the MPS are then whipped into line. Likely less than 20% of MPs are responsible for more than 80% of policies and decisions. So the parties should not concern themselves too much about first degrees and post graduate degrees – you need a few of those and the rest can be “O Levels” that show the right aptitude in commerce, administration etc. The track record in Zimbabwe is that MPs and Ministers with degrees & PhDs even have not helped us secure a prosperous economy. Education alone doesn’t cut it for those top posts – Honesty, Integrity, and Servant Leadership would be the qualities to look for.
Well said buddy. We actually have the most educated president but with little to show for it. We need people with sympathy, empathy. People who are patriotic who know they are not in politics for themselves. For that, you need the right aptitude, attitude & humanity.
Let democracy win. I think freedom to chose your own leader is more important than certificates! If somebody wins primaries to represent his constituents, he has shown maturity to lead. & that is more than a certificate.
Vangani vainge vakadzidza 1980?.
@Casper, the answer to your question is vashoma, and look where we are now, down in the pits.
The truth ruling a country has nothing to do with education this has been proven by many leaders who have successfully led their countries well its only respecting the will of the people not putting your thinking into their minds like the Old Bob who think that he is the only one who can rule.