BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
London, England. (News of The South) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa (ED) has picked former MDC legislator for Mabvuku-Tafara, James Maridadi for a role as an ambassador. This shocked the critics of the president. Despite the fact that MDC is a counter revolutionary party Mnangagwa strolled through all the barriers of political fabrics and showed the world that he is not bogged down by politics. He is doing it for the country.
The former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation disc jockey, Maridadi’s appearance at the diplomatic training course which commenced in Harare on the second of April was testimony that President Mnangagwa’s commitment towards inclusivity is not just mere talk.
A perennial theme in the analysis of
the Zimbabwe’s system of democracy is the necessity for institutional reform to redress the intolerance in the political arena. The president moved to ensure that the opposition can properly perform the duties and oversight functions assigned to it under the norms of the Zimbabwean political model. A popular focus of attention is the inclusitivioty and act beyond politics for the best interest of the nation which is regarded as an essential element in an effective people oriented regime.
In many jurisdictions opposition members have been left out and never considered to serve the nation. But ED has added and re-structured the system of appointing in order to bring out the best of the citizens across the political divide. ED had lived to his promises by picking up a man who belongs to the opposition to serve the country without bias, and the legislature’s capacity to debate ever increasing volumes of government business, enhance the supervision of government departments, and to enable legislators to initiate their own investigations into public policy because they will be feeling included.
ED has allowed a system where the legislature is most deeply engaged in monitoring the openness and transparency of the appointments process controlled by the executive.
ED has indicated his government is prepared to permit opposition members to be considered for public appointments. This is done for the best interest of the nation.
The appointment of Maridadi has made tongues fly. They argue that any functions or roles, in government service often conflict in their daily performance as opposition. They have a narrow view where they think that opposition is meant to oppose anything the government does. The innovation shown by ED in appointing James Maridadi is being interpreted by the detractors as an oversight mechanism. It reflects opposition’s historic role as the institution where the executive is held accountable for its management of the administration and not to have the opposition as part of the system. At the same time, however, the terms of reference reserved to cabinet the discretion to continue to appoint its own party supporters to positions in government. This brute fact of political reality ensured that the selection of appointees for jobs in government would be influenced by partisan considerations, importing into the Government’s operation the role of the opposition which is to build the nation without favour.
The tension between these opposition functions has shaped how the ED has discharged his mandate.
James Maridadi
In the absence of a veto over cabinet appointments, the Opposition lacks any institutional mechanism for compelling the cabinet to engage with the interviewing process, other than the negative media publicity generated by the public exposure of an egregious patronage appointment.
It is s shame that the opposition is bothering ZANU PF government to come to talks and form a government of National Unity yet they become angry when ED appoints one of them to serve the nation.
Zimbabwe has grown beyond politics. The president is now embracing the opposition on the grounds of their abilities. The wedging of tongues and vilifying Maridadi only exposes the opposition in their chicanery.
The president has risen and performed to the occasion. Labelling Maridadi a traitor is only the shallowness of the opposition. There is nowhere in our laws which prohibits the president from appointing members of opposition into active civil service.
So there is nothing wrong in appointing any one in Zimbabwe to serve Zimbabwe.
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