BY TAPIWA GOMO THE road to democracy is not easy for countries that have emerged from decades of colonial systems and replaced by autocratic ones which derive their power from military as well as tribal politics. Such is our sad story where hope for change — the opposition political parties — are emblematic of both the pre- and post-independence autocracy. A golden opportunity was missed at independence when those in power failed to foster a culture of democracy where leadership derives from the people, meritocracy, and competition of ideas. But here we are. A liberation movement has turned into a criminal cartel that feast on national resources. It has turned into a self-serving monster that preys on dissenting voices. It has become an enemy of the people to the extent that justifies another revolution to re-unite a diverse population towards a new national identity, common values and goals under the banner of ideas. Embracing difference and political tolerance is the beginning of democracy. Some argue that it was in the early 1990s that the calls for political change started to emerge led by the likes of Ndabaningi Sithole’s Zanu Ndonga, Edgar Tekere’s Zimbabwe Unity Movement and Margaret Dongo’s Zimbabwe Union of Democrats. Others take it back to as early the 1980s the days of Joshua Nkomo’s Zapu. Sadly, all these movements from the 1980s to date have approached the political battleground as if it is premised on democratic principles where autocracy could easily be flushed out via votes even as they encountered guns in the campaign trails. The baseline is that democracy is yet to visit this country. We need to press the reset button. While the relationship between truth and democracy has historically been frosty, democracy insists that truth, honesty and accountability matter for it to be effective. The people come first before anything else. What we have is a pseudo-democracy that allows regular elections and rides on reciting the Constitution to convey a false sense of legitimacy. This is why, while the country has massively regressed over the past four decades, the ruling elite’s personal economies continue to grow. Because it has been protracted for such a long time, the undemocratic environment has bred opportunistic opposition characters disguised as democratic movements. Part of the reason is that, the financial benefits of being in opposition politics have grown exponentially compared to the days of Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, Edgar Tekere and others. These were inspired by the love for their country while today’s politics is now a multi-million-dollar donor-sponsored industry with less or no accountability. This is why, while the economy is on a freefall, politicians are getting wealthier. It can be safely said that for established politicians, both ruling and opposition, any change will alter their income, so things must stay the same. It is indeed a proverbial  case of the apple not falling far from the tree. Main opposition and ruling parties are both cut from the same cloth. They exhibit undemoc