By Cyprian M Ndawana Good day Mr President I HOPE this letter finds you well Mr President, Zimbabwe desperately needs to have a political conversion. As Britain mulls imposing fresh sanctions on Zimbabwe, it is time government abandoned politicking. It is imperative to stop the trite narrative that sanctions were imposed illegally. Your Excellency, the government stance on sanctions prompts me into action. My obligation to the court of public opinion mandates me to challenge the narrative that embargoes were illegally imposed by the West at the instigation of the opposition. It is nonsensical to argue that the West, in particular Britain, was motivated by malice. Actually, calls for the immediate unconditional removal of sanctions, moreso the musical galas and demonstrations, are ineffectual because you did not correct the wrongs that caused their impositions. As I see it, these activities expose the paucity of governmental intellect. It is ridiculous to contend that the humdrum solidarity speeches by some regional heads of State can amount to anything meaningful. It is about time government squarely faced reality. Me thinks sanctions were justly imposed. They became inevitable at the turn of the century following government’s defeat in a referendum. State-sanctioned brutality, including commercial farm takeovers, rose to unprecedented levels, warranting imposition of sanctions. Actually, sanctions are not the cause of the deep-seated crisis as government oftentimes claims. It is a combination of corruption, abuse of power, violation of human rights and the absence of rule of law that consigned the country to the economic deathbed. Your Excellency, it is my onerous responsibility to herald the news that the country is on the single-digit countdown to the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and that a second round of sanctions is around the corner. As I see it, the recall of duly-elected parliamentarians and councillors amounts to a reversal of the outcome of the 2018 elections. Despite being spiced with an aroma of legitimacy, the recalls raise stench. They stoked anger and resentment in the electorate. Fair-minded citizenry shudder at the affront on democracy. Methinks the recall of duly-elected representatives is a wanton prostitution of democracy. It has far-reaching consequences that justify imposition of further sanctions. Primarily, Parliament symbolises democracy. It is an institution of honour and reverence, just like a court of law. It embodies social cohesion, hence it is referred to as august House. Under the precepts of democracy, the electorate has a say in the affairs of a nation through elected political representation. Yet, this was negated when a member of the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad), Thokozani Khupe, who masquerades as opposition, and her cohorts were sworn in as parliamentarians. Progressive citizens were aggrieved by the precedence set by her recent swearing in. Consequently, October 7, 2020 is remembered as a doomsday, just as August 1, 2018. What makes Polad a sick political j
