Stembile Mpofu
It has become very clear that the ability to take responsibility for things that are negative or go wrong diminishes with the magnitude of a problem. The bigger a problem is the longer the fingers are that are pointing and assigning blame to someone else. This is the case in all spheres of life. Children often seek to put the blame on each other when an accident occurs. Even where children are caught fighting each child will be quick to point at the other and say s/he started the fight. When relationships break down more often than not the narrator’s side of the story is about how the actions of the other party led to the breakdown. Even within organisations you will find the finger pointing habit will take place between departments and then within departments.
The opposite is true when things are going right, full responsibility is taken in the light of a positive development. Each parent swiftly takes credit when a child does well in school and they proudly stand in the limelight shouting Mwana wangu iyeye (that is my child). When awards are accepted for good work in an organisation every department will be keen to take the credit and every employee wants to be associated with the organisation’s success.
At the national level the same dynamic plays itself out. When a country is doing well there is pride in its citizens and everything that is done by the country and its people is carried out with pride. However, when things are not going well the time comes to find someone to blame for the mess. It is rare for people to stop and reflect and think how they have contributed to the current difficulties they are experiencing. This has been clear with the British Brexit dilemma. As the leader of the country, Theresa May is the poster child of the Brexit fiasco. She has not navigated the negotiation waters perfectly but has attempted to do the best she can with an impossible situation. When history is written a great deal of the blame will be placed on her head. Any complex analysis of how the United Kingdom came to be in this place may not receive much attention. The issue will be that Theresa May bungled the negotiations. Few will remember that David Cameron was the leader who opened the Pandora’s box by failing to stand his ground against those calling for a referendum on Brexit. The fact that the referendum campaign was riddled with misinformation will be a whispered circumstance. The fact that it was the British people who voted to leave will be an inconvenient fact. Another inconvenient fact that will not be acknowledged is the fact that Theresa May took up an impossible task in attempting to negotiate a deal that would be acceptable to the wide spectrum of needs, interests and opinions in both the UK and the EU. Brexit will be seen as Theresa May’s failure. The people of Britain are unlikely to take full responsibility for it. And as we see happening the pointing fingers are slowly turning into knives as the political hounds nip at her heels and bay for her blood. The unfortunate truth being that even if she resigns the Brexit problem will remain in its current glory.
As is the case in the UK it is in Zimbabwe. The citizens of Zimbabwe disassociate themselves with the current state of the nation. There is a narrative that absolves every citizen of the country of any responsibility for the current state of the nation and places the blame squarely on the Zanu PF government. Once the blame has been apportioned it becomes the duty of every citizen to assume a negative mindset about everything that happens in the country. As the story goes the government is corrupt and has destroyed the country. The ruling elite has taken it all and left us the poor citizens with nothing but despair. Even where something positive happens the default mode is to assume the worst and hold our heads in despair in anticipation of the calamity that will inevitably follow. What we do not realise is that while our eyes are closed in despair we fail to see the opportunities that exist in our situation. We find comfort in our wailing and keenly feel pity for ourselves. Both the British people and Zimbabweans have a chance to move forward if all citizens begin to think beyond partisan politics and nurture a desire to take their countries forward. This begins with taking responsibility for our part in the drama. As far as Zimbabweans are concerned there is a narrative that has citizens acting as if corruption happens in government only. This is simply not true. Corruption is rampant in the private sector, the informal sector, civil society and in our churches. It is there in every space in our country. Many people are prone to speak with disdain of the corrupt actions of others while walking the same corrupt road and enjoying the fruits of corruption. But they do not see their actions and behaviour as corrupt. Their actions are justified because they are taking advantage of a situation that the “elites” created and are just doing what the circumstances have forced them to do. Their actions are justified while the actions of other members of the same society are not; it is them and not us.
As Zimbabweans we have a desire to see our country prosper, its prosperity will result in our own upliftment. There is however little strategic thinking and planning that our leaders are doing to achieve this. In this instance I am not speaking of the political leaders but all leaders in their different spheres of influence. Leaders in the private sector, civil society and the churches compete with each other to see who can compose the most eloquent complaint about our situation. Their favourite pastime is seeing who can write the most scathing analysis of any new development that takes place. The media sees its role as being one of continuously transmitting bad news, if one reads the independent media, or of “heralding” unbelievably good news if one is reading the state media. There is little balance and few seek to proffer any solutions to our problems. There is little constructive engagement with the country’s reality and where any voice attempts to be constructive they are insulted and to leave people to their complaining.
The net effect of the Zimbabwean situation is not the result of the “single hand” of government. It is the result of the many hands of all Zimbabweans either doing nothing to work to challenge and improve their situation or doing something to exacerbate it. It is time to take responsibility for this. This is the time to use the skills that have been learnt in the hundreds of hours of leadership courses that have been attended. It is time for that investment to start paying off for the good of the nation.
To begin with, each sector must sit down and have a conversation with itself and about itself. Not about the government or Zanu PF or MDC or politics. Each sector must carry out an objective analysis of the part it has played or not played and should have, in creating Zimbabwe’s current reality. This conversation is about your sector. If you identify corruption as an issue plaguing the country do not talk about corruption in government, talk about the corruption in your own sector.
There will be little value in discussing corruption in government because we do that every single day. Government corruption should only be discussed in the context of how your sector has aided and abetted government officials in carrying out corruption? If you are in the private sector ask yourselves what actions you have carried out that have corruptly benefitted you at the expense of the country and its citizens? As journalists and media practitioners what stories have you written to your own benefit but have been detrimental to the overall morale and psychological welfare of Zimbabweans? Civil society actors what projects have you carried out knowing fully well they will not benefit a community but benefit you individually? As churches how have you robbed struggling and desperate individuals of their hard earned money by selling cheap miracles? How have you used the gift of the gab to enrich yourself and impoverish millions? As civilians how much wasted energy have you spent praying for prosperity instead of working hard to achieve it? If the problem is the country’s currency talk about how your sector has contributed to the currency distortions and any negative developments with regards the nation’s currency. If it is about the lack of integrity and honesty in how we conduct ourselves as Zimbabweans, do not take time to discuss how these virtues are lacking in government but look for the lack of integrity and honesty in your own sector. After identifying our own bad habits let us own them. This requires us to take full responsibility for our actions without justification and shifting the blame. We can then begin to devise ways in which we can change our own bad habits. The simple fact being that that is the sphere over which we have influence and therefore have the power to change.
We have spoken and continue to speak about how terrible things are in Zimbabwe. We do so because we are experiencing very challenging times. However, challenges are not resolved because they have been examined, analysed and complained about. Challenges can only change when there is the courage to boldly act in a constructive way in order to change them. There is no glory in perpetually throwing spanners in the works and pointing fingers, but there is value in devising strategic solutions to build our country.
