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Perspective,  Stephen Mpofu
AS a pre-election year, 2017 is bound to witness flurries of activity across political isles as prospective candidates jockey with each other for ways into the hearts and minds of voters to woo the latter’s trump cards at the polls next year.

Cognisance of events in previous elections in Zimbabwe as well as in other countries where run-ups to general elections were bedevilled by political strifes, it is proper and prudent for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission to have sternly warned political organisations against resorting to the brawn rather than to the brain to cower voters to line up behind them, or get out of their way, on election day.

In an article published in this newspaper five days ago, the Rights board warned political parties inclined to fanning violence as a way of intimidating people to vote for them that they risk running the gauntlet of the law of the land.

Hearing the warning against violence, a stranger from outer space might be forgiven for believing that some political leaders in this country live in caves where they are obscured from the consequences of political violence, which are that peace and stability are compromised and as a result social and economic advancement suffers grievous stagnation.

Already efforts by some political parties to form grand coalitions against the ruling Zanu (PF) appear to have already run into snags with the leadership qualities of some of the parties being questioned openly, or indirectly as non-starters vis-a-vis the political clout of the ruling party’s gurus.

The campaign for the Bikita West constituency by election where the incumbent member of parliament, Dr Munyaradzi Kereke, has been sent to jail for a long stretch for rape, has apparently exposed a stumbling block that might make it difficult, if not altogether impossible for Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T and the Zimbabwe People First led by Dr Joice Mujuru, to cross the Rubicon together.

Other nondescript political entities also talk of coalitions against the ruling party, but lamentably appear unwilling to walk the talk together.

Then there are leaders who think Zimbabwe will be better if they, not their rivals are in power. Here is this pen’s humble advice to those leaders: please free yourselves of your imaginary.

Dethrone yourselves, and throne Jesus Christ, the Son of our Creator, and serve this nation with every atom of your strength and if in the process you demonstrate your true leadership pedigree the people of Zimbabwe will elevate you to power and give you their every support imperialism.

Otherwise if they remain unrepentant, the politicians in point will continue with their squatter — street kids — signature patronage for the latters’ moral and financial support. If foreign powers are reluctant, or fail to back the imperialist lackeys, the latter could, as is often their wont, unleash violence prior to or after the elections if they are trounced, to upset the apple cart.

In almost all political violence party youths are loosed into the fray by their leaders to brutalise political opponents and the thugs often end up looting or destroying property, or committing both crimes.

The human rights warning should also be                                 viewed as being directed to the youths to dissuade them from being used by their maniacal, power hungry leaders as though they are children who have not reached the age of reason to discern dire consequences of their action.

The law being non-discriminatory, any youths who allow themselves to be used as cats’paws by anyone, whatever the former’s political status, risk watching both the elections and its aftermath through prison bars.

This is because none of their leaders will volunteer to serve jail terms for those found on the wrong side of the law by the courts of this land.

What all Zimbabweans must realise is that the conduct of any election is subject to observation and approval or disapproval by both peace-loving fellow citizens and by the outside world.

That being the case, therefore, this pen has this humble and yet important message for all political stakeholders in Zimbabwe so that the good name or image of the motherland enjoys worldwide esteem. From this month right up to election day political leaders in particular, should switch on neon lights on their minds to continuously and relentlessly flash the critical message, as if it is advertisement on the walls or windows of a shop or other building – FREE, FAIR, TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS.

This pre-supposes an engagement in dialogue between rivals to diffuse any tension between them which might spill over into violence with all its negative consequences for this nation.

In dialogue, as opposed to physical confrontation, tongues play the sweet role of persuasive communication where knobkerries cause violent confrontations with the loss of life or limb in most cases where reason becomes a villain.

Consequently, therefore, all peace loving Zimbabweans no doubt wish to see clear footprints of our political leaders leading up to the negotiating or dialogical table, with those that they disagree with to normalise relations towards a common cause or purpose for the overall good of our nation.

Thus, the tenor of the above discourse is that persuasive communication melts hearts of stone where violence does the opposite.