Liberty and Opposition Politics in Africa

Cde Marshall Gore

The issue of credibility in domestic politics has always been a thorny one for most political parties in Africa, especially the opposition. In Southern Africa where I come from, the liberation has always been hailed as the main port of entry into political legitimacy. Most opposition parties in Southern Africa have struggled to gain political power through elections or normal politics even under democratic conditions.

Onyekachi Wambu a renowned political writer notes that in Africa, the anti-colonial and liberation parties and their charismatic leaders who took power became the most important shapers of the state. It is clear from this background that the liberation struggle in most African countries, with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia, shapes many people’s political views.

In the last 50 years, the foundations of political parties built with the concrete of the struggle have remained unshaken in most African regions. Southern Africa is one region where the liberation movements continue to overwhelmingly dominate politics despite these countries being democracies.

After fighting vicious liberation wars, Frelimo, Zanu-PF, MPLA have maintained their credible positions in power at the expense of newly found opposition that is anti-liberation.

I strongly believe that credible opposition cannot come from outside the liberation parties in Southern Africa during this current era of our history. It is important, in my opinion, based on the Zimbabwe experience that the opposition should seek to embrace the liberation struggle values in its quest for political legitimacy.

Failure to do this leaves it vulnerable and open to valid criticism on the grounds of, spurning out spite and neglecting the sacrifice made by the freedom fighters that liberated the country from colonial rule.

Zimbabwe is one unique country where the liberation struggle has always had a lot of significance to mainstream politics and where politics cannot be separated from the liberation struggle. You may choose to disagree with me on this but it’s a fact. The current and most fundamental issue of political debate in the country, the land reform is deeply rooted in the concrete of the liberation struggle.

Zanu-PF has chosen to embrace the land issue wholeheartedly and to drive it forward publicly during its previous and recent electoral campaigns. It is no coincidence that the party has wooed many followers to its camp by protecting the liberation gains 33 years after Independence from colonial rule.

Yet to their detriment the main opposition parties in the country, the MDC and its formations included, have chosen to neglect the land issue and hardly mention it during their campaign rallies. They are pre-occupied with democracy, legitimacy and issues of equality. They see the liberation as an outdated idea, a fashion outfit not worth wearing in this new political dispensation. I believe failure to embrace the liberation characterisation has hindered many contemporary opposition parties in Zimbabwe from winning votes from all sectors of the society.

ZANU PF - The vintage party has the capacity to understand the
challenges faced by all sectors of society 

In my opinion, Zanu-PF the vintage party of the revolution seems to have the capacity to understand the challenges faced by all sectors of Zimbabwe society and the ability to play the vanguard role in addressing the immediate interest of the people.

Nevertheless, I must make the point that the challenges that Zanu-PF faced over the last 12 years as a party and government should not be underestimated. They were forced to adopt some policies perceived as wrong by outside observers yet these policies were the right solutions to the problems Zimbabwe was facing at the time.

On a recent visit to South Africa, attending the Thabo Mbeki Foundation Conference, I noticed that many black South Africans disgruntled with the leadership of President Zuma were not willing to punish their own liberation party the ANC by taking their votes to the less credible white funded opposition parties. They instead channelled their dissatisfaction towards a campaign for change of leadership within the party.

They targeted December 2012 congress held in Mangaung as a battle ground to bring new leadership in the party.

Wambu suggests in his own words that “If credible opposition parties cannot come from outside the liberation circle in Southern Africa, then perhaps it’s time for the liberation parties in the region to split, creating space for normal politics to resume.”

President Michael Sata - A strong advocate and champion
of the liberation cause

Although I disagree with Wambu’s assertion, it was clearly evident from events in Zambia that this can be a possibility. The Patriotic Front (Zambia) formed by President Michael Sata in 2001 following a breakaway from MMD, came to power in the 2011 elections. Sata, a revolutionary who served under Kenneth Kaunda in UNIP, is regarded by many in Zambia as a strong advocate and champion of the liberation cause.

It is clear from the above that the ethos of the liberation in Southern Africa still thumps  other considerations in domestic politics. If the opposition parties are to gain credibility, they have to fully embrace the liberation struggle and its tenets. Failure to do this will once again see the anti-colonial and liberation parties and their charismatic leaders retaining power. 

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Marshall Gore  is the Interim Secretary for Adminstration for the ZANU PF UK Chapter. He writes in his own personal capacity.  Cde Marshall Gore's Profile