Former Minister of Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo has claimed that the country’s authorities are fearful of the citizens.
Professor Moyo made the remarks during an online live programme in which he revealed that the famous final push of 2001 sent shivers in the country’s securocrats.
“When there was the final push the famous 2001, I was in the Government, one thing that I remember about that experience which keeps visiting me now as people are grappling with a deteriorating economic situation is that….actually I remember vividly how scared these security people were of the final push and how many of them if not all of them were nowhere to be found.
“They were literally in hiding. They were afraid of the people thinking that the whole country will descend on them. They were very afraid” said Prof Moyo
He said there is a belief among the people that the authorities are courageous and the people of Zimbabwe do not realise the power they have.
“There is a tendency to think that they (authorities) are all macho, goal-getters, they are so fearful, they are so afraid of the people. Certain things are easier said and others things are also easier assumed and they don’t match with the actual experience.
“The system is very afraid of the people. The people in Zimbabwe unlike other populations in the region and elsewhere on the continent have not yet realised the power that they have and it is the only difference so far.” he said.
He gave the recalling of legislators from Parliament as an example that would attract mass action from the citizens.
“We allow them to do certain things that they should not do elsewhere for example parliament recklessly exercise this recalling power in the manner that Jacob Mudenda and Marble Chinomona have been doing. We tend to think the victims and targets are members of the MDC Alliance or the leadership of the MDC Alliance or even Nelson Chamisa. We do not see it as an attack on the voter who has a right to join a political party and vote for that political party and we allow political parties to play games with the right to vote.” he said
Professor Moyo’s remarks come at a time when there is a social media campaign to demonstrate against the Government over the deteriorating socio-economic situation.
