PROPOSAL TO ELEVATE CHAMISA STATUS NOW IN FRONT OF MNANGAGWA

A proposal to elevate the office of the Leader of the Official Opposition to an official Office of State is now in jeopardy as President Mnangagwa went into the election without signing it off.

Aides to Mnangagwa suspect that the President feared the move could be spun by detractors to paint him as a man who was setting up a cushy office for himself in preparation for defeat at the Harmonised Poll of 2018. Hence it was left to be picked at the beginning of a new President's term.

Sources in ED's office revealed that the matter has since been complicated further. Now that he and those around them know they have won the election, the President fears it would be misinterpreted as a sop to a man complaining about his victory being stolen". Which would distract from government business as it could embolden a beaten man to think the approach a sign of weakness. 

Because of Chamisa's chosen strategy of agitation and threatening anarchy, this important pillar of the building of the Second Republic is now in jeopardy.

The MDC Alliance President, who, we can confirm, has lost the presidential poll that he did not want to take place, is threatening to make Zimbabwe ungovernable if he is not declared the winner, prompting the government to bring water canons and police into the streets of the capital.

Still pursuing his strategy of discrediting the elections in order to achieve a Government of National Unity, Chamisa is clearly unaware that President Mnangagwa has already ruled out the possibility of a repeat of the 2009 - 2013 Inclusive Government.

Mnangagwa's approach to the Second Republic is actually quite progressive.  Apart from reforms to the laws of Zimbabwe to make doing business easier, he is also intent of building what he calls "strong, independent state institutions that can outlast all of us". He is calling it the "British/Japanese model. The Japanese have such strong institutions, Mnangagwa points out, that, even when they were changing governments every single year for 50 years before Prime Minister Abe took over, their economy continued to grow into the second largest in the world after being destroyed during the Second World War. Government business is actually professionally run by technocratic civil servants who are not corruptible, making an actual government only a policy-making and policy-driving machine.

In the United Kingdom, they have probably the strongest independent institutions in the world, which can not be compromised by a Prime Minister or any party in power.

The Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom actually gets a government salary and perks, including government vehicles and state protection.

When making important decisions that have a national impact (going to war, signing an international treaty or implementing society-shaping policies in the UK), a current UK Prime Minister will almost always either inform the Leader of the Opposition or consult him.

There are also regular scheduled meetings between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, so the the opposition can table its thoughts and idea and seek ways to cooperate with the government for national good.

Mnangagwa admires this approach very much and has even said out loud "Then after years, you know you go back to elections and thrash each other in front of the people, come back and do it all over again."

I suspect the idea of creating the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition will still go ahead, but it now not be announced at the same as Mnangagwa's new cabinet, which had been the original idea by the president.

"We might actually destroy the institution if we launch it for a man with such student politics thinking. It would debase one critical pillar of the Second Republic, this Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Perhaps ED should wait implementing this until a more mature leader of the opposition emerges, so that national development can take place."