It is a phrase coming into constant use to describe ordinary people in Zimbabwe organising themselves and expressing their views about what they really want. And what they want is quite different from what the political parties want. These parties have to realise this – sooner or later.
As I listened, I realised that my informant was actually drawing me back to the moment in our history when civil society last counted for something in our country. I refer to the year 1955 or thereabouts. It was the time when the trade unions which had organised the strikes of the late 1940s, the urban organisations that were responsible for the bus boycotts, the womens groups that agitated for better conditions in the townships and other organisations were all cutting their teeth on civic issues.
Around that time, the mid-fifties, this process was judged to be going nowhere and national political parties emerged that had no time for as they viewed it minor issues of wages and conditions. What they wanted was one man one vote and once it was achieved all the rest would fall into place. It was a historic judgement of the then leaders, James Chikerema, George Nyandoro, Joshua Nkomo and others and it would be foolish for someone today to say they were wrong.
They felt they were faced with intransigence by the settlers and they had no other choice. The rest is, as they say, history. Once the political parties took control of the struggle civil society was sidelined. Minor issues were not attended to. The dominant issue became who rules this country? and it has remained centre stage ever since.
But if my informant is right. This process has now run its course. The parties are doing nothing to answer the needs of civil society and this huge, but ignored, animal is now again rousing itself from a long slumber and stretching its muscles. The MDC may claim to have risen out of civil society but they seem to be forgetting this. The politics of civil society is bottom up politics where the people articulate their felt needs and expect their rulers to act. But the politics of the parties is top down where they expect the people to listen and keep quiet.
Well, the time is over for top down politics. The grassroots are stirring and any politician who wants a future in his chosen trade needs to take note.
Post published in: Opinions