<\/p>\n
Early in the morning just as the sun rises over the mountains and the sky is orange, and the reflection in the water is gold, two men set out in a small canoe. It is completely quiet and still, not a bird song, not a breath of wind, just two men in a canoe.<\/p>\n
They are laying their net along a stretch of the water, pendulous drops of water hanging on the oars sparkling as they catch the first light of the sun.<\/p>\n
It is so tranquil, so beautiful, so peaceful that it makes the events currently going on in Zimbabwe shameful, despicable, and sickening.<\/p>\n
As the little boat moves out of sight, oars dipping into the water, I close my eyes and think of the words of the man I\u2019d been talking to the day before.<\/p>\n
His story was also about fish, but there was nothing at all beautiful and tranquil about it. His story was about the public hearings on the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are throwing crumbs to the fish in the pond,\u201d the man told me. \u201cThe fish rush to grab the crumbs, only to find themselves caught in a net. And then they are dead and gone, eaten up.\u201d<\/p>\n
As it is again, and has been repeatedly for so long, we talk in riddles in Zimbabwe if it\u2019s got anything to do with politics.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s dangerous to speak openly and so we lower our voices and look over our shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fish have not learned that the crumbs are a trap,\u201d the man said, and we both shook our heads sadly.<\/p>\n
This time the crumbs \u2013 otherwise known as bribes \u2013 are wheelbarrows, solar panels, \u00a0fertiliser, money, food and drink.<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
People in rural villages are called outside by men who come in smart cars with dark windows and no number plates, men who tell them that they must go to the public hearings and say that changing the Constitution is good, because the president needs to stay in power until 2030 because he has so many projects to finish.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe ruling party decides to extend president\u2019s term to 2030<\/p>\n
Projects such as filling potholes and fixing roads they say; sinking boreholes and bringing piped water to rural homesteads.<\/p>\n
No one dares say that this party has had 46 years in power and this president has been in office since 2017, but in all that time the roads are still unpassable, bridges are broken, boreholes have not been sunk and people still carry water on their heads in containers from the rivers.<\/p>\n
No one dares say that most people are so poor that they live on $3.65 a day.<\/p>\n
Imagine that number: people living on $3.65 a day \u2013 less than the price of a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n
No one dares say it doesn\u2019t need politicians to fix potholes or lay water pipes, it just needs workers with shovels, engineers with lorries and tar, and funds not being looted by officials in government.<\/p>\n
As people in villages are being rounded up and \u2018persuaded\u2019 to support a Constitutional Amendment that will see the current president and government stay in power until 2030 and will strip citizens of their right to vote for the president, in towns and cities the \u2018persuasion\u2019 is more volatile.<\/p>\n
Lawyer and former Finance Minister Tendai Biti said that parliament\u2019s public consultation process is \u201ca big fraudulent scam that reflects the desperation and immorality of the rag team.<\/p>\n
Through capture, coercion, and brute force, the regime intends to manufacture a false consensus\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
In Bulawayo, prominent opposition figures were denied the right to contribute at public hearings when the chair ignored their attempts to speak and then abruptly closed the hearings.<\/p>\n
At Harare\u2019s public hearings, individuals opposed to the Constitution Amendment Bill were also denied the right to speak including Tendai Biti, Jameson Timba, Morgen Komichi, Lovemore Madhuku, Fadzayi Mahere, Jacob Ngarivhume, Doug Coltart and others.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Standing up for what\u2019s right in Zimbabwe
\nWhen gifts are not gifts in Zim<\/p>\n
Chaos ensued when human rights lawyer Doug Coltart was attacked and had his phone stolen from his hand.<\/p>\n
Outside the venue looking disheveled and in shock, Doug said: \u201cWe stand for justice and what we have seen here today is not justice. What we have seen here is not right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attorney Fadzayi Mahere said: \u201cWhen we say the public hearings are a farce, this is what we mean. We put our hands up. We waited peacefully for the mic to come to us but they refused to let us speak. They kept saying, \u201chamubate mic.\u201d (you won\u2019t touch the microphone).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a total farce. No amount of bussing and sham political choreography will give legitimacy to this bill. The people are saying NO.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
90 days to stop the coup on Zimbabwe\u2019s constitution
\nHelping hands, and hands that just keep taking in Zimbabwe
\nZimbabwe\u2019s untouchables: A signature, a bribe and a blind eye<\/p>\n
Looking for hope to give at the end of this letter, I found it in the words of Doug Coltart.<\/p>\n
After being physically assaulted and having his nationality questioned at the public hearings, he said: \u201cAnd to all those who say that I am not Zimbabwean because of the colour of my skin, may you find healing for the hate in your hearts. I don\u2019t hate you back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Cathy Buckle<\/p>\n
#fish #crumbs #politicians<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Early in the morning just as the sun rises over the mountains and the sky…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[7274,4999,4080],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3203\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}