Benjamin Franklin once said;  “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”.

Early in the morning before I got to work I wake up for a daily fix of world news from various channels, from ZBC ‘s political machinations to Press TV’s anti-West propaganda from Iran. Yesterday I almost got lost on time as I got to drawn into an Edward Snowden interview on CNN. This is one guy who turned from being a spy to a whistleblower and in the end he exposed the ridiculous.

From the George Bush era to Obama’s second term in office, the US government has been on a mission to do data mining and eavesdropping on people’s conversations and online activities through a programme called PRISM. The scam involved some of the social media companies we have been trusting with our valuable private information. From big telecomms companies to social media and search engine companies like Facebook and Google, the US government has  been able to access private information on citizens and all this was done in the name of national security. Holed up in Hong Kong the former spy revealed that a total of nine mobile and technology companies knew about PRISM and collaborated in turning over citizens’ private information to the government.

To me Snowden is a hero because he took an oath to defend the Constitution but when he realized that the Constitution was being violated he decided to go public. Of course there are those calling for his head for treason and some may argue and say if you have nothing to hide then why worry but the bottom line is citizens’ liberties are being given away for temporary safety. If a government can have access to people’s private telephone records even without any wrongdoing is not a violation of human rights then what would stop Swaziland or Sudan’s government from investing in such technology that can used infringe on citizen’s rights under the same banner of national security. Like any previous laws passed in US which infringe on online freedoms PRISM has set a bad precedence to countries with repressive regimes as this will be a justification to wiretap and monitor online activities of citizens.

I am currently developing a Ward 7 (Harare City Council – Strathaven, Avondale, Alex Park, Gun Hill) directory, so people who live here can also buy and play here. It’s about building community, getting to know your neighbours. I walk from shop to church to police station to school to sports club to next shop, and get the contact details for public consumption.

I am amazed at how many places, mainly shops, but even a hospital; do not want to give out information.

“What do you want to know for?”
“Why should we tell you?”
“We can’t give that information out”
“What will you do with it?”

Is this the legacy of thirty years of democracy? That Zimbabweans are so mistrustful that they will not tell the public what the phone number of their shop is? Do they believe ‘Big Brother’ is watching them with CCTVs, Internet devices, etc? Is there some conspiracy I am unknowingly a part of by gathering their (not even private) information?

Or do Zimbabweans simply mistrust their government (unity or otherwise), and have such fear of the ‘authorities’. Most public establishments have a posted on the sign board outside on the street – which is why I have gone in to talk to them – but they are afraid to let anyone take any details. Has the government grown so far away from the people … a favourite phrase from so many liberation speeches of the 50s and 60s, (from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address)? We want a “government, of the people, by the people, and for the people”. And what have we got? A government of elites, by elites, for elites; we have ‘Representatives’ that do not drive or walk the same streets, do not buy in the same shops, do not have children in the same schools, do not see the same doctors, as us.

Or do I look like a Nigerian spammer? Is it just me they don’t trust? Why is there such fear, belligerence, refusal, denial, and hostility, towards giving the community information that will make them find you, come into your shop, and buy something?

It is no surprise really that Mugabes in the form of the head of state’s nephews have over the years fashioned themselves as above the law. Hey, this is African politics, the right surname can get you places, you know!

This does not help matters in trying to fight the fires of accusations of Zanu PF being essentially anarchist, and we only have to recall the dreadlocked one “invading” a bird sanctuary and ominously promising that he will be back after the “law” extended its arm and forced the “occupiers” to retreat.

Now we read that the former football administrator nephew of the president walked into a Chinese company (how dare he?), declared that he was the new head honcho, changed locks and expected to live happily ever after.

Yes just like that.

This is just but another reminder that the country has to wean itself from the odium forcibly visited on it by people who firmly believe they must “eat” from this anarchist’s trough, gorge themselves before Zanu PF disappears from the country’s political radar.

Surely they must be seeing this as imminent despite all that propagandist baloney that all signs point to extend rule come elections, why would there be this brazen economic anarchism on the eve of poll?

One indigenisation exponent actually once told a public meeting that Zimbabwe will not always be caught in this political and economic circus, therefore people must move in for the kill now – i.e. capitalise on the lawless expropriation of mines, companies, farms etc.

Something worth imagining is that while the lawyer of the Chinese firm Leo Mugabe was envying said Leo was “applying laws of the jungle”, and the courts have ordered the anarchist to “immediately and forthwith” return any documents, offices and office keys and any other such effects to the Chinese firm,” would the ruling have been this favourable had it not been a Chinese firm under siege?

Not anticipated by many, it looks like Zimbabwe’s new constitution has ushered in an era full of uncertainty and insanity. Call them radical thinkers or progressive minds or just disruptive minds; all these minds are contributing to the political circus of Zimbabwe. Just like in any circus, if a show starts to lose the audience, the producers quickly change the script – something that I think producers of Zimbabwe’s political circus should do.

The debate hosted by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition yesterday on the recent Constitutional judgement exposed political weaknesses all round. It also exposed the habit of just issuing out press statements without action, which has been long been adopted by civic organisations.

The circus really began when the courts ruled in favour of the private citizen who had filed the lawsuit and ordered that elections be held by 29th July.

The panic and lack of strategy exhibited by the opposition parties in response to this ruling made me realize I was not the only one who one lacks knowledge of the constitution. The same constitution we endorsed without knowing its contents is now coming back to haunt us.

Caught napping again, Zimbabwe’s opposition parties began to scurry for cover, taking defensive positions. Among the noted defensive lines is the issue of “reforms”. On this one I would side with the progressive minds at Bumbiro house. These guys have been calling for these reforms for ages but nobody listened only to be labeled disruptive minds by those who now eat at the high table in Parliament. For how long will the nation wait for reforms and the continued mediation of President Zuma? I don’t think even Mr Zuma will have the power to reverse the decision taken by the courts but will just tell the GPA principals to hold free and fair elections.

The nation has been in election mode for some time and the continued backtracking by the opposition has been giving arsenal to ZANU-PF’s campaign strategy. The reality is that the so-called free and fair conditions being called for by Civil Society and opposition parties will not happen in the short timeframe given by the court.

So where is the plan “B” if there is one?

As an advocate of civil disobedience, Henry David Thoreau asserted that it is basically criminal that one has got to pay money toward wars that he/she doesn’t support. It makes them accomplices to murder. Zimbabweans are a very perfect example of this view. People are paying taxes everyday to the government and in turn the fiscal allocations to our security bodies are being used to ferment torture and murder. Elections right now are fast approaching and apparently the Joint Operation Command has already pledged their allegiance to ZANU PF. Thoreau once said, ‘It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see’. I see the great nation of Zimbabwe being accomplices to their own annihilation. But still I pray for discernment in our leaders’ minds to look out for the people.