RESIGNATION
FROM PARLIAMENT
Above all, I
want to thank you. I do not take your confidence in me for granted. In fact, it
has been the honour of my life to represent you. This is not the end for us but
the beginning of a different journey.
One of my first
promises to you was to always be honest, transparent and accountable in my
decisions. It is in this spirit that I wish to lay out my reasons for leaving
the Citizen’s Coalition for Change and resigning from Parliament with immediate
effect.
When the CCC
was launched in January of 2022, it was with the shared understanding that this
new movement would be underpinned by the core value of being citizen-centred.
It would put the welfare and aspirations of constituents like you at the heart
of all decision-making. Our goal was to build a new Zimbabwe that offered
dignity, prosperity and opportunity for everyone.
We agreed to
run under the leadership of President Nelson Chamisa as we sought to introduce
a new way of doing politics. Central to this objective was a belief that we
would put the people first.
In the wake of
the jarring electoral fraud we witnessed in August 2023, we made the tough
decision to represent those hard-won constituencies in an effort to push the
democratic process from multiple fronts.
Despite
numerous odds, we fought hard to push back against unjust, anti-people
pronouncements like the 2024 Budget, the fees crisis in higher education, the
power crisis, the broken economy and the imposition of candidates following a
series of fraudulent recalls.
Despite our
focus on a battle of ideas and policy, the regime chose the low road of an
unconstitutional onslaught on the will of the people. They used surrogates and
dark actors such as a Mr Tshabangu, whom I do not know and have not met. Their
goal is to force the two-thirds majority they failed to garner in August 2023
despite unprecedented electoral malpractices that left the region, and indeed
the globe, in shock.
We have seen
the widespread abuse of state institutions which have effectively handed over
all levers of control of the CCC to this imposter.
The assault on
the will of the people, the tainted state of Parliament, coupled with sundry
breaches of Parliamentary privilege, illegal suspensions and the decision by
President Nelson Chamisa to dissociate himself from the captured CCC have made
it untenable for me to continue in my role as a member of parliament for Mt
Pleasant Constituency under the CCC banner.
You chose me to
represent you on a platform of values which are no longer at the heart of the
CCC. I cannot remain a representative of a party whose leadership is unknown to
me and whose motives and values remain opaque. I would be failing you if I held
onto a position that will no longer serve the best interests of our community.
The CCC that I
joined is not the CCC that we have left today. I cannot in good conscience be
aligned to individuals who have caused unimaginable harm to the people by
aligning themselves with a corrupt dictatorship.
I also cannot
partner with persons who are willing to undo the will of the people and hand
over seats that citizens stood in line for hours to vote for just to score
cheap political points. This is not who I am or who I aspire to be.
The struggle
for a democratic society should never be sacrificed at the altar of expediency.
I remain committed to the cause of a better Zimbabwe. This is not an end but
merely a line in the sand.
As always, I
will remain a champion of the numerous causes important to our diverse
community. I remain at your disposal, as we collectively navigate this
uncertain phase ahead of us. Together, we will win Zimbabwe for change.
To give legal
effect to this decision, I will tender my formal resignation notice to the
Speaker of Parliament in line with section 129(1)(b) of the Constitution early
next week when Parliament re-opens.
Forever in
hope,
Fadzayi Mahere writing on X
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