Immortalization .Scourge of the strongman politics .

By Lloyd Takawira

"Me me me me me me me me me " summed it all . That how one of the  South African dailies headlined the Zimbabwean  governments move to  renaming of major roads and buildings as an honor to "Luminaries".

One commentary from  my fellow brother and academic Eric Muzimando , were questioned the logic behind having a whole cabinet discussing about naming a road was also an eye opener.

When the news about the move was announced , social media was abuzz with mixed reactions .

While decolonializing our roads and buildings is a noble idea , of note is that the white did not just come here and started naming roads after themselves .

The whites build roads and infrastructure and named them after themselves which is what we expected from those who bagged nine out of ten , one commentator said

One of the interesting talk point from this harbinger is that we are entrenching a strongman narrative to the political and governance culture .

A whole cabinet to seat and discuss changing a street name or building is a very lowly rating for people who are failing to grapple with the economic and political doldrums bedeviling this country .

Polarization
Social media was awash with mixed reactions to the renaming of major roads .Mixed reactions , tempers flaring charactorised the move by government

Emerson Mnangagwa road
One of the most interesting talk point is Emerson Mnangagwa road . One would want to ask why of all the said luminaries , the persona of President Mnangagwa topped the debate .

Its a confirmation of the political polarization that has gripped the nation .

While naming a road after President Mnangagwa is noble idea because just like any liberation war fighter , the man is amongst them , no doubt about that .

However , the brickbats and vilification confirms that the government of today need to dialogue  with the people .  

We are the headmasters
While many can critique the move by goverment from a face value the move is purely a signal that we make decisions

Who controls Urban councils
While the urban councils act spells succinctly that councils by virtue of law are empowered to names and rename roads .

The move to bypass cpuncils most of them MDC run  is an indicator that you have no power .

While the MDC controls councils , the move to rename councils further confirms what local government analysts have always argued that , the failure by local authorities while partly corruption the continued state snooping is also affecting the smooth operations of councils .

The feel us mantra
The government has been grappling with dissent . The renaming of roads especially after President Mnangagwa whose rating in Urban areas is low is a ploy signaling cemented power .

Who is a  luminary
This is one of the most frequently asked question. People like Dumiso Dabengwa , Morgan Tsvangirai , Rugare Gumbo , Ndabaningi Sithole  , Dydmus Mutasa to mention a few are also luminaries .

The impact
While renamed  , history has taught us that people still call them by their old names .

In conclusion , the strongman political culture is at times entrenched by those around a leader . It is the duty of that leader to resist "Idaminazation"