‘We Are Under-Organised, Not Out-numbered’: Masaraure Rallies Radical ‘People’s Parliament’ to Challenge Elite Rule
By Staff Reporter
HARARE– Chikomba East legislator Obert Masaraure has officially rallied the “We The People’s Parliament,” a new citizen-driven legislative body aimed at reclaiming political and economic power from what he described as a predatory ruling class presided over by President Mnangagwa.
Speaking at the official opening of the assembly, Masaraure framed the initiative as a “revolutionary concept” born out of a desperate need to address the systemic exclusion of ordinary Zimbabweans from the country’s governance and wealth.
“We are not merely gathering to launch another organisation or create another institution with empty promises,” Masaraure told the assembly. “We are gathering because we have reached an important realisation: Zimbabwe belongs to its people, and the people must organise themselves to govern it.”
Masaraure, a vocal advocate for labor and civil rights, argued that Zimbabwean society has been fractured into three distinct camps: the political elite who control the state apparatus, the economic elite who dominate business, and the “vast majority” who remain oppressed.
During his address, the Member of Parliament painted a grim picture of the daily struggles faced by workers, vendors, and peasants. He accused the state of designing rules that criminalize the survival tactics of the poor, citing the demolition of homes, the violent removal of street vendors, and the displacement of rural communities when minerals are discovered on their land.
“Why are the people who produce the wealth of this country perpetually denied the power to determine how that wealth is used?” Masaraure questioned, identifying this as the central problem the new Parliament seeks to solve.
The “People’s Parliament” is designed to function as a platform for mass organising and public intellectual engagement, serving as a counter-weight to formal institutions that Masaraure claims have been weakened and no longer serve the public interest.
The legislator concluded his address with a rallying cry, dismissing the notion that the public is powerless against the current establishment.
“For years, we have been told that we are powerless. But the truth is different,” Masaraure said. “We are not outnumbered. We are simply not organised.”
The launch of the People’s Parliament marks a significant escalation in citizen-led efforts to create parallel structures of deliberation in Zimbabwe, as the country continues to grapple with severe economic hardship and political polarization.
