By Minenhle Gumede|We must know as a people that a country’s path to prosperity or ruin is often dictated by the character of its citizens,and therefore the solution to our problems lie with no other than you and l as Zimbabweans.
lt is indeed unfortunate that l write this piece 36 years later when we insinuate that we are a liberated country, yet the reality that stares back at us daily is that of our children living in abject poverty under a tyrannical and violent government.
l will not attempt to list the numerous problems which we face as a nation but instead will endeavour to ask a few pertinent questions each and everyone of us must take time to answer in truth,so that when we begin to discuss solutions we know exactly what our challenges are today.
Firstly, can we safely say we are living in a well governed country if our ability to get good health care and education depends on the whims of politicians? Can we say we are governed well when almost a third of our earnings annually goes to taxes aimed at supporting all levels of government? Are we well governed if the system and political class spending keeps piling up national debt which most of us don’t understand that it is to be paid by us,our children and grandchildren to come? Are we well governed if it is impossible to remove poor performing officials from positions? These are the issues we must deal with and witness daily as citizens.
Currently government is struggling to even pay civil servants salaries but we are subjected to this fiscal insanity of the president’s endless spending on all sorts of frivolities which have albeit caused most of these cuts in the budget towards vital human services. The economic meltdown we are experiencing exemplifies an abandonment of democratic principles, which has seen a handful of government leaders making reckless choices at the same time being unable to even accept the consequences.
We are living in the times where we have chosen to be led by a government high on wine which has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that it has lost touch with the needs of its people.This is a corrupt entity that cannot even begin to understand at this stage that for any nation to thrive its people have to be free to make their own choices,to assume responsibility for their own actions and accept the consequences,be it good or bad.
Our country is on the brink of ruin today because we have lost our strength of character as a nation to fight for our values without fear or favor and to defend the very tenets of what it truly means to be a free nation. Zanu PF has trapped us in perpetual poverty instilling a poverty mindset which pervades many and we are stuck in a vicious cycle of poor choices that show only a desire for immediate gratification over long term planning, our myopic thinking has assisted this renegade governance which has divided us with partisan politics, and planting seeds of hatred and intolerance among the people. A case in point to be weary of is the increase in the use of tribalism as a political tactic.
We are watching with much bravado our current vice Presidents being pitted against one another along ethnic lines,and people label you a tribalist nowadays if you disagree with another individual especially if one is a politician.
We have instead taken front seats to watch this destructive behaviour as it escalates, the question is why have we allowed it? Many have also gone on and joined the bandwagon of absurdity to drink from this cup of bitterness and hatred which seeks to openly divide Zimbabwe along tribal, political and other demarcation lines to satisfy Zanu PF selfish agendas to be re-elected again into government.
Notably those who are doing it are not concerned with the damage it has done to the fabric of our country. As we enter a new cycle of the election phase which signals that we are drawing closer to the election period the desperation from Zanu PF politicians to revive their bases has begun taking centre stage, and the entire ruling party has thrown out sensibility, discipline and dignity breeding only hatred and intolerance among citizens.
We must seek to elect leaders of government who are capable of embracing the diversity of our nation unequivocally, and we ought to recognise those individuals who focus only on solving problems rather than fanning destructive tribal politics as an election campaign tactic as seen with the current crop. When will we get tired of being a constant illustration of a nation which found itself in the clutches of a ruthless elite which abuses state power?
We will continue to pay the price for the absence of social justice which equates to no peace and constant turmoil. We must say NO! to governance that holds the opinions of its citizens in contempt and again, governance that is insensitive and subjects untold suffering upon its own people without losing sleep.
Minenhle Sokhela
MDC National Executive Member