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MDC must embrace Presidentâs advice
ONCE again President Mugabe has extended the hand of unity and
friendship to the opposition MDC, urging them to play a meaningful role in the
development of the country and in finding local solutions to the problems
confronting the nation.
Speaking like a true statesman and father of the
nation, the President advised the opposition to identify with the people of
Zimbabwe and desist from being used by the countryâs former colonial masters,
whose interests are to perpetuate neo-colonialism in this country.
We
believe if the opposition party is genuinely interested in the development of
this country, it would embrace President Mugabeâs advice and adopt a more
nationalistic approach to its politics than playing to the tune of the British.
This is not the first time that the President has made an appeal for
unity in this country as he has done so on several occasions. He counselled the
same path at his inauguration ceremony in 2002 and at the burial of the late
Vice-President Simon Muzenda last September, where he clearly called for
localised dialogue to address whatever problems might be confronting the nation.
However, the MDC has spurned this hand of friendship and unity regarding
it as a sign of weakness. This has been shown by the partyâs contemptuous rush
to engage other regional heads of state to exert pressure on President Mugabe to
open talks with the opposition party.
When they did not get what they
wanted, the MDC went into a frenzy, sending emissaries to organisations such as
the European Union and Commonwealth, urging them to adopt the same resolutions
being championed by Britain for the continued isolation of Zimbabwe.
The
partyâs own Parliamentary leader and vice-president, Mr Gibson Sibanda, was at
the forefront of this campaign, going from one European capital to another,
imploring them to extend and impose so-called targeted sanctions, which they
know very well have been used to stop balance of payments support, multilateral
loans, donor support, trade, among other vitals an economy needs.
The
opposition MDC has shown more respect for other leaders than its own President,
whom it has vilified, and has been joined in this regard by some misguided
church leaders who have jumped onto the bandwagon of foreign-financed campaigns
to engage other presidents from the region on Zimbabweâs problems.
Despite this vilification and outright betrayal, President Mugabe has
found it in his heart to still reach out to the opposition to join the rest of
the nation in rebuilding the country. At a time when his ruling Zanu-PF party is
on a roll, successfully reclaiming lost political ground, President Mugabe
should be applauded for showing such magnanimity and opening the door to the MDC
to unshackle itself from the British yoke and be truly Zimbabwean.
We
are encouraged by MDC president Mr Morgan Tsvangiraiâs pronouncement on the land
issue in what could be the first step in redefining the MDCâs national ethos.
It is our firm belief that the MDC does not need to engage in formal
talks with the ruling Zanu-PF to be recognised as a legitimate opposition party
or to play a major role in the countryâs social, political and economic
development.
With a significant representation in Parliament and urban
councils, the MDC has the ability to start making a positive contribution to the
country without being rabidly anti-Government in order to survive as an
opposition party. It is important for the opposition party to be introspective
and realign its ideology to the aspirations of the majority and to articulate
what independence means to Zimbabweans who vote governments into power. Let the
MDCâs actions speak louder than words and they will realise that opposition
politics do not make them the countryâs enemies but partners in building a
nation.
Under the leadership of President Mugabe, these 24 years of
independence have seen the completion of the liberation agenda as Zimbabweans
now have access to the major means of production, education, health as well as
new opportunities in commerce and industry, while the very existence of the MDC
and private newspapers testify to the political and other freedoms a free nation
should enjoy.
The challenge is now to consolidate these ideals by
working together as one nation irrespective of political persuasion, and
everyone playing their part in moving the country forward
The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans
l'anarchie"
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