via Will Mugabe deliver? | The Zimbabwean by Vince Musewe
The silly season of free cell phone vouchers, gallons of scarce cooking oil and free goats is over. Promises were made and now they must be kept.
Although it took very little to convince those in Mazarabani to vote for Zanu (PF) and act illiterate, some of us in the urban areas are now waiting with much expectation after our disappointment and utter shock. His Excellency President Robert Gabriel Mugabe must now deliver to us to soothe the pain. That is the least he can do.
We have all mourned and I think the time has come for us to accept those things we cannot change and focus on those we can. We can indeed change how we feel about the future and how we must engage the incoming government.
We can shape the future; yes we can! We must make the best of the worst. We must choose to stand up and be counted as we shape our country over the next five years with Zanu (PF) in charge, whether we like it or not.
It is now evident that the challenges we are facing can never be captured in a popular political manifesto. Nor can they be fathomed by a politburo of yesteryear. Despite our downheartedness, we dare not revert to our past behaviour as passive participants in our country of birth. The quality of leadership we get will define who we become, but more important will the quality of followers we become.
In listening to the President’s inauguration speech, I am convinced that he is aware what has to happen, but I wonder whether he has available to him the resources required and the character of men and women who must assist him. Time will tell. It cannot be business as usual.
Despite the fact that our country has so many talented people, politics unfortunately has a tendency of closing out people based on their political loyalties. Because of that, we have tended to operate at a less than optimum level. However, ordinary citizens must now reject this, and ensure that we all contribute positively to our future and apply our skills.
The revival of agriculture cannot happen while the majority of our farmers expect seed hand-outs from the government every year and operate their businesses like tuck-shops. It cannot happen when we shut out farmers who have the necessary experience and know-how, simply because they happen to white. We must feed the nation.
The revival of our mining sector will not feed us until participation in this industry is broadened so that it is not only the “chefs” and their hangers-on who benefit. We expect the government henceforth to account for resource earnings and remove political barriers to entry for all. The delivery of services to citizens through local government will not happen as long as we have a minister who manages by decree. We must refuse to comply.
Indigenisation will result in the concentration of wealth in a few hands as long as it remains a political process not driven by the private sector. Our ideas must be implemented to our benefit.
Zimbabwe will not have adequate skills available as long we shut out those in the Diaspora and those who may differ with the world view of our politicians. We are tired of party politics and the disregard of skilled Zimbabweans because of their race or political affiliation. We must expose this.
Zimbabweans not only want peace. Morgan Tsvangirai offered a new chapter, a new beginning and the challenge is now for Zanu (PF) to prove us wrong. As long as we have dark streets in Highfield, clinics with no medicine and the stress of finding clean drinking water, as long as we have graduates selling airtime vouchers and uncollected rubbish in Mbare, we shall forever wonder how things could have been.
If, in a little while, nothing has fundamentally changed, then we shall know that the promises made to us by the President are empty.
The only thing exciting about the future is that we can shape it. I therefore encourage my brothers and sisters that it is time to wipe our tears and stand up and be counted.
Now is not the time to hope and wait. It is time for concerted effort by all of us to create a new democracy and, if necessary, to force matters so that we ensure Mugabe delivers. I am ready are you?
Vince Musewe is an economist based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com
COMMENTS
Thank you have failed to say lets have the truth and reconciliation commission first, iam willing to cooperate and work together with ZANU PF ,but it raises some tredidations that ZANU PF doesn’t talk about what happened to our fathers during the Gukuraundu juncture ,this kind of stigma stays on and it destroys our partnership and divide the nation , You can’t close the chapter which you have never opened , open this chapter first , lets discuss and scrutinize it ,those who were wronged must be respected and receive the appropriate apology ,only the truth will unite the Zimbabweans .
IT AIN’T GOING TO HAPPEN PEOPLE, JUST AS IT AIN’T HAPPENED IN THE LAST 33 YEARS !!!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step! Let’s rebuild together our land our people ours and our children’s future. We are all parents regardless of a political affilians , gender and race etc Our success will be measured by what we have invested in now for our children to hear makeup in the future. Therefore our children’s future should be our drive in the rebuilding of our nation.peace and love emancipateyourself from mental slavery we are the masters of our fate!
Good luck! You’ll need loads of it.
You only speak of the gukurahundi and forget thousands of our brothers and sisters who perished in chimurenga war of liberation. Some of us we never saw our parents again they perished for you to keep demoralising us. Please let us unoty to work for our children and the future of our country than continuing building chasms and dividing our beautiful nation.
So Anold, you are trying to equate the horrific and needless crimes of Gukurahundi where a prime minister targeted a specific ethnic group for slaughter with the loss of lives during the liberation struggle?
Wow, you have a nerve. Besides, no one stops you from talking about your own losses if you choose to. It is therefore improper for you to seek to silence anyone inn the name of unity. Sweeping crimes under the carpet does not bring unity, Anold. Are you genuinely ignorant or just insensitive?
NGOMBE INGAZWALA NNU!
Mr Anold Anderson , the liberation struggle united all the Zimbabweans to fight against a common enemy and according to your name/surname it looks the common enemy were your grandfathers ,guguraundu issue is different from your little thinking and it was a barrel of a gun against Ndebele people who were not armed and couldn’t defend themselves , we need to talk about it as it stays on .
The whole point is mugabe and zanupf don’t want unity because they know that that is the one tool in a nations limited arsenal that will destroy any government.