via Chinos: When rats agree to honour a cat 23/12/2014
Letter to the Editor
FOR the past two days social media has been abuzz with strident voices from civil society and pro-democratic forces venting shock, disbelief, anger and consternation at Zimrights for awarding Joseph Chinotimba with the People’s Choice award on its third edition of the Community Human Rights defender Awards.
We are being told Chinotimba won the award after a process that was independent and transparent and that the online voting platform was open to every Zimbabwean. I then took my time to try and locate the logic behind this charade and came to the conclusion that the award has succeeded in sending a clear signal that even murderers can be rewarded. It would take the last level of amnesia in the minds of the organizers of the event as well as the voters to forget that Joseph Chinotimba has been involved in cases of human rights violations that do not warrant an award but a long jail sentence.
Those who defend this award risk being subjected to perennial public ridicule by progressive members of the civil society most of whom have been on the bitter receiving end in their fight for the rule of law and defence of civic liberties. If this result came after a process that was independent and transparent as we are being made to believe by Zimrights, then as rational Zimbabweans we must begin to lose faith and confidence in this thing called voting, whether it is voting for the Community Human Rights defenders or voting for public office bearers because it produces unintended results.
The recent act by Zimrights can only be compared to an absurd situation where a group of rats agree to award a cat for its prowess and distinguished valor in fighting hunger by eating rats. Whether the intention is to show respect to the cat or to be strategic in approach, there will be no difference as the consequence of such an act is always disastrous. The cat will not stop eating the rats because that’s its staple food.
Editor by writing this letter l don’t intend to join the bandwagon of my fellow Zimbabweans who have condemned the award but would like to go a step further by advising Zimrights to withdraw the award as a matter of principle and an honour to those who have suffered at the hands of the award winner in Glen Norah after being accused of supporting the opposition as well as countless others who interacted with the self-styled commander-in-chief of the land invasions.
This would also go a long way in protecting the integrity of Zimrights and the Community Human Rights defenders awards considering that we will have the fourth edition of the same event next year.
Simbarashe Moyo is a human rights activist and defender
COMMENTS
What a very sad place modern day Zimbabwe has become ; where elections can be won handsomely by a certain party regardless of how level the playing field is, where those same ‘winning’ politicians (many of them at that) can become millionaires/tycoons overnight, where a PHd can be obtained in a matter of weeks, and now, as if we could not go any lower, a certain Joseph Chinotimba can become a ‘human rights CHAMPION’!! What an absolute JOKE!!!
Ofcourse one needs not to mention, that the single most important common factor for any of the above to be achieved is that one MUST belong to ZANU (PF) – and obviously choose your ‘faction’ very, very carefully!!!
Moral of the Story : Investing ANYTHING worthwhile in modern day Zimbabwe, is not just extremely risky – but plain STUPID – unless ofcourse you are happy to ‘sup with SATAN’ himself!!!!!!!!!
Lets hope and pray for something positive in 2015!!!