The following is the
full text of an address by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to the MDC'
Parliamentary Caucus on Friday, May 30, 2008:
Last updated: 05/31/2008
21:11:23
Before I begin, I would like ask everyone to stand and join with me
to observe a moment of silence to remember the brave Zimbabweans killed in our
struggle for democracy and the many thousands who have been injured or lost
their lives through poverty, despair or disease.
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My Fellow Zimbabweans,
Parliamentarians, Distinguished Guests, Friends
Today is an historic
occasion. Today I stand before you delivering a State of the Nation address to
the new MDC Majority in Parliament!
For the first time since our
liberation in 1980, Zimbabwe will witness a new and different era of governance.
An era of democratic governance for the people and by the people. An era of
governance that transforms our nation from the past and present disaster to an
era of new opportunity.
The 29th of March seems a
long time ago, but on that day, the MDC won control of the House of Assembly and
Senate, and together with our coalition partners, we became Zimbabwe's new
ruling party.
Each of you played a part in
transforming "opposition" MDC to "ruling party" MDC. This is a huge
responsibility for each of us. We cannot point fingers anymore. Our victory must
herald a new and better future for our children. Our people-centered model of
leadership must herald a new hope for our country.
Ours will be a long and
sometimes dangerous road. At the beginning of our new road together, I want to
salute each of you for your courage in recent days, and congratulate you as
members of the winning team.
Very soon will be a time for
celebration, but now is a time for us to get down to work.
As we prepare for the next
election, our people stand on a precipice of fear and expectation. They voted
for change and now they face many risks. Indeed we all stand on a bridge between
yesterday's betrayal and tomorrow's promise. We as leaders have a historic
responsibility to reverse the tide of intolerance, violence, corruption,
inequality, discrimination, hatred, division, and patronage.
The state of our nation
today is well known to all of us. We are an unmitigated embarrassment to the
African continent. The state of our nation is actually beyond embarrassment, it
is tragic -- the world's highest inflation, 80 % unemployment, education that
has plummeted from the best in the Africa to one of the worst and a health care
system that has dire shortages of doctors, nurses, medicine, beds and blankets.
The State of our Nation today is a State of Despair.
Indeed, MDC as the new
ruling party has inherited a government with no accountability to the people, no
desire to encourage the growth of business, no commitment to workers to ensure
their fundamental rights. We have inherited a government that respects neither
man, nor women, nor child. We have inherited a government with no compass for
what is right or just or economically sound for the country,
It doesn't have to be this
way. We are a great country. We are rich with the talents of a great people with
a tremendous work ethic who just want jobs, food, peace, and a future for our
children. We are rich in natural resources and rich in resources to attract
investors back to Zimbabwe. We can provide the services to feed our people – it
is up to each of us in this room to say that Zimbabwe is open for
business.
The people of Zimbabwe have
chosen the MDC's elected officials to lay the foundations of a new Zimbabwe
based on tolerance, equality, respect, solidarity, peace, unity, justice, and
humble and obedient leadership.
I want to be clear about the
fundamental values that will be the cornerstone, not just of our legislation and
our parliament but in fact the values that will guide and steer our government
and the course that will take us forward.
A New Zimbabwe will respect
the dignity and rights of every man, woman and child and these rights will be
enshrined in a people-centered Constitution. A New Zimbabwe will ensure that
every man, woman and child has access to food, shelter, employment, healthcare
and education.
In a New Zimbabwe every man,
woman and child will be able to live together in peace, tolerance and
prosperity. In a New Zimbabwe, our police will defend our rights, not destroy
our hopes; our army will defend our borders, not attack our people. In a New
Zimbabwe, our prisons will detain only criminals, not freedom-loving
citizens.
In a New Zimbabwe we will
have a People's Parliament that is not a rubber stamp but a true representative
of democratic principles and the wishes and aspirations of the great Zimbabwean
people. In a New Zimbabwe we will have checks and balances. And, very different
from our past, I want the debates in parliament to be covered live on radio and
television so that the people's business is not secret. Our MPs will be
accountable to the voters, not hidden away behind high walls.
In a New Zimbabwe, too, the
people must play a critical part. They must vigilantly keep their elected
leaders accountable. They must not ask what the government can do for them, but
also what they can each do together and individually to make Zimbabwe great
again.
These core values will lay
the groundwork for the legislative agenda I will outline today. This agenda is
based upon the return of fundamental freedoms to the people of Zimbabwe. We
shall call our Legislative Agenda the Restore Hope Campaign –
Kudzoredzera
tariro.
The Restore Hope Campaign
will launch what I call the Third Republic – the first Republic in Zimbabwe was
colonialist oppression that ended in 1980. The Second Republic was rule by those
who liberated us from our oppressors but who unfortunately then transformed into
irresponsible, violent and undemocratic tyrants. The Third Republic is the next
generation of African leaders underpinned by the values of love, tolerance, rule
of law and constitutionalism. The Third Republic is a post-liberation
transformation -- a consolidation and entrenchment of democratic values and
institutions. The Third Republic is the New Zimbabwe.
MDC's Restore Hope Campaign
has five components that I shall briefly outline today. These components are not
in the chronological order or in order of importance. All must be tackled
together as a matter of urgency –
first, we shall urgently
promote national healing.
second, we shall restore the
people's freedoms,
third, we shall restore the
people's dignity,
fourth, we shall restore the
people's basic services, and
fifth, we shall restore
Zimbabwe to the family of nations.
1. Healing our
Nation
The most immediate challenge
an MDC government will face is re-knitting the spiritual fabric of our society.
Whether MDC, Zanu PF, or Independent, whether old or young, employed or
unemployed, armed or civilians – all our people are hurting and deeply
traumatized.
The goal of the New Zimbabwe
is to rebuild and heal our country. We do not seek to substitute new oppressors
for the old ones. Rather than focus on what divides us, we must now try to work
together and heal our nation. This means we must even talk about restoring Zanu
PF, the failed party of the Second Republic. After all, Zanu PF is the party of
Zimbabwe's first liberation.
Healthy democracies
generally have at least two political parties. In Zimbabwe, a reformed Zanu PF
should remain one of them. Zanu PF members of parliament were elected and
re-elected in part because of their proud heritage and their important
voice.
While some Zanu PF members
perpetrate violence against opposition political parties, not all share this
view. Many Zanu PF members are also victimized by the violent hawks who have
hijacked their party.
In the spirit of moving our
country forward, let us seek out those peaceful members of Zanu PF whose eyes
are open to the disastrous state of our nation. Let us listen to their views.
Let us invite them in where we have policy agreement.
Our goal is not retribution
but restoration – restoration of the community of Zimbabweans as one family,
irrespective of race, gender, colour, tribal ancestry or political affiliation.
Our goal is a nation that respects minorities and protects vulnerable groups,
especially women, youth and people with disabilities.
The aim is not to make us
prisoners of the past, but liberate us from that past. Only truth can move us
forward. To that end, we must acknowledge the grave hardships, death and
destruction perpetrated by the regime over the years.
To that end, MDC's healing,
and national integration process will include a Truth and Justice Commission
that looks not only at human rights abuses but also at corruption, looting and
asset stripping.
To address the most
egregious of the regime's abuses, this parliament must pass legislation that
deals with compensation and reparations for the victims of Gukurahundi and
Murambatsvina. Truth alone is not enough. Our people must be
compensated.
With respect to Operation
Makavotera Papi, I have established a President's Fund for Victims of Violence
to begin the process of healing the physical hardships imposed on our
people.
2. Restoring the People's
Freedoms: Our Democratisation Agenda
Our legislative agenda to
restore the people's freedom will require that we undertake many reforms, but
broadly, we seek to undertake two initiatives: first, to embark on a process
that results in a democratic constitution that genuinely protects our people;
and second to rebuild and professionalize our national institutions such as the
civil service, judiciary and security forces.
The first urgent step in
restoring our people's freedom's is a new people- driven
constitution.
Nine years ago, our desire
for a new, people-driven constitution signified the start of our struggle for
democracy. The first important task of this parliament will be to create
conditions enabling Zimbabweans to write a constitution for themselves and by
themselves.
The second task will be to
adopt and pass that constitution so that it becomes a living internal document
underpinning our democracy. We anticipate there will be some debate on the
process of writing that constitution.
Some will opt for an
All-Stakeholders conference. Some will suggest a proactive role by this
parliament. Some will suggest the position of creating a constitutional
assembly. Whatever position is chosen by Zimbabweans, this parliament must
guarantee that our constitution will be completed by the people, for the people,
in a period no later than 18 months as we guaranteed during the campaign. The
consultative process must be thorough and inclusive and our government will
ensure that the time and resources are available for this.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe
must provide for one sovereign state, Zimbabwean citizenship, and a democratic
system of government responsive to the needs and demands of all its people,
committed to achieving equality between men and women and people of all races in
a free and just society.
The constitution will
prohibit racial, gender and all other forms of discrimination, and will promote
racial and gender equality and a national unity that is based upon tolerance of
diversity.
Everyone who exercises State
power does so in trust for the people of Zimbabwe, and must exercise such power
in accordance with his or her responsibilities to the people, solely to serve
and protect the people's interests, and within the bounds of lawful authority
set out in the constitution and other laws of the country. The State and all its
organs must be committed to the rule of law, and no person or institution shall
be above the law.
Our National
Institutions
We are aware that the people
who work for the Zimbabwean government today are suffering– be they police,
army, CIO, judges, clerks, teachers, secretaries, cleaners or drivers. We are
aware they want change. We are aware that most of their lives are as miserable
as those who voted for change.
We have been told that some
were not allowed to vote for change. We have heard that before the election some
even had a sentimental hope that Zanu PF was still the best party to lead this
country. We know now though, that since the election, many of the people who
work for the Zimbabwean government have lost all faith in Zanu PF.
They feel betrayed, they
feel embarrassed, they feel angry that their professional skills were used to
steal the people's will right from under their very noses, right in front of
SADC and the entire international community. And now, horrifically, some are
being ordered to destroy the lives and spirits of their very own brothers and
sisters.
In a profound spirit of
wanting, and needing, to get our country out of this abyss, we hold out our
hands to our brothers and sisters working for the Zimbabwean government, who
receive their paltry paychecks to feed their children, yet are ordered to carry
out acts for which they feel regretful and humiliated.
They know that our national
institutions have become a political tool to perpetuate the power of the regime
that does not have their interests at heart, not even the interests of those who
work for them. Yet like all of us, employees at these institutions need a job,
and they need food. And they are, quite frankly, afraid. Afraid of the change
they secretly want, afraid of the change that could, in their minds, lead to
retribution against them for the roles they played in the course of their
government duties.
What we want to say to our
brothers and sisters in the Zimbabwean government, especially those in the
security forces, is that our new government is very serious about both
rebuilding AND healing our country. In view of the horrors now, it is difficult
to say, but we want to lead a country that forgives, but does NOT forget. If we
forget, we, of course, risk repeating our mistakes.
To the uniformed forces, let
me assure you that we aim to depoliticize your work with immediate
effect.
We also take this
opportunity to reassure you that it is not the intention of MDC to persecute or
victimize any peaceful member of the uniformed services, whether officers or
junior members. This assurance has been explained in the MDC policy paper
statement to the uniformed forces.
But let me say to all very
clearly -- the violence must stop now. There will be no tolerance or amnesty for
those who continue to injure, rape, and murder our citizens. We consider these
criminal acts, not political acts. Criminal acts will be prosecuted.
Zimbabweans who attack other
Zimbabweans are breaking Zimbabwean and international law. The whole world is
watching. Cease and desist now, and urge your fellow brothers and sisters to
cease and desist. One person at a time we can stop this madness.
Fellow Zimbabweans, you are
also aware that beyond the recent violence, for years we have endured legalistic
chains that strangle our democratic freedoms.
One of our first acts of
parliament will be the repeal of repressive legislation that restricts the
freedoms of our people. For example, we all know the regime has created laws
merely to sustain its existence, such as AIPPA and POSA, The Broadcasting
Services Act and some aspects of the criminal code. Removing these repressive
chains will be a first step in launching the MDC's new era of
governance
In addition to the reform of
state institutions, it is imperative that the private institutions of the New
Zimbabwe be liberated from state interference. This means the immediate
political unshackling of the media, the business sector, trade unions, churches
and non-governmental organizations. If we do not promote, uphold and protect the
freedom of these independent pillars of democracy, our post-liberation New
Zimbabwe will be stillborn.
To carry out our national
institution reform agenda, we will first carry out a democracy audit of the laws
in our statutes and liquidate those that contradict our democratic principles. A
process of public consultation, debate and dialogue around this immediate task
must thus begin as a matter of urgency.
In sum, in rebuilding our
national institutions, our aim is to reward professionalism, accountability,
efficiency and integrity, and to have zero tolerance for politicization of state
institutions and corruption.
3. Restoring the
People's Dignity
While an appalling betrayal,
the greatest tragedy of the regime's legacy is not the murder of innocent
people. The greatest tragedy is the regime's attempt to destroy the spirit and
self-confidence of our people.
While the regime vocally
pretends it wants to protect the sovereignty of our country, it systematically
attacks our very identities as Zimbabweans, forcing millions to scatter to other
countries.
Today there are more
Zimbabweans in Johannesburg than in Bulawayo. These are not citizens whose first
choice was to leave the home of their birth. Their flight to other countries is
a direct result of the regime's failures to provide food, jobs, and hope for our
people. The brutality faced by some of the Diaspora in South Africa in recent
days is a shocking reminder of the regime's failure and its destabilizing impact
on the region.
In the New Zimbabwe we will
focus on rebuilding the country and restoring the people's dignity. This part of
our legislative agenda is complex but today I will briefly mention two key
components – economic recovery and land reform.
Economic
Recovery
I will not waste time
telling you about the state of our economy. You live this shameful reality every
day. I imagine it is the most dysfunctional economy in the world.
In order to perpetuate their
hold on power, our predecessors destroyed the productive sectors of our economy,
impoverishing millions of Zimbabweans. With not enough money being generated by
the formal economy, they increased money supply, causing
hyperinflation.
My fellow Zimbabweans, the
MDC is determined to effectively address the hyperinflation bequeathed upon us
by our predecessors using a combination of demand and supply-side interventions.
Simultaneously, we will work tirelessly to ensure that macroeconomic stability
is accompanied by an immediate supply-side response both as a way to sustain
macroeconomic stability and also to raise industrial capacity utilization and
productivity levels in industry and create sustainable jobs.
On the demand-side, we have
always said that hyperinflation in this country will only be tamed if
government's unrestrained appetite for resources is also tamed. The MDC
government will be there to serve the people and its size, which will be small,
will be defined by the needs of the people and not political perquisites and
patronage.
To entrench this culture of
fiscal discipline, the MDC will introduce complementary institutional measures,
starting with the reform of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which we will make
independent of the executive and accountable parliament. Its mandate will also
be streamlined to focus on the maintenance of price stability, monetary policy,
and bank supervision. This way, we will banish the quasi-fiscal role of the
Central Bank to the dustbins of history.
Another institutional
measure will involve tightening the accountability of public enterprises. To
ensure that they do not perpetually remain a drain on the fiscus, the MDC will
house them in a new Ministry of Public Enterprises, which will set clear
performance targets and criteria for which all public enterprises will be held
accountable.
These institutional reforms
would be incomplete without the overhauling of the civil service and the
streamlining of government ministries. This too will be a priority in our
efforts to reign in the culture of runaway expenditure and infuse a higher level
of efficiency and accountability in Government.
Fellow Zimbabweans, in the
past, economic reforms have often impacted most negatively on the poor. We have
learned from the hardships resulting from ESAP, and it is our intention to
institute measures to mitigate the impact of such economic reforms on the poor
in tandem with the introduction of these reforms. While we promise to do our
best, we urge our people to have the pride to choose to be independent by being
resourceful and hardworking, so as to reduce the burden on
government.
It is perhaps the ideal time
for me to focus for a while on the supply-side of the economic management
challenge. First of all, industry is the goose that lays the golden egg and it
is the MDC's intention to ensure that the goose is nurtured and nourished, given
the importance of its role for our economic wellbeing. This will be achieved
through the introduction of an environment that is conducive to business success
and the creation of a symbiotic relationship of partnership between government
and the private sector.
My fellow Zimbabweans, we
have lofty ambitions for our economy. As we stated in our manifesto, the
Zimbabwean economy is an enclave economy that is a fraction of its potential
size. Income per capita is unacceptably low and, due to Zanu PF's cronyism and
corruption, income distribution, which was also quite uneven, is now at
unconscionable levels. Zanu PF affinity for command economics made control the
preferred tool for government intervention in the economy over the last three
decades.
Our objective is to create
an alternative people-centered economy. The opportunity space needs to be opened
up to tap into the imaginative creativity of local and foreign entrepreneurs to
restore, restructure and rejuvenate our Zimbabwean industry.
Within a globalized world,
the MDC appreciates that Zimbabwe is competing for talent and resources with the
rest of the world. The MDC government is committed to the creation of an
environment that is conducive to business by implementing supply-side measures
that will make Zimbabwe one of the best countries in which to do business on the
African continent.
While some reforms will take
time, parliament must move quickly to pass legislation that establishes the
Zimbabwe Economic Development Council. This consultative body must underpin
stakeholder ownership and participation as we described in RESTART.
To avoid belaboring this
matter too much, let me summarize our four priorities as follows: first, we must
halt and reverse the country's shrinking economic output and address
hyperinflation; second, we must revive and rehabilitate our industrial base to
create jobs and expand our tax base; third, we must restore national credibility
to again attract significant inflows of foreign direct investment; fourth and
finally, we must address our humanitarian crisis, particularly the shortage of
food and medicines.
In conclusion, let me stress
that our objective must not be to merely restore the Zimbabwean economy to its
former glory but also to take it to new heights. In the words of Haggai Chapter
2 verse 9, it is our passionate prayer and heartfelt desire that "The glory of
this latter house … be greater than of the former…"
Land and
Agricultural Reform
Let me be clear we must
solve the Land Issue once and for all.
Since its inception, the MDC
has had an unwavering commitment to a land reform program that is not only
non-partisan, equitable, just and lawful, but also does not dislocate
agricultural production and productivity. Zimbabwe is still to have such a land
reform program. All we have had to date is a disorderly and greedy land-grab,
which has not even begun to address the needs of landless people, both in terms
of access to land and access to inputs.
We have applied our minds to
what needs to be done. It is now time for implementation. Our actions will be
guided by the following principles:
· The pre-2000 land
distribution program was colonial, unjust and untenable and will never again
represent the distribution of land in Zimbabwe.
· Land is not only a
productive asset that should be distributed on the basis of need and ability to
farm, but it is also a finite asset to be allocated and used wisely for the
benefit of all Zimbabweans for generations to come.
· Land ownership is also a
constitutional matter. A Land Commission that undertakes the detailed audit of
the present as well as pre-2000 land ownership structure should be created to
make recommendations on how to resolve the land question in an economically
sensible way without negating equity and justice.
· Land ownership is also a
social matter. The Land Commission that we propose to be established by
legislation during the term of this parliament, should carry out its duties in a
consultative manner with the full participation of the broad breadth of our
people, inclusive of women.
· Measures must be put in
place to either compensate or reincorporate into productive agriculture, those
who lost their land during the Zanu PF land grab program, depending on the
findings of the Land Commission.
· Access to land is not
enough for agricultural productivity. It should be complemented by the provision
of the necessary infrastructure, access to agricultural finance, inputs as well
as extension services.
Guided by the above
principles, the Land Commission, an independent and professional policy organ,
will recommend to you, the people's representatives, how this question should be
finally resolved. Once the Land Commission has completed its work, we expect the
land question to be completely de-politicized by the commission's professional
input, making it possible to rely on the market mechanism to determine the
ownership of land in the long-term.
As you are aware, there is
more to our land policies than what I have outlined above. We intend to banish
the colonial system of separate land tenure systems for commercial and communal
agriculture. However, we realize the need for creativity and flexibility as we
move from the current system to the universally applicable one for all
farmers.
We wish to give recognition
to the legal right to land through issuance of title deeds, tradeable
certificates of title, and leases. Landowners must hold title to their land,
regardless of their social class or scale as well as scope of agricultural
activity. To ensure the productive use of land and to discourage speculative
land holding, we will institute a progressive land tax. The revenue generated
from that tax will be applied to the provision of infrastructure and other
social services in that community.
Our countrymen and women
cannot wait forever for the resolution of the land question. I will say this
often as the people's President – work rests squarely on the shoulders of the
people's parliament, which should urgently use legislative tools to address this
issue once and for all.
Empowerment
Eighty years of colonialism
resulted in a complete marginalization of a majority of our people who were
virtually third class citizens in their own land. Whilst independence did a
commendable job in de-racializing our culture and establishing the key tenet of
one-person one-vote, it did not deal with the issues of inequality. In my view,
the best guarantor of the democracy we seek to craft in the new Zimbabwe is the
economic emancipation and participation of our people.
Over the years, our people
have been abused by the Zanu PF policy of indigenization which, although noble
sounding on paper, was no more than patronage, clientelism, asset stripping and
looting.
MDC now has an opportunity
to craft a genuine programme for the empowerment of our people. This programme
of affirmative action will be transparent, equitable, and within the rule of
law.
To this end, this parliament
will enact laws that will ensure that all new investments have significant black
ownership. In addition, laws will also be passed that will seek to redress the
unequal and inequitable status quo in past investments and
shareholdings.
I trust that everyone will
understand that if there is not equitable empowerment, and if there is no
participation in the economy by the majority, then we are laying a booby-trap
for ourselves, and profoundly undermining our aspirations to establish a truly
democratic and sustainable post-liberation new Zimbabwe.
4. Restoring Basic
Services
My fellow Zimbabweans,
monumental work will be required to restore basic infrastructure services to the
people, as well as make Zimbabwe a world-class tourist destination once
again.
In the past decade, life
expectancy in Zimbabwe has fallen below 37 years of age and child mortality
rates are amongst the highest in the world. A quarter of our population lives
with HIV/Aids. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have to be fed by the
international donor community. An energy and water crisis grips the country with
little formal availability of fuel, electricity and clean water. The collapsed
sewer reticulation system in urban areas puts all at risk of disease.
I will not take the time
here to go into great detail but let me mention some of our key priorities in
the immediate future.
First, we need to offer free
anti-retrovirals to our people.
Second, we need to ensure
the quality and affordability of all our educational establishments. This starts
with ensuring that teachers are paid responsibly for the essential work they do.
Our children's education is the foundation for our future growth and prosperity.
They are our most valuable asset and we must treat them as such.
Third, we must rehabilitate
our hospitals. Dispensary hospitals must be places of healing again, not places
of dying. This means there must be beds in Gweru hospitals and blankets in
Bulawayo hospitals. It means hospitals must again be able to provide food to
their own patients. It means our health care system must again offer incentives
to attract quality professionals back into our country to help our people become
well again.
Fourth, and of urgent
importance, nobody in our country should ever go hungry again. Innnovative and
completely depoliticized food delivery mechanisms are urgently required whilst
we get our agricultural production up and running again.
Our transformative work will
also include the restructuring of energy to increase private sector
participation as well as the introduction of regulators to avoid monopoly
pricing and ensure environmental compliance.
We have similarly
comprehensive policy and legislative programs for the transportation and
communication sectors. Reform within the transportation sector in particular is
long overdue. Our commitment in this regard is unwavering.
As we transform the New
Zimbabwe, we will institute policies guided by the need to strike a judicious
balance between opening them up for private sector investment while ensuring
that they are adequately regulated to protect the interests of the poor and to
avoid monopoly pricing, politicization and uncompetitive practices.
We have no illusions about
the enormity of these tasks. Tasks only to be implemented by the
government?
No. These changes need to be
implemented by the people, for the people. We and the people of Zimbabwe need to
undertake these enormous challenges as partners, together working toward
rebuilding our society. This cooperative partnership between the government and
the people will mark a fundamentally different approach in the New
Zimbabwe.
5. Restoring Zimbabwe to the
Family of Nations
Since 2000 Zimbabwe has
transformed from the jewel of Africa to a tragedy. As flawed as it was, our
constitution has been pillaged. Our rule of law has crumbled. Our national
institutions have been politicized. Our basic services have been decimated. Our
productivity has plummeted. Our fertile land cries for skills, implements, and
investment.
Several years ago, when
Zimbabwe was ousted from the Commonwealth. Mr. Mugabe said he didn't care. When
SADC held an emergency summit on 12 April, Mr. Mugabe chose not to
attend.
Mr. Mugabe has now even
turned his back on Africa.
We, as MDC, are ready to
return Zimbabwe to the family of democratic nations. We are ready to rejoin our
brothers and sisters in SADC and the AU who also value the freedom, prosperity
and dignity of their peoples.
In the past six weeks, as
the winner of the Presidential election and as head of the majority party in
parliament, I have met with leaders from throughout the African continent. They,
along with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and other world leaders
have expressed concern and outrage that the will of the people of Zimbabwe has
once again been betrayed. They are all too well aware, some even very
embarrassed, that the regime has broken promises and agreements to hold free and
fair elections.
We look forward very soon to
rejoining the family of nations committed to democratic governance and economic
prosperity. Returning prosperity to our nation will be much easier and much
faster when we rejoin the global community of nations.
In closing, Honourable
Members of the House of Assembly and Senate, let me say again how very honoured
I am to launch the Restore Hope Campaign with you today – a new era of
governance for a new Zimbabwe. Once again let me congratulate you for your
victories and salute you for your courage.
Honorable members, let us go
forward now and finish what we have begun.
Let us go forward together
to serve the people, to commit ourselves to rebuilding our country, to dedicate
ourselves to creating a New Zimbabwe that offers all its citizens freedom, hope
and prosperity.
Chinja Matiro,
Matiro Chinja.
Guqula Isenzo,
Isenzo Guqula.
I thank you and may
God bless Zimbabwe.
