Financial Gazette (Harare)
16 May 2008
editorial
THE senseless violence being perpetrated to intimidate the populace into acquiescence ever since the March 29 synchronised elections, which saw ZANU-PF losing its grip on parliament for the first time since Independence in 1980, is yet another impediment to efforts to bring the country's economy back on the rails.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights claims it has attended to over 900 cases of torture and assault, but the figure is only a fraction of the victims who never sought treatment because they cannot afford the extortionist hospital fees.
According to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), 32 of its members were killed in the past six weeks, while hundreds were displaced, maimed, raped or assaulted. The statistics have been disputed by the police and ZANU-PF, which fingers the MDC as the authors of the violence.
Despite the bickering between the two feuding parties, the savage attacks are intensifying, raising fears that the country might become ungovernable.
And this at a time when the country is least prepared to deal with the resultant deaths, injuries, sexual, reproductive and health problems.
For instance, the health delivery system is currently thin on staff and its facilities are crumbling due to poor funding, diminishing inflows of drugs and equipment into the country.
The violence has also placed a heavy burden on law enforcement, operating on a shoestring budget. The Courts, battling a huge backlog of criminal and civil cases, will be stretched to a breaking point with successful prosecutions compounding the overcrowding in the prisons.
With the State still to provide shelter to victims of Operation Murambatsvina, which affected more than 2,4 million people in 2005, it does not take a rocket scientist to see that Zimbabwe does not have the capacity to secure alternative accommodation for the displaced families.
A number of schools have opened for the second term without teachers who fear for their lives. The country, in the throes of a massive brain drain, might lose more teaching staff to greener pastures unless the powers-that-be decisively deal with the violence compromising the safety of children in schools.
Productivity in industry and on the farms has hit rock bottom as workers who feel targeted by the marauding militia sought sanctuary in areas and places considered safe.
Despite the condemnation of the violence internally and externally, the powers-that-be have been conspicuous by their silence. No one in the presidium, for example, has come out in the open condemning the pugnacious acts or issued stern warnings against those caught on the wrong side of the law.
The job has been left to political nonentities whose standard reaction has been to blame everyone else for the violence except themselves.
In the court of public opinion, the silence of the powers-that-be is tacit endorsement of these acts of barbarism.
Churches and civic organisations should be commended for debunking the see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil syndrome that characterises the country's politics.
One hopes that the evidence being gathered by civic society would one-day result in the perpetrators of the violence and their sponsors facing the full wrath of the law. Judgment day shall certainly come.
As the violence escalates, it is possible that it might assume a life of its own to the extent of getting out of control.
We fear Zimbabweans could be playing into the hands of political opportunists who would want to safeguard their positions in government by pushing for a state of emergency, which would be the last straw for the country's tottering economy.
Yesterday's state-owned Herald carried a curious story quoting the obscure Zimbabwe Lawyers for Justice lobbying government to declare a state of emergency, ostensibly to safeguard lives and property.
Government is in the habit of "planting" stories in the state media to gauge the public mood and justify its actions and one hopes whoever is driving the state-of-emergency agenda will have a rethink and spare a thought for the country's economy.
Perhaps the time is now to embrace the free advice given by central bank governor Gideon Gono, who fears the worst could befall the country's economy in the event that the protagonists in the Zimbabwe crisis fail to agree on a pre-runoff PACT.
"The realities on the ground and the intrinsic risks the nation faces at this juncture do impel that sober consideration be given for the establishment of a mutually binding pre-runoff PACT, spelling out the expected behaviours of both parties, whoever emerges the winner or loser in the runoff," he said. "To each party, ZANU-PF and the MDC-Tsvangirai, the PACT would spell out the dos and don'ts to either side post the runoff date and the post announcement of the results," he added.
In our opinion, ZANU-PF and the MDC should also agree on what should constitute a free and fair election before, during and after the runoff.
The PACT should compel leaders from both parties to speak out against violence in word and indeed, while welcoming observers from any part of the world if they have nothing to hide.
Gono's refreshing views need debating in an honest and sincere manner. Zimbabweans should rise above parochial sectional interests if the country is to move forward.
Whether the victims of the violence belong to ZANU-PF, the MDC or Mavambo does not matter. The bottom line is that the victims are Zimbabweans and the loss of life of one is a loss to everyone.
We liked the maturity displayed by Welshman Ncube after his loss in the March 29 elections.
He said: "We are democrats in words and in deed. The people of Bulawayo made their choice. We might disagree with that choice, but we fully and unconditionally respect their sovereign right to make that choice...they had all the information before them and made the selection they did. We cannot second-guess them at this particular historical moment. That was their choice and we fully accept it."
Surely, our political leaders must subscribe to fair play and be ready to accept the outcome of any electoral process they submit themselves to or quit politics if the "kitchen is too hot".
The unfortunate culture permeating the country of senseless bravado as demonstrated by some political minnows while the proverbial Rome is burning does not hurt Britain or the United States as ZANU-PF propagandists would want Zimbabweans to believe. It hurts Zimbabweans and dims prospects for future generations while driving a wedge between the people and the leaders whom they voted into office.
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