ONE of the outcomes of Structural Adjustment after 1992 was the weakening of the civil service. Large numbers of civil servants were retired: those in higher positions were given "golden handshakes", whilst those in lower positions had to retire unceremoniously to the Communal Areas.

The only sector which was not unduly weakened was the Armed Forces. That is one of the reasons why the Armed Forces remain strong today. This places a heavy responsibility on the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces today have to shoulder responsibilities which would have rested in different ministries in the past.

One example is Operation Maguta, the agricultural support programme. This should really be a Ministry of Agriculture responsibility, not the Army's. But somehow the extension services and the services sections of the state have weakened.

However, Maguta also has not had the human and financial resources, nor the institutions, to make it a resounding success. Moreover it has had to function under the system of hyper-inflation. Whatever they were owed now cannot be repaid as the Zimbabwe currency has become obsolete. It will be impossible to provide an accurate audit of the programme. Yet conceptually and practically, this should be an exceptionally important programme which responds to the needs of the country.

The fact that it was not given proper technical, personnel, institutional and financial support compromised its ability to support agriculture. It is incumbent on the army and the state to guarantee the success of this approach. Maguta should have specialised agricultural personnel of its own, and should have model schemes in every district that can show both small-scale and large-scale farmers both modern and traditional forms of good agricultural practice. The army should be helping to support AREX rather than replacing this invaluable service. This collegial and fraternal competition should help both sides, and give some choices to those who utilize their services.

One particular clientele for agricultural progress where the army can play an important role is in providing agriculture opportunities to the hundreds of thousands of unemployed youths in the rural areas. These youths have been thoroughly neglected by the state, and have been left without land, work or money. Half of them also do not have secondary education. Agricultural output would be tremendously improved if 500 000 youths were able to produce 1 million tonnes of maize a year.

This would be a truly laudable enterprise which would deserve praise all round. What a success story this would be! A quarter of a million hectares of land could be reserved for this purpose. This could make the army self-sufficient in food, whilst also feeding, providing employment, and enriching half a million youths.

Another important area where the Armed Forces could provide support is to the health sector. Army doctors play an important part in the provision of health services in many countries. Countries as diverse as China and the United States have health services provided by the Armed Forces.

Zimbabwe should and could do the same. The army has a strong medical corps, and its services should be strengthened so that they can provide medical services to ordinary people, particularly in remote and deprived areas. Such services will not only endear the army to the people, but will also increase state security far better than through violence and torture.

The Army Engineering Corps has specialised skills which can benefit the country as a whole. In neighbouring Zambia the army played an important role in building its road network. Moreover Zimbabwe needs at least 10 000 village dams. The highly skilled engineers in the army can demonstrate their skills and gain valuable experience in this area.

The army is also skilled in bridge building, another area where Zimbabwe is in great need. If the army were to show its exceptional skills in infrastructure construction and maintenance, it would provide stability to a country which has been wracked by poverty and unemployment. These have been the main causes of national instability. The lack of food has also seriously destabilized political stability.

Linked to the construction and maintenance of basic infrastructure, is the issue of building and maintaining Zimbabwe's vast school and health facilities. Many of these were built in the 1980s, and are suffering from lack of attention and investment over the last decade. The Armed Forces could provide efficient and well-organized teams which could assist in the rehabilitation of these important facilities.

Tree growing and re-forestation are also an area where the Armed Forces can show their expertise. Many armies have done sterling work in tree-growing and re-forestation, work which is helping to improve the environment. This is happening in Ethiopia today. This is an area of expertise which the Armed Forces could well develop to the benefit of the whole country. And this is another area where hundreds of thousands of unemployed youths can be deployed for the benefit of all.

In South Korea, the military played a key role in transforming the country from a barren underdeveloped country to a highly developed industrialised country. To date the military in Zimbabwe have been able to establish an arms industry. They could utilize their skills and experience in this successful industrialization experience to look at other forms of industrialization, in particular related to producing the hardware for agricultural improvement. It is essential for the Armed Forces to see their role as a key one for industrialization, a pattern that has been demonstrated in East Asia. The Armed Forces have some of the most educated as well as most experienced managers in Zimbabwe, and it is appropriate that they should share their training and their managerial skills with the country as a whole.

In all countries the Armed Forces are used to serve the country in emergencies and crisis. Zimbabwe is going through emergencies and crisis. It is time that the Armed Forces assist in solving all of these problems, working closely with local communities, and hand in hand with both national and local governments. It is time for the Armed Forces to show their mettle.

Security is based on winning hearts and minds. At Independence the liberation forces of Zanla and Zipra were the proud freedom fighters who had liberated the country from oppression and colonialism. There was no doubt about the popular support they enjoyed. They had the full support of the hearts and minds of the people. The strength of the liberation forces was due to their identification with the problems faced by the people, and their attempts to help solve these problems. We should not forget these valuable lessons of the liberation struggle. Today the Armed Forces, as well as all Zimbabweans, need to re-new their commitment to the solution of the problems faced by the people. These problems include infrastructure building and maintenance; the rehabilitation of schools and clinics; food production; the development of new industries; the improvement of the environment; and most important of all, the winning of hearts and minds.

We must not forget these key lessons of the liberation struggle which was won through winning hearts and minds. The masses trusted the freedom fighters because they were always respectful of the people; did not rape or have illicit affairs with women as this was against the rules of the ancestral spirits who guided the liberation struggle; looked after the environment by not killing and destroying nature and life; and helped the people by providing free education and health services.

Let us return to the role played by the liberation forces of nation builders. The Armed Forces are the liberation forces of today that can free Zimbabwe from polarisation, hatred and underdevelopment. The key task Zimbabwe faces today is economic liberation. The Armed Forces must also play a role in this new liberation struggle. Their failure to do so will be a heavy blow to Zimbabwe.