Letters

EDITOR – Dear comrades in Zanu (PF), can you just listen me for a while? Please ask your National Chairman John Nkomo how political parties operate in a democracy. He saw it for himself nearer to home in South Africa, at the ANC congress. If democracy was given such a space in Zimbabwe, MDC would not have been formed. If democracy was given such a space in Zimbabwe, Zanu (PF) would have grown stronger after every congress. If democracy was given such a space in Zimbabwe, people who have been in high offices in both party and government since 1980 would have left their positions with the respect of the nation and be recognised as heroes and advisers. If democracy was given such a space in Zimbabwe, our country could still be a bread basket of Africa.

The problem we made is that we took people who were leaders from the bush as life office-holders. We also put too many educated people in powerful positions, which made them kings without advisers. A leader should, in my opinion, be someone educated to an extent that he/she may pay heed to other people’s advice, not some know-it-all kind of leader.

My friends and comrades in Zanu (PF) must know that they were not alone in destroying our economy. We in the opposition also took too long to tell Mugabe the truth. We can still rebuild this country together by doing what is appropriate to restore everything.  

Ngatichinjei maiitiro atakatitamaita nyika ikafa mafiroayo chaiwo, muchaona zvichishanda. Vakasiiwa vavenganiswa ne Zanu (PF) vachshuva chavakapedzera nguvayavo vachinonoka kuchinja voona zvinhu zvanaka pavaneruwadzano munyika yose.

ZENZO NLEYA, by email  

More Shona and Ndebele

EDITOR – I was at home at Xmastime. l had gone with a copy of The Zimbabwean issue of December 19-26 that contains the letter written by Ndumureyengozi Shumba. The letter received a lot of attention from the readers at home. My wife and family members ended up in fear of people who were flocking to come just to see that letter! Can you do some thing to improve and enlarge the Shona and Ndebele sections in your paper or just encourage letters in Shona and Ndebele as vernacular is most welcome at home. Thank you.

COLLEN  ZHOU, MDC Youth Member

Forget the electoral roll, vote with IDs

EDITOR – It is pointless to go into an election knowing very well that the ground is not even. People have not registered – not because they didn’t want to, but because Mugabe made it difficult for people to remain in the country and then announced a registration knowing very well that only those who believed his lies remained in the country.  

We have done a survey here in South Africa and found that no-one risked losing his or her job, being arrested or losing his or her very lives just for registering to participate in an election which might not take place.

The majority of people who can make it happen are in the diaspora as witnessed by the flooding of all borders at Christmas time.

If MDC really wants an election that will bring a lasting solution to the people, let them go to the people. If they have seen Kibbaki stealing the presidential election after losing the parliamentary one, and knowing the calibre of their enemy, they MUST in big letters declare not to take part in the election unless the voters’ roll is put aside and people vote with their IDs. In this case, people will flood the borders like at Christmas time, even if Mugabe denies a diaspora vote. The people will be heard.

LOVEMORE CHIKANDIWA, MDC Pretoria District Chairman   

Serialise ballot papers

EDITOR – Given the fact that blatant vote-rigging has arguably become part of the political process in Africa, as evidenced in the recent elections in Kenya, and in our disputed 2005 elections, I think the time has come to look at the small things that matter in solving disputes.   

It has become common for the disputants of election results to seek arbitration from the courts. We have experienced that the court process is long, costly, and at worst, confusing. In most cases, the court throws out the results challenge for lack of evidence that the elections were rigged.   

In the recent Kenyan elections, there are stories that some ballot papers went missing, and that tallies were tampered with, altering figures to give advantage to Mai Kibaki’s party. Word of mouth is not convincing evidence in a court of law. Hence, Mwai Kibaki challenged the opposition led by Raila Odinga to seek recourse from the court.  He knew that the case would be thrown out by the court, not so much because the judiciary is staffed by his own people, but because Raila Odinga would find it difficult to provide credible evidence that the votes were rigged.

It is my humble submission that one of the critical demands of the MDC, as the main opposition party, should be the serialization of ballot papers. It is anticipated that about five million people registered to vote and there is nothing that should stop the serialization of ballot papers of that number, with a known number for provision. This might appear a far-fetched idea, but it does eliminate rampant fraud. There were allegations that in the 2005 elections some ballot boxes were stuffed with ballots given to the army and the CIO to vote for Zanu (PF). These were then added into authentic votes to give Zanu (PF) a clear victory. In some instances, it was also reported that the number of votes exceeded the voting population.

Serialized ballot papers also have an additional advantage of being traceable to a particular province or constituency where they were allocated. A recount can easily be done, and missing ballots can be verified.  

ROPAFADZO CHASAMHUKA, by email

Edmund Hillary’s visit to Southern Rhodesia

EDITOR – The death of that great New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) reminded me of the life and times of another great New Zealander, Sir Garfield Todd (1908-2002) and how the saga of the conquest of Mount Everest made a brief and rather sad entry into the history books of Southern Rhodesia.

Sir Edmund flew into the Southern Rhodesian capital to give a lecture at a packed local cinema.

Grace Todd, the country’s first lady, takes up the story: “After the lecture, there was to be a reception at our house and people would come in for coffee. During the earlier part of the evening, the Indian High Commissioner telephoned to ask when the party would be. ‘Come with all the people from the lecture’, I replied. The High Commissioner said quietly: ‘I will not be there: No Asians are allowed in the Palace Theatre’. Hillary telling the story of Everest – and the Indian High Commissioner could not be there! I could not answer him because I felt so shocked.”

Some things have got better over the years in the former British colony, today’s Zimbabwe.

TREVOR GRUNDY, Canterbury, England

Call it a day, Gono

EDITOR – It’s high time for the Reserve Bank Chief to call it a day. I think Gono is the worst performing Reserve Bank Chief in the world. He always says inflation is his number one enemy, but the rate is now over 20,000% – the highest in world. So, we can now say Gono’s best friend is inflation.

Zimbabwe is the only country that doesn’t use real money as a legal tender. Gono, your organisation is busy buying forex in the black market. Where in the world have you ever seen this thing happening? So, the best way is for you to go to Munhumutapa building with a letter saying ‘I resign’.         

LOVEMORE MASEKO, Durban, SA

Zimbabwe can

Back when I was in high school, my late headmaster used to say go and be ambassadors of Musiso; go show them that you are from Musiso. He was right. He wanted mankind to see the man in me and understand that people are different and have different talents. Even in Bible, we know people have different talents. So, those who are born leaders, let’s see it.  

Being a leader and born a leader and learning to be a leader all amount to one thing – the one who survives the test of time will be the leader; one who can overcome the challenges of opposition, but at the same time embrace changes and learn to accept criticism as a basis for success, will forever be a leader.

I see people crying. I see mankind hungry. I see Zimbabwe being torn apart while we sit and do nothing, just worrying about ourselves.  

It’s my time and it’s your time to stand up and shine. This country, our country, will not change. Change is fought for; people die. We need a spirit of togetherness. Zimbabwe can.

SHINGAI MUNHAMO, MDC Greater Cincinnati Chairperson

Apathy and theorising help ruin the country

EDITOR – With the good leadership in Africa, we can remove all the obstacles that stand in the path of African prosperity. Perhaps other continents are living large, due to the so-called ‘decolonization of minds’ method.  

I remember the quote by the late Professor Guy Mhone, asserting that Africa is from nowhere going to nowhere. Who is to blame in this situation? Because, somewhere, Africans are living contrary to their white counterparts.  

If my country of birth was in Europe and had been involved in the World War, then my country would be Germany, which signed the so-called Treaty of Versailles.

Zimbabwe’s situation is similar to that of Germany, because it seems that we have already signed Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points. Where are we heading? Do we muse that apathy will bear fruit? Do we contemplate that neighbouring countries will spare their time to look at our problems?  

Apathy is a syndrome that has led to many issues in our country such as the leadership crisis that we face even within the opposition parties. It might happen that, for instance, the party belonging to the Ndebele will end up denigrating each other trying to convince others with paradoxical historical facts. It is the same with the Shona people who will try to convince one another about who is who in drafting the policies that will satisfy the concerned individual and his family. This portends that this process will confuse people.   

My fellow brothers and sisters from Zimbabwe, let’s avoid being too theoretical because this has also contributed to ruining our country.

GIYANI DUBE, Creative Writers Workshop