Hands off Zimbabwe screamed a banner headline in the state daily, The Herald last year, over a story quoting former Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda.(Pictured)Kaunda spoke at the height of the political impasse sparked by the withholding by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of the outcome of the March 20008 presidential election widely believed to have been won by Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
The ex-Zambian leader warned British prime minister, Gordon Brown and the West to keep their hands off Zimbabwe, saying Zimbabweans were capable of finding a way out of their problems through a government of national unity.
A week previously, Kaunda had slammed the United Nations for expressing similar concerns over the political tensions between Zanu (PF) and the MDC resulting from the authorities failure to announce the presidential election result for more than a month.
Kaunda threatened to travel to Britain to confront Brown for expressing disquiet over the Zanu (PF) governments refusal to accept the expressed will of the people. More than a year later, Kaunda has been speaking on the same theme. However this time rather than railing against meddling in Zimbabwes affairs, he appears to have made a complete U-turn.
He has called on the Commonwealth to re-engage the country. To use the former Zambian leaders words: Zimbabwe belongs within the Commonwealth and we should welcome her back The Commonwealth could be the perfect vehicle to help Zimbabwe bring sustainable economic and social development to its people.
We could not agree with him more. The benefits of belonging to the brotherhood of nations under the Commonwealth are immense and Zimbabwe has lost out during the bitter years when it has pursued an isolationist policy.
But it must not be forgotten that the former Zambian head of state and other African leaders did not speak out when President Robert Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out of the club after storming out of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja in 2003.
The Commonwealth has always said the door was open for Zimbabwe to rejoin the bloc on condition the government addressed human rights and governance issues.
These are still a bone of contention even after the formation of the unity government but Kaunda and other leaders have continued to turn a blind eye. And now Zambias elder statesman steps forward to offer advice to the deserted party rather than the initiator of the parting of ways.
We believe that for once, Zambias founding president should be on the side of the people of Zimbabwe. He can do this by re-directing the advice he has been offering to the Commonwealth to Zimbabwes head of state.
He should be urging President Mugabe to address the issues he was unwilling to acknowledge in Abuja in 2003.
Zimbabwe should not rejoin the Commonwealth only for economic reasons but should share the groups democratic tenets and aspirations.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga