What is lacking and has been lacking for the past decade and more under the government of Zanu (PF) – is a National Vision for the country. When political allegiance has been the only criteria by which patriotism and even hero status is judged, it is not surprising that Zimbabwean society as a whole has become deeply fractured. Add the factor of downright racism against one highly productive group of people as seen in Mugabes disastrous Land Reform and you have a recipe for disaster. Imposing a Unity Government on top of all these divisions was never likely to produce a population united by love of country. Instead we have a country where greed and corruption are the order of the day and the communal values once espoused by Zimbabweans have almost disappeared.
Robert Mugabe, the author of all this misery, is away enjoying the hospitality of his friend Gadaffi in Lybia. Back home, it was Morgan Tsvangirai who reminded Zimbabweans that the underlying purpose of this political union was the improvement of peoples lives. Giving the people of Zimbabwe a direction was how the Prime Minister expressed it.
Tsvangirai was asked in an interview how he could bring himself to sup with the devil.
What is reconciliation without that? was Tsvangirais reply. Reconciliation is a measure of tolerance across the very serious political divide that existed in this country. How can we stand up as leaders and call for national unity when between us we dont relate to each other?
For me, there is something deeply flawed in this line of thinking. If the violence was all in the distant past it might be understandable that Tsvangirai should set aside crimes committed a long time ago. But the truth is that Mugabes army and police and Green Bombers, (his new war veterans as he once described them) continue even now to inflict savage punishment on anyone perceived to be enemies. For Morgan Tsvangirai now to sup with the devil is in my view nothing more than political expediency, and to claim as he does that it is the beginning of true reconciliation is grossly misleading.
One day after that interview, Tsvangirai called a press conference and said:
We are not tied up by anything other than the fact that we volunteered to be in this government. What will stop us from leaving? We have an option of getting out if we think its not workingwhen we say it is irreversible we are not saying things will not change, we just say this is the only option that gives direction to the people of Zimbabwe and on that we are very committed.
Whether such commitment is shared by both sides in the Unity Government and the population at large is the question that only time will answer. PAULINE HENSON, by e-mail
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