Sounds sweet, right? But that isnt enough! We also have to delve into practice to develop life. (Pictured: Laurent Gbagbo Lost elections but like Mugabe wont give up power)
There is also an incumbent and urgent need for us to rise up more than ever before and refuse to be second-class citizens in our own country.
So much has been messed up in Zimbabwe so with our very flesh and blood we must work extremely hard to rebuild the social, political and economic structure and fabric torn apart by tyranny. Zimbabweans are indeed in a crucial time and this is no doubt the prime time to roar in defiance.
These, fellow citizens, are my 2011 resolutions for our country. But most important of all, I pray that Mugabe abandons his Mephistophelian behaviour and Neanderthal attitude. Hear me for my cause. He is insensitive, unresponsive and selfish. I honestly hoped for his (Mugabe) departure by 31st December 2010 but I have just realised that once a dictator always a dictator. Please note dear reader, that it is sincerity and honesty of my opinions as well as strength and openness of my convictions that I have distinguished myself not only within my profession but also within the country, region and at an international level.
All this is largely a result of my overriding loyalty to the Republic of Zimbabwe. Dealing with hardcore dictators like baba Chatunga also calls for extraordinary qualities of mind and character that strong leadership requires. Zimbabweans live under a struggle to obtain the basic necessities of life. Theirs is a state of chronic want and it is every Zimbabweans obligation to uplift the condition of the underprivileged.
Mugabe and Sithole
As driving forces for action and effective catalysts of change, in significant ways and in significant arenas, we must show promise of a career trajectory of increasing responsibility and impact.
We must regard as nothing any position or office held at the sacrifice of honour. Mugabe must leave now because there is nothing more he can offer to suffering Zimbabweans. In case you are ignorant of this history, dear reader, let me play the role of story-teller.
Once upon a time there was a man called Robert Mugabe. He was a Secretary General but not just any Secretary General, but the Secretary General of one of the greatest leaders in Zimbabwes history (Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole). Mugabe was especially chosen by the Rev himself to be his Secretary General. For the time that he worked with the Rev, he listened, observed and thus understood what it meant to be a leader. His leadership was not as fiery and glamorous as the Revs, but he exerted a far-reaching influence.
Thus Mugabe had a wonderful opportunity to be closely associated with someone as gifted as the Rev. Its hard to imagine all that he could have learned and seen in the years that he worked with Ndabaningi Sithole. Yet, despite so much potential and many great opportunities, Mugabe became a miserable failure. Mugabe is like Gehazi in the Bible, Gehazi who was the Prophet Elishas special assistant.
His story serves as an example of someone who gets sidetracked and becomes unable to distinguish the important from the peripheral no wonder why its high time he left office. I believe that its crucial for us, fellow citizens, to learn from his mistakes.
Leadership primarily means putting aside ones own wants, wishes, and comfort and involves oneself totally in someone elses life. A leader always acts not to further his own ends but to further his followers. A good leader leads by example and gives plenty of opportunities for the follower to apply what he/she is learning. Tragically, Mugabe isnt at all this type of leader. He is instead so self-centred and self-absorbed that he has become insensitive to the feelings and needs of others.
Laurent Gbagbo
I am following very closely recent happenings (post-election crisis) in Ivory Coast (handibvi paAljazeera!). Innocent lives are being lost and thousands have been internally and externally displaced. I feel sorry for a poor country like Liberia and many more that have to accommodate thousands of Ivorians who have become refugees as a result of selfishness on the part of Laurent Gbagbo.
As a student of humanitarian and refugee studies, I have a penchant for such issues. Ignoring such issues is a dereliction of duty on my part. I am a compassionate, socially responsible and intellectually dedicated man wholly committed to the creation of a free, just and fairer society.
I wont be silent when losers kill for the sake of power. This reminds me of our own tragic story following Mugabes defeat on March 29, 2008. We all paid for his defeat. We paid with our lives and many had to run away for dear life. Tragically, many of our people who fled political and electoral violence and crossed into South Africa are the ones we hear are economic (or is it survival migrants?).
In case you arent aware of this fact, many countries particularly in Africa and Asia are retreating from applying the basic principles of asylum. In several of these countries theres already a presence of a phenomenon (refugee burden) and there is no doubt that this has a significant impact on the host country and community.
We have seen this development through closure and increased securitization of borders, undignified and unsafe repatriations (remember the story of Burundian refugees at Tongogara Refugee Camp?), short-term asylum regardless of conditions in source region and failure to provide security in refugee camps-Dadaab in Kenya and Dzaleka in Malawi are examples.
Dwelling on the past
The ultimate result of this sad development has been a general decline in respect for human rights of refugees and this represents a humanitarian catastrophe of enormous proportions. So dictators, please note the kind of situation that you have put your people into. Just step aside for the sake of your people and you will also benefit from the reconstruction and rehabilitation of what you destroyed.
As for Robert Mugabe I have but a little message for you. I see nothing wrong with remembering our past or even making reference to the past. I reaffirm our need to recount and remember our past, particularly the protracted liberation struggle BUT at the same time, we need to be very careful about dwelling on what happened in the past, at the expense of living correctly in the present.
We need to strike a balance otherwise dwelling too much on the past can negatively influence our present and thus deprive us of the future we all hope for. God help Zimbabwe. The struggle continues unabated! – Mutsa Murenje writes from Ibadan, Nigeria
Post published in: Opinions