There is no doubt that the commemorations we have seen, particularly in the last 15 years, do not demonstrate the euphoria, enthusiasm and hope of the period before that, and rightly so. It is common cause that the majority of us are disillusioned with the way this country has been ruled.
What started off as an extremely promising country has been reduced to a heap of hopelessness due to the manner in which greedy and power-hungry politicians have exploited it. Today, people are wondering why, having been blessed with such an abundance of minerals, the majority of us are still poor, government operates on an ad hoc budget and more than 80 percent of employable people are roaming the streets.
The majority of Zimbabweans wonder why we cannot enjoy the freedom of movement and political affiliation promised by Independence. We are confused by the fact that we have to depend on regional neighbours for food, jobs and health facilities when we used to perform far better than most of these countries. We are better endowed in with natural and human resources than many of our neighbours. We do not understand why, with such a high literacy rate and a rich base of skilled manpower, we still have to leave our families in a desperate search for better fortunes outside our homeland.
At the moment, not much seems to be moving in this country. There is uncertainty over elections that may or may not take place this year. There is no clear vision on where our economy is going, and we have developed a solid culture of fear and anxiety about tomorrow.
Obviously, this malaise is an offshoot of bad politics. Over the years, our politicians have chosen the wrong policies to follow, all out of an ill-advised quest to retain power and riches and to spite imagined enemies. Yet, if we were to do things right, Zimbabwe could easily regain its status as a prosperous nation.
Therefore, as we celebrate Independence Day today, there is great need to be clear about our faults and the way forward. The first thing we ought to do is to ensure that the new constitution endorsed through the 16 March referendum becomes the supreme charter. After that, we must hold free and fair elections. If we manage to do that, much of the rest will fall into place.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga
You say .. “We do not understand why, with such a high literacy rate and a rich base of skilled manpower, we still have to leave our families in a desperate search for better fortunes outside our homeland.” Honestly, what don’t you understand? I would have thought the reason why so many O level graduates have to work as garden boys and waiters in South Africa would be quite obvious by now.