David Coltart
The purpose of this day which is celebrated every year is to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice. On this day we also pay tribute to those who devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all.
This year’s commemorations come at a time when the national is seized with the herculean task of coming to terms with revelations by Bulawayo Senator, David Coltart (MDC) in his book titled “The Struggle Continues-50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
In the book, Coltart makes shocking revelations on the role played by the current political leadership particularly the Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the Gukurahundi atrocities in the 80s. Such allegations against a sitting Vice President who in accordance with the constitution must be promoting unity and peace, highlight how important truth telling, healing and reconciliation is to all Zimbabweans. Heal Zimbabwe again reiterate the need to expedite operationalization of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission(NPRC) whose mandate is to spearhead these key processes as enshrined in the constitution.
Revelations in Sen Coltart’s book no matter how damaging they can be pronounced, serve as a reminder that there is need for truth telling for reconciliation and healing to take place. Heal Zimbabwe restates that unless there is enough political will to shift from the denialist approach to past violations, reconciliation and healing will remain a distant dream. National healing processes including the onerous task that lies ahead for the NPRC, might not yield any results if the political leadership remain in denial on the need for truth telling.
It is high time political office bearers and leaders and all persons involved in all past atrocities including recent past events such as the 2008 violence come out openly and take responsibility. The first step to a genuine reconciliation process entails accepting our wrong past and telling the truth to find peace with ourselves and let justice take its course. A never again attitude can only be born from acknowledging wrongs of the past and telling the truth of what happened.
Heal Zimbabwe calls upon all Zimbabweans who have taken part in any violation to own up in the spirit of enhancing an important reconciliation process. National Healing requires participation by all Zimbabweans.
Post published in: Featured
For the record Senator Coltart was very economic with the truth about how MDC had betrayed the nation by failing to implement meaningful reforms during the GNU.
Senator Coltart admits in his book that the new Copac constitution gives the office of the president excessive powers and has failed to provide democratic “checks and balances”. How he can then still maintain that the new constitution was a good and democratic constitution beggars belief. Power MUST never ever invested into one sector be it the executive, parliament or the judiciary; having checks and balance is a fundamental requirement of a democracy. There is no democratic nation on earth in which this critical tenet is violated! None!
Of course MDC sold-out in recommending to the nation a undemocratic constitution.
“It was better than the existing constitution,” Coltart argued at some point. The nation set out to draft a democratic constitution that would deliver the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections, The new constitution clearly failed on both fronts and it delivery other trivial things is hardly a comfort to the nation.
We are still stuck with a Zanu PF dictatorship because it can still blatantly rig elections, as it did in the 2013 elections.