Unpacking MDC’s humanitarian imperative

Provision of humanitarian assistance must be impartial and not based on nationality, race, religion, or political point of view. It must be based on need alone. Since 1980, when Zanu (PF) assumed power under the tutelage of President Robert Mugabe, humanitarian mechanisms where put in place.

Communist policies

However, due to lack of comprehensive policy backup and sustainability, they soon flopped.

Mugabe’s humanitarian initiatives have been more like communist populist policies aimed at scoring political leverage rather than alleviating social ills. That’s why the Health for All, Education for All, Houses for All among the not so-sustainable rhetoric could not last, with some never even seeing the light of day. The fundamental significance of any serious government’s humanitarian mechanisms should be biased towards the fact that each human being was created in the image of God and as such has got an innate right to be treated with dignity.

It is in line with this that the MDC’s policy provision on special needs and people living with disabilities needs attention. The party’s policy provision makes it clear that the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the community consist of women, girls and people with disabilities. Women and girls are disadvantaged because of gender discrimination that has deprived them of socio-economic and political rights.

As such, the party’s vision is a Zimbabwe where people with disabilities live with dignity and equality. To make this a reality, the party pledges to create an environment where people with disabilities can live to their full potential. Sadly, the current indigenisation by Zanu (PF) has appeared insensitive to the needs of the disadvantaged and the disabled. There has been increased talk of youth empowerment but silence on the plight of the disabled.

Centres and institutions of these special people have depleted over the years as a result of neglect by the government. Institutions like Danhiko are only spruced up days before the annual Paralympic games where the First Lady Grace Mugabe is patron.

Children at Danhiko have to make ends meet by looking for water in nearby industrial areas. Jairos Jiri is even worse.

All these are indicators of a clear lack of policy framework.

Raising awareness

MDC’s policy objectives make sense in that they aim to raise awareness about the challenges being faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community. This enables the government, international NGOs and local service organisations to target their programmes toward vulnerable groups.

As part of its policy recommendations, the MDC pledges to revise the current Disabled Persons Act (1992) and provide a clearly defined, integrated and participatory approach to formulating a policy that highlights and implements the specific needs of people with disabilities.

The so-called presidential well-wishers scheme exposes Zanu (PF)’s inhuman approach. While it seeks to assist economically incapacitated farmers, it has been reduced to a party project.

Zanu (PF) has, for the past three decades, used crisis as an opportunity for political posturing and the MDC’s policy framework will definitely outmanoeuvre such medieval political approaches. – chihwamutambara@gmail.com