News / International
Zapu Canada Golden Jubilee Speech: Mlaga
16 Jan 2012 at 10:51hrs | Views
Ottawa, Canada - Well over 50 people converged in Ottawa's Bronson Community Center exactly a month ago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Zimbabwe African People's Union, ZAPU. The event, dubbed the '50th Golden Jubilee,' was attended by a few dignitaries, professionals and many ZAPU supporters from neighboring cities.
The cold weather proved not to be a deterrent to some of the die hard followers of Zimbabwe's oldest former liberation movement from gathering to share their personal stories of their involvement in ZAPU throughout the years.
ZAPU formally withdrew from the Unity Accord of 1987 with the ruling ZANU PF in 2008 to resume its autonomous existence outside the Unity Accord.
The party had entered into the arrangement with ZANU in order to stop a genocidal crusade against its followers in the 1980s.
With continued, flagrant violation of human rights by the ZANU PF government, ZAPU decided to pull out of the Unity Accord and resume its autonomous existence in order to fight for the realization of its founding principles.
With 'human rightism' at the core of its ideological program, ZAPU is reviving its old structures across Zimbabwe's ten provinces and in the Diaspora with a vision of transferring power to the provinces once it is elected to government. If an 'acceptable' constitution and a clear roadmap to the national elections is put in place, ZAPU will be ready to field its candidates across Zimbabwe.
The party is also fighting for the enfranchisement of the Diaspora based Zimbabweans, many of whom were forced to leave the country due to high unemployment and political repression.
The Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Ottawa were organized by the local ZAPU chapter which has played a significant role in raising awareness on the plight of Zimbabweans and raising the profile of the organization in Canada. ZAPU Canada is one of the four ZAPU 'Diaspora Provinces,' which also include the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa, all of whom are structured in accordance with the ZAPU constitution.
Mr. Ocean Mlaga, a former fighter in Zimbabwe's war of independence delivered the keynote speech. Having been recently appointed by the party to head the Education portfolio, Mr. Mlaga is the most senior party member in the province.
Below is the full text of Mr. Mlaga's speech to those who gathered at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Ottawa, Canada.
"Your Excellencies, distinguished guests and fellow compatriots; the diversity of this gathering this evening mirrors the philosophy of ZAPU; that diversity is a source of strength, not of weakness.
It is an historic occasion to be celebrating the Golden Jubilee with so many friends in attendance.
It was exactly 50 years ago that our leaders discussed the next move following the banning of the National Democratic Party, the NDP.
Their deliberations concluded in the formation of this formidable, indestructible political institution, the Zimbabwe African People's Union, ZAPU. During its lifetime, ZAPU has survived several orchestrated attempts to liquidate, decapitate or annihilate it by those who declared their enmity to its existence.
The Ian Smith regime, its colonial predecessors as well as the present ZANU PF government all seemingly failed to understand the true nature of ZAPU.
ZAPU is an idea, a concept and a vision shared by the majority of the Zimbabwean people.
Logical thinking individuals understand that you cannot liquidate an idea, and that is the reason why none of the above mentioned regimes have been unsuccessful in their attempts to destroy our party.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate the inception of this great political institution, we are also painfully reminded of the magnitude of sacrifice that the people of Zimbabwe have paid for their liberation and continue to endure as they seek to finally create a viable, united democratic state.
We owe our heroes a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices. Yes it sounds very nice to be declarative in our verbal pronouncements, but how does one pay this debt of gratitude? What kind of currency must we use?
The Zimbabwe African People's Union believes that it can be paid by creating a democratic, non-racial, non-tribal society that respects the rule of law.
It is only then that we can ask our heroes to rest in peace, till we meet again.
To our Zimbabwean compatriots, we appreciate and salute your sacrifices. But we have to remember that just one sacrifice seldom brings the desired results.
Sacrifice should be an ongoing process until the true liberation of our people can be achieved.
It is therefore incumbent upon all of us that our sacrifices must collectively amount to the fulfilment of our noble objective of creating a democratic state owned by its citizens.
Falling short of this would be tantamount to failure and would be a disservice to the suffering masses of Zimbabwe.
The current political struggle in Zimbabwe has entered a new phase where ZAPU is providing the right leadership to champion its noble objective of creating a democratic state through the devolution of power to the provinces; transferring the power to the people.
To diplomats, you represent your own governments which are part of the global community, we in the Zimbabwe African People's Union will not politically or otherwise, seduce you to support the cause of creating a democratic state in Zimbabwe.
However, we would like to, however ask all of you to pay attention to the plight of the suffering masses of Zimbabwe.
If Zimbabweans are regarded as equal beings in the eyes of the international community, why then is there reluctance in pledging political solidarity and moral support?
One might rightfully or wrongly extrapolate from your inaction that we are less-deserving to be free and not worthy to pursue liberty and happiness.
We have been victims of propaganda in the form of verbal declarations and pronouncements that "those who seek freedom and justice will not be alone in their struggles." History has taught us that 'time' is the only dependable 'ally of the oppressed masses.'
Governments, political parties and other organizations are less reliable allies because they all do things out of political expediency.
To the Zimbabwean regime; we in ZAPU would like to remind those that are in power that the power they wield now was borne out of sacrifices made by Zimbabweans.
The wholesale massacres of innocent civilians and the continued political violence against the same people who made it possible for us to be free are a colossal betrayal of our fallen heroes.
A ZAPU government will not obstruct the pursuit of justice by the people of Zimbabwe against officials, individuals or state institutions who violated the rights and trust of our people. ZAPU will also facilitate and expedite that process so that Zimbabweans get the justice they rightfully deserve, for there cannot be any reconciliation without justice.
There is still a window of opportunity for those who continue to be on the wrong side to realise that the status quo can no longer be sustainable and ought to ally themselves with the struggling masses of Zimbabwe. True liberation can no longer be delayed, so we ask you to join hands with us as we march towards the attainment of a united democratic state.
We hope those in power will finally yield to the demands of the many by creating an orderly process and facilitate conditions for a fair and democratic elections and satisfy the aspirations of our traumatised country.
We remain hopeful that sanity will prevail. If the opposite were to occur, it would be unfortunate and this time Zimbabweans will not tolerate or take kindly another election rigging project.
All of us witnessed the horror of how things ended in Libya; when emotions take over, thought process is exiled. People who are emotionally engaged in any situation have no sense to proportionally satisfy their emotional quests which are sometimes far from sober thinking.
To all brutal regimes of the world; the winds of change are blowing strongly, please make your exit before the exit is planned for you!
I appeal to all Zimbabweans to rally behind ZAPU, a party whose leadership is committed to delivering change that you all have so patiently waited for. The change will be brought about through meaningful devolution of power to the people.
I salute all of you in the name of justice, peace and democracy.
God bless and goodnight."
The cold weather proved not to be a deterrent to some of the die hard followers of Zimbabwe's oldest former liberation movement from gathering to share their personal stories of their involvement in ZAPU throughout the years.
ZAPU formally withdrew from the Unity Accord of 1987 with the ruling ZANU PF in 2008 to resume its autonomous existence outside the Unity Accord.
The party had entered into the arrangement with ZANU in order to stop a genocidal crusade against its followers in the 1980s.
With continued, flagrant violation of human rights by the ZANU PF government, ZAPU decided to pull out of the Unity Accord and resume its autonomous existence in order to fight for the realization of its founding principles.
With 'human rightism' at the core of its ideological program, ZAPU is reviving its old structures across Zimbabwe's ten provinces and in the Diaspora with a vision of transferring power to the provinces once it is elected to government. If an 'acceptable' constitution and a clear roadmap to the national elections is put in place, ZAPU will be ready to field its candidates across Zimbabwe.
The party is also fighting for the enfranchisement of the Diaspora based Zimbabweans, many of whom were forced to leave the country due to high unemployment and political repression.
The Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Ottawa were organized by the local ZAPU chapter which has played a significant role in raising awareness on the plight of Zimbabweans and raising the profile of the organization in Canada. ZAPU Canada is one of the four ZAPU 'Diaspora Provinces,' which also include the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa, all of whom are structured in accordance with the ZAPU constitution.
Mr. Ocean Mlaga, a former fighter in Zimbabwe's war of independence delivered the keynote speech. Having been recently appointed by the party to head the Education portfolio, Mr. Mlaga is the most senior party member in the province.
Below is the full text of Mr. Mlaga's speech to those who gathered at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Ottawa, Canada.
"Your Excellencies, distinguished guests and fellow compatriots; the diversity of this gathering this evening mirrors the philosophy of ZAPU; that diversity is a source of strength, not of weakness.
It is an historic occasion to be celebrating the Golden Jubilee with so many friends in attendance.
It was exactly 50 years ago that our leaders discussed the next move following the banning of the National Democratic Party, the NDP.
Their deliberations concluded in the formation of this formidable, indestructible political institution, the Zimbabwe African People's Union, ZAPU. During its lifetime, ZAPU has survived several orchestrated attempts to liquidate, decapitate or annihilate it by those who declared their enmity to its existence.
The Ian Smith regime, its colonial predecessors as well as the present ZANU PF government all seemingly failed to understand the true nature of ZAPU.
ZAPU is an idea, a concept and a vision shared by the majority of the Zimbabwean people.
Logical thinking individuals understand that you cannot liquidate an idea, and that is the reason why none of the above mentioned regimes have been unsuccessful in their attempts to destroy our party.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate the inception of this great political institution, we are also painfully reminded of the magnitude of sacrifice that the people of Zimbabwe have paid for their liberation and continue to endure as they seek to finally create a viable, united democratic state.
We owe our heroes a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices. Yes it sounds very nice to be declarative in our verbal pronouncements, but how does one pay this debt of gratitude? What kind of currency must we use?
The Zimbabwe African People's Union believes that it can be paid by creating a democratic, non-racial, non-tribal society that respects the rule of law.
It is only then that we can ask our heroes to rest in peace, till we meet again.
To our Zimbabwean compatriots, we appreciate and salute your sacrifices. But we have to remember that just one sacrifice seldom brings the desired results.
Sacrifice should be an ongoing process until the true liberation of our people can be achieved.
It is therefore incumbent upon all of us that our sacrifices must collectively amount to the fulfilment of our noble objective of creating a democratic state owned by its citizens.
Falling short of this would be tantamount to failure and would be a disservice to the suffering masses of Zimbabwe.
The current political struggle in Zimbabwe has entered a new phase where ZAPU is providing the right leadership to champion its noble objective of creating a democratic state through the devolution of power to the provinces; transferring the power to the people.
To diplomats, you represent your own governments which are part of the global community, we in the Zimbabwe African People's Union will not politically or otherwise, seduce you to support the cause of creating a democratic state in Zimbabwe.
However, we would like to, however ask all of you to pay attention to the plight of the suffering masses of Zimbabwe.
If Zimbabweans are regarded as equal beings in the eyes of the international community, why then is there reluctance in pledging political solidarity and moral support?
One might rightfully or wrongly extrapolate from your inaction that we are less-deserving to be free and not worthy to pursue liberty and happiness.
We have been victims of propaganda in the form of verbal declarations and pronouncements that "those who seek freedom and justice will not be alone in their struggles." History has taught us that 'time' is the only dependable 'ally of the oppressed masses.'
Governments, political parties and other organizations are less reliable allies because they all do things out of political expediency.
To the Zimbabwean regime; we in ZAPU would like to remind those that are in power that the power they wield now was borne out of sacrifices made by Zimbabweans.
The wholesale massacres of innocent civilians and the continued political violence against the same people who made it possible for us to be free are a colossal betrayal of our fallen heroes.
A ZAPU government will not obstruct the pursuit of justice by the people of Zimbabwe against officials, individuals or state institutions who violated the rights and trust of our people. ZAPU will also facilitate and expedite that process so that Zimbabweans get the justice they rightfully deserve, for there cannot be any reconciliation without justice.
There is still a window of opportunity for those who continue to be on the wrong side to realise that the status quo can no longer be sustainable and ought to ally themselves with the struggling masses of Zimbabwe. True liberation can no longer be delayed, so we ask you to join hands with us as we march towards the attainment of a united democratic state.
We hope those in power will finally yield to the demands of the many by creating an orderly process and facilitate conditions for a fair and democratic elections and satisfy the aspirations of our traumatised country.
We remain hopeful that sanity will prevail. If the opposite were to occur, it would be unfortunate and this time Zimbabweans will not tolerate or take kindly another election rigging project.
All of us witnessed the horror of how things ended in Libya; when emotions take over, thought process is exiled. People who are emotionally engaged in any situation have no sense to proportionally satisfy their emotional quests which are sometimes far from sober thinking.
To all brutal regimes of the world; the winds of change are blowing strongly, please make your exit before the exit is planned for you!
I appeal to all Zimbabweans to rally behind ZAPU, a party whose leadership is committed to delivering change that you all have so patiently waited for. The change will be brought about through meaningful devolution of power to the people.
I salute all of you in the name of justice, peace and democracy.
God bless and goodnight."
Source - Zapu Canada Mobilization Department
