Opinion / Blogs
It's Time Robert, It's Time
13 Oct 2011 at 18:41hrs | Views
Robert Mugabe is 87 years old and is still running, ruining, Zimbabwe. "It's time Robert, It's time", these are the thoughts in many Zimbabweans' minds when they are walking in the streets and these are their words when there are in their closets away from Mugabe`s spies and bloody ruthless supporters.
As you read the news on America and on other countries you begin to see the different terms at which a president can remain the leader of a nation. Most importantly, is the welfare of the nation's citizens which is largely dependent on the performance of economy. All the other things do not matter, what the president has done in the past does not matter, what matters is what he will do for the nation in the future. The people want jobs, jobs that earn money that is realistic and domestically competitive. The people want a good education, people want a just and prosperous society, and the people want freedom.
In America, Barack Obama has been catching fire because of the low performance of the economy. The fact that he is the first black American president does not matter to many people. There are many minority groups that are calling for his exit too. He stabilized the economy and brought the country from a recession but he did not do much after that. (This is not exactly true, there is not much change anyone can bring within a short period of time like Obama had, especially with all that is going on in the world). Obama has done a lot for them but they feel they need someone else who will do for them what Obama cannot do.
In western countries a president has to step up or go. No matter who he is, he has to deliver the basic things people need. When it comes to Zimbabwe or to most dictatorships things are very much the same and are very much different at the same time; the will of the people is the same but the means by which presidents remain leaders are very much different. In dictatorships, leaders do not stay in power because of their performance but because of their ability to suppress the people. In all the things we have listed, jobs, education, justice, freedom among many other things, Robert Mugabe has failed. He did a good job in his first two decades but in the last decade, he has almost erased all the good that he did.
There is no good promise for the future from Robert Mugabe because with his age and his evident evil selfish nature, there is nothing meaningful that Mugabe can do for Zimbabwe. Everyone who is on a job has to go through a physical examination. There is no way Mugabe can pass any physical exam. Because of his age, Mugabe is now very weak. ZANU PF heavyweights can do whatever they like; under his watch and sometimes with his blessing they violate the law and they loot Zimbabwe`s resources. We cannot have such a president, a president who cannot control his people. He does not care about the people anymore but cares about his interests and that of ZANU PF.
We are indeed grateful for what Mugabe did in the past. As most people know, Zimbabwe was country that had a dynamic economy and a good education system; it was the envy of Africa, the jewel of Africa. Above all Mugabe helped liberate the people of Zimbabwe from colonial rule. As grateful as we are, we remember this saying, "You don't mistreat your children because you got them into this world". The fact that you got them into the world means you need to step up, it means your expectations and responsibilities become greater. In a country, the president is like a father and the county`s people are like his children. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe`s responsibility is to cater to the needs of all Zimbabweans first, not the secluded needs of war veterans or ZANU PF
There are many instances where Mugabe has failed in his responsibilities. In the land invasion, Mugabe thought about himself. He thought of the political fallout if he didn't allow the war veterans to grab land. He put the future of all Zimbabweans on the line in order to satisfy his war veterans. Mugabe should have not bowed down to pressure from war veterans to grab land until he had a clear plan on how the exercise would be undertaken without harming the population of Zimbabwe as a whole. Sanctions were not put on Mugabe and ZANU PF because of the land redistribution but they were put in place because of the nature of the redistribution which violated human rights and left many injured, homeless or dead.
Sanctions have their effects and their role in the suffering of Zimbabwe. Though they are targeted against ZANU PF, you cannot separate Zimbabwe from ZANU PF. As a result, the sanctions have also given Mugabe and his cronies an excuse to loot Zimbabwe`s resources. They can do whatever they want and blame it on the sanctions. However the notion that sanctions ruined Zimbabwe is a lie that cannot carry Mugabe anymore. If there is no fault, if it's all sanctions, then why is Mugabe refusing to do a transparent land audit, why does his family have more than 11 farms when there is a one man one farm policy in Zimbabwe? Most of the suffering of Zimbabweans is because of Mugabe and his officials` corrupt activities and policies that are carefully crafted to make way for looting Zimbabwe`s wealth
Mugabe and his regime`s violation of human rights did not stop with the land invasions; even unto this day people are arrested on false charges. They are tortured and in some cases killed. Mugabe has failed to provide justice for the people of Zimbabwe. Not only has he done so, he has snatched their freedom away, he watches as they are beaten and mugged by ZANU PF thugs. He calls for peace but he folds his hands when his supporters beat people. In 2008 more than 300 Zimbabweans had to die, thousands had to be tortured and millions had to be traumatized in order for him to remain in power.
No one in Zimbabwe, except for a few individuals with selfish ambitions, wants Mugabe to continue as Zimbabwe`s president. He is an old man who should be spending most of his day sitting under a tree, drinking orange juice and watching his cows mating. Like most elderly people, his brain has become like a child and hence cannot make useful decisions or take on challenging tasks. The army and many evil greedy forces in Zimbabwe are now doing the thinking for him. Anyone who thinks that Mugabe will solve the succession battle in ZANU is mistaken. There is nothing Mugabe can offer Zimbabwe or his own party. Behind his back, even his two vice presidents and trusted officials have been working towards his removal, not to mention a host of African presidents.
Mugabe must go and he must go now, Zimbabweans cannot wait another year and they cannot wait another day. We love the old man but its time he threw in his towel. Let us all talk with one voice, "It`s time Mugabe, it`s time. Whatever is going to happen to ZANU PF is destiny, in this case fate; you may delay it but you are not going to stop it. Death will not solve your problems if you die with blood on your hands. Being president won't allow you to wash your hands."
Prince
The Promises Of My People, Letters With A Tear Drop
As you read the news on America and on other countries you begin to see the different terms at which a president can remain the leader of a nation. Most importantly, is the welfare of the nation's citizens which is largely dependent on the performance of economy. All the other things do not matter, what the president has done in the past does not matter, what matters is what he will do for the nation in the future. The people want jobs, jobs that earn money that is realistic and domestically competitive. The people want a good education, people want a just and prosperous society, and the people want freedom.
In America, Barack Obama has been catching fire because of the low performance of the economy. The fact that he is the first black American president does not matter to many people. There are many minority groups that are calling for his exit too. He stabilized the economy and brought the country from a recession but he did not do much after that. (This is not exactly true, there is not much change anyone can bring within a short period of time like Obama had, especially with all that is going on in the world). Obama has done a lot for them but they feel they need someone else who will do for them what Obama cannot do.
In western countries a president has to step up or go. No matter who he is, he has to deliver the basic things people need. When it comes to Zimbabwe or to most dictatorships things are very much the same and are very much different at the same time; the will of the people is the same but the means by which presidents remain leaders are very much different. In dictatorships, leaders do not stay in power because of their performance but because of their ability to suppress the people. In all the things we have listed, jobs, education, justice, freedom among many other things, Robert Mugabe has failed. He did a good job in his first two decades but in the last decade, he has almost erased all the good that he did.
There is no good promise for the future from Robert Mugabe because with his age and his evident evil selfish nature, there is nothing meaningful that Mugabe can do for Zimbabwe. Everyone who is on a job has to go through a physical examination. There is no way Mugabe can pass any physical exam. Because of his age, Mugabe is now very weak. ZANU PF heavyweights can do whatever they like; under his watch and sometimes with his blessing they violate the law and they loot Zimbabwe`s resources. We cannot have such a president, a president who cannot control his people. He does not care about the people anymore but cares about his interests and that of ZANU PF.
We are indeed grateful for what Mugabe did in the past. As most people know, Zimbabwe was country that had a dynamic economy and a good education system; it was the envy of Africa, the jewel of Africa. Above all Mugabe helped liberate the people of Zimbabwe from colonial rule. As grateful as we are, we remember this saying, "You don't mistreat your children because you got them into this world". The fact that you got them into the world means you need to step up, it means your expectations and responsibilities become greater. In a country, the president is like a father and the county`s people are like his children. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe`s responsibility is to cater to the needs of all Zimbabweans first, not the secluded needs of war veterans or ZANU PF
There are many instances where Mugabe has failed in his responsibilities. In the land invasion, Mugabe thought about himself. He thought of the political fallout if he didn't allow the war veterans to grab land. He put the future of all Zimbabweans on the line in order to satisfy his war veterans. Mugabe should have not bowed down to pressure from war veterans to grab land until he had a clear plan on how the exercise would be undertaken without harming the population of Zimbabwe as a whole. Sanctions were not put on Mugabe and ZANU PF because of the land redistribution but they were put in place because of the nature of the redistribution which violated human rights and left many injured, homeless or dead.
Sanctions have their effects and their role in the suffering of Zimbabwe. Though they are targeted against ZANU PF, you cannot separate Zimbabwe from ZANU PF. As a result, the sanctions have also given Mugabe and his cronies an excuse to loot Zimbabwe`s resources. They can do whatever they want and blame it on the sanctions. However the notion that sanctions ruined Zimbabwe is a lie that cannot carry Mugabe anymore. If there is no fault, if it's all sanctions, then why is Mugabe refusing to do a transparent land audit, why does his family have more than 11 farms when there is a one man one farm policy in Zimbabwe? Most of the suffering of Zimbabweans is because of Mugabe and his officials` corrupt activities and policies that are carefully crafted to make way for looting Zimbabwe`s wealth
Mugabe and his regime`s violation of human rights did not stop with the land invasions; even unto this day people are arrested on false charges. They are tortured and in some cases killed. Mugabe has failed to provide justice for the people of Zimbabwe. Not only has he done so, he has snatched their freedom away, he watches as they are beaten and mugged by ZANU PF thugs. He calls for peace but he folds his hands when his supporters beat people. In 2008 more than 300 Zimbabweans had to die, thousands had to be tortured and millions had to be traumatized in order for him to remain in power.
No one in Zimbabwe, except for a few individuals with selfish ambitions, wants Mugabe to continue as Zimbabwe`s president. He is an old man who should be spending most of his day sitting under a tree, drinking orange juice and watching his cows mating. Like most elderly people, his brain has become like a child and hence cannot make useful decisions or take on challenging tasks. The army and many evil greedy forces in Zimbabwe are now doing the thinking for him. Anyone who thinks that Mugabe will solve the succession battle in ZANU is mistaken. There is nothing Mugabe can offer Zimbabwe or his own party. Behind his back, even his two vice presidents and trusted officials have been working towards his removal, not to mention a host of African presidents.
Mugabe must go and he must go now, Zimbabweans cannot wait another year and they cannot wait another day. We love the old man but its time he threw in his towel. Let us all talk with one voice, "It`s time Mugabe, it`s time. Whatever is going to happen to ZANU PF is destiny, in this case fate; you may delay it but you are not going to stop it. Death will not solve your problems if you die with blood on your hands. Being president won't allow you to wash your hands."
Prince
The Promises Of My People, Letters With A Tear Drop
Source - thepromisesofmypeople.com
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
