Opinion / Columnist
Commission Report: Something to build on
20 Dec 2018 at 11:53hrs | Views
In the late afternoon on December 18th, the moment many thought would never come arrived. Addressing the media at his Munhumutapa Offices, President Mnangagwa released the full Commission of Inquiry report into the August 1st Post Election Violence.
This in itself was a positive sign. Our history is full of commissions of inquiry that have been convened and not completed; or completed but never released. And this time as well, the armchair critics were speculating that the report wouldn't be released, or if it was, not in full.
When Mnangagwa waited a few days after receiving the report before releasing it, the critics jumped up and down, claiming he was subverting democracy. But the truth was much more mundane - he simply was taking a few days to study the full report before making it public.
The report itself was balanced and fair, with criticism for all parties. It noted that the demonstrations were violent in nature, and were "incited, pre-planned and well organised by the MDC Alliance"; that in response to this, the military deployment was legal and justified; and that the six deaths were a result of actions by the Military and the Police.
It was not the whitewash that the opposition supporters claimed, nor did it exonerate the security forces as many in government had hoped. As promised, it was independent, non-partisan and thorough – exactly what was required.
Of course, this will not be enough for some. Social media in particular has been awash with criticisms of the report, but these are to be expected and should be largely ignored. Just like the fact that you didn't win an election doesn't automatically make it rigged, so if a report doesn't 100% adopt your viewpoint, it doesn't make it biased! Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable.
The most interesting thing from my perspective however was in the report's recommendations. As well as procedural and technical suggestions, which must of course be studied and implemented, there was a more general call for "nation building and reconciliation including an initiative for multi-party dialogue and cooperation."
This call was echoed by President Mnangagwa in a tweet following the release, which read: "I now urge the country to come together and unite. We have a long road of recovery ahead, a process of reforming, restructuring and rebuilding. This requires above all peace, love and unity. We must now look forward, and work as one nation for a better, prosperous future."
The report is right and so is the President. This Inquiry should now allow us to put the whole sorry incident behind us and move on. We have too many challenges facing us to be locked in arguments over the past. Let us all be civil and constructive, and make sure that our actions help to build a better Zimbabwe, rather than deepen the fissures in our nation.
The report found that one of the main causes of the violence was the deep polarisation between ZANU PF and MDC Alliance supporters. It is up to all of us through our conduct to ensure that such an incident never happens again!
This in itself was a positive sign. Our history is full of commissions of inquiry that have been convened and not completed; or completed but never released. And this time as well, the armchair critics were speculating that the report wouldn't be released, or if it was, not in full.
When Mnangagwa waited a few days after receiving the report before releasing it, the critics jumped up and down, claiming he was subverting democracy. But the truth was much more mundane - he simply was taking a few days to study the full report before making it public.
The report itself was balanced and fair, with criticism for all parties. It noted that the demonstrations were violent in nature, and were "incited, pre-planned and well organised by the MDC Alliance"; that in response to this, the military deployment was legal and justified; and that the six deaths were a result of actions by the Military and the Police.
It was not the whitewash that the opposition supporters claimed, nor did it exonerate the security forces as many in government had hoped. As promised, it was independent, non-partisan and thorough – exactly what was required.
The most interesting thing from my perspective however was in the report's recommendations. As well as procedural and technical suggestions, which must of course be studied and implemented, there was a more general call for "nation building and reconciliation including an initiative for multi-party dialogue and cooperation."
This call was echoed by President Mnangagwa in a tweet following the release, which read: "I now urge the country to come together and unite. We have a long road of recovery ahead, a process of reforming, restructuring and rebuilding. This requires above all peace, love and unity. We must now look forward, and work as one nation for a better, prosperous future."
The report is right and so is the President. This Inquiry should now allow us to put the whole sorry incident behind us and move on. We have too many challenges facing us to be locked in arguments over the past. Let us all be civil and constructive, and make sure that our actions help to build a better Zimbabwe, rather than deepen the fissures in our nation.
The report found that one of the main causes of the violence was the deep polarisation between ZANU PF and MDC Alliance supporters. It is up to all of us through our conduct to ensure that such an incident never happens again!
Source - Mike Tawanda
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