Zanu-PF is inseparable from former guerrillas

For the past few weeks there has been an outcry from the western backed parties and their supporters claiming that elections in Zimbabwe would not be free and fair because the military is campaigning for Zanu-PF. They are portraying a bleak future for the country as they claim that the presence of the army in the political field is not good for the country.

As such, headlines like: Military escalates poll drive from The Independent of 11 to 18 October 2012, Zimbabwe military accused of campaigning for Mugabe from thezimbabwemail of 12 October 201, Zanu-PF intensifies military patronage carried out by swradioafrica of 15 October 2012 and also this one, Bloodbath if Zanu-PF loses, from the Daily News of 18 October 2012, had conclusions that portray the army as patronizing Zanu-PF.

An analysis of all those stories reveals that the writers want their readers to hold grudges against the military and view them as having political patronage to Zanu-PF. They want to make people alienate the military from political situation in the country. Their assumption is that soldiers should be confined in military barracks and only come out of when there is war.

People forget that the military has got the stake in this country. The military is full of political people who are concerned about where the country is heading to. It should be realised that the military man has a reason to safeguard the country from any security threat that could destabilize it. For Zimbabwe to be where it is now, the military invested a lot of its efforts for the country to be recognized as a democratic one. It should be realised that when one has got his/her catch he/she does not like any body to destroy or steal it. So if that scenario can be done in practical terms, why should the army blamed for trying to safeguard their catch?

History has taught us that the armed struggle which brought independence in this country was as a result of the military`s effort. The colonial power, Britain, with its kinsmen in the country, was clinging to the arable land and the former guerrillas had no choice but to fight for the freedom of this country. It was the responsibility of the guerrillas, who are now in the present Zimbabwean army who made it necessary for the land to be returned back to its original owners.

The military, which is being vilified left, right and centre by the private media for standing for their rights should instead be congratulated for bringing about the democracy which the country is enjoying.

For the record, people should realise that the only party which can be given credit for bringing independence and fostering the ideology of equitable land redistribution to the people is Zanu-PF. It is also identified as the party which fought for the independence of this country. In the same vein, it is also identified with the military as it worked closely with it for the attainment of our political independence. It is the same party which is now fighting for the economic independence of this country through indigenization and economic empowerment of the people. It should be known that any person who was part and parcel of the armed struggle fronted by Zanu-PF would not be cheated by those who abandoned the struggle in order to serve their colonial masters.

The military, which is being vilified as patronizing Zanu-PF, was the same force which was called guerrillas during the armed struggle. It is surprising to note that some people want us to believe that the army should just keep quiet and relax while things are not going in the right direction. The army has got the duty to safeguard the independence of this country so that people enjoy the fruits of liberation. People should not expect the army to relax when they see that the opposition parties in the country are concerned with just reversing what guerrillas fought for.

In any country, opposition politics is welcome but there has to be known that any opposition which seeks to align itself with the former colonisers would be rejected by the people. We need opposition parties which are geared to support the independence of the country. Opposition parties which promise to reverse the gains of the armed struggle are not true opposition parties but puppets of the former colonizers. The country should not be drifted back to the colonial era. Some people who vilify the military should realise that the military man is also a political man who also wants to be in a country which is not influenced by foreign ideologies.

It should be remembered and known that since independence, this country was having a lot of opposition political parties, but the military remained quiet. Why? They did not involve themselves in matters to do with politics as the opposition parties of that time were Zimbabwean in nature and ideological. The army knows that political differences should be allowed to take place as that is part and parcel of democracy which they fought for. They know that in any country political differences should be allowed to take place as they encourage diversity in the political field.

Today the army has found itself being politically involved in the country`s affairs because current opposition parties seem to be not nationally concerned with what should be done. They are more concerned with reversing the gains of the armed struggle. One local opposition MP once told the BBC that once his party is in power, it would give the land back to the whites. So the army cannot relax and watch while an enemy is about to pounce on this country through opposition politics. No wonder why it is difficult to separate the military from Zanu-PF.