EU should engage government for sustainable relationship

The European Union has come in handy to Zimbabwe with a USD$300 000 package starting 2015, a move that serves to confirm mending of relations and lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the bloc. It is a plausible gesture and would be more effective if punctuated by the involvement of the sitting government.

The EU ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Philippe Van Damme, talking on Star FM Radio Station on 24 November 2014 at 1900hrs, confirmed a shift in focus from humanitarian to holistic aid which encompasses governance initiatives.  The development in good faith is noble and can go a long way in recognizing the sovereignty and will of Zimbabweans. Anything for Zimbabwe without involvement of the Zimbabwean government will be meaningless.

The government is seized with the duty to identify grey patches in its populace thus it is instrumental to engage when talking about sustainable development for the country.

Foreign direct investment should then become the talk of the day and ensure economic development is on track in line with the indigenous economic blue print, Zim-ASSET. The marrying of EU aid and Zim-ASSET will be a testimony of even greater commitment to the initiative by the bloc.

It is important to note that the re engagement of the EU will not yield instant results given the crippled economy owing to hostile machinations to arm-twist the ZANU PF government out of office.  

The humanitarian aid concentrated on the distribution of food items and was characterized by subversive machinations which fissured Zimbabwe politically, socially and economically. All this should be taken into consideration as a barometer with which to measure transparency and progress.

Now that the bloc and erstwhile west have noted improved governance, Britain and the USA can take a cue from EU and engage government. The removal of all the draconian economic and trade embargoes should take centre stage as they have hurt the citizens of Zimbabwe.

It is a pity that all the evil perspectives and policies against Zimbabwe go unabated. In Iraq the US attacked under the guise of sniffing nuclear weapons. No nukes were discovered but a nation had literary been invaded. The same can be said of Zimbabwe; people vehemently echoed their choice of leadership through the ballot but that was not good enough for the West.

Now that they have realised that it is next to impossible to remove the ZANU PF government from power they have decided to engage the government.

International statutes should be put in place and hold accountable perpetrators who abuse their powers to settle selfish scores at the expense of millions of people or a country.

In a way, that is terrorism as it involves putting a nation under duress by instilling hunger and untold suffering. EU and the West should not to treat developing countries like pawns on a chase board. Indeed the reengagement of the bloc is noble and it should come with reparations for the atrocities suffered by Zimbabweans.