Opinion / Columnist
Go vote in peace
27 Jul 2018 at 07:15hrs | Views
THIS coming week is one of the most distinguished in the history of this country. Monday is election day, likely to be one of the most peaceful elections since independence in 1980.
We would like to applaud Zimbabweans for their maturity and tolerance of divergent views in the lead-up to the elections. We may hold different beliefs, vote for different parties, even within one family but what we should never lose sight of is that we are all Zimbabweans, bound by the values that make this beautiful land, all emblematically encapsulated in our national flag.
Our call to dear patriotic Zimbabweans is to go all out and exercise their right to choose how they should be governed and by whom they should be governed. This should never be taken for granted.
Thousands of people lost their lives fighting for universal suffrage, the one man one vote, and next month the country remembers such heroes. We believe there is no better way to honour these heroes than to exercise our right responsibly by making sure in enjoying our right we do not impinge on other people's rights by unduly encroaching into their rights sphere. We need peace.
It is quite heartening that the call for peace has been heeded thus far and it is our prayer that we shall see peace prevail over the demons of violence throughout the election season.
Elections are just a contestation for power that is underpinned by manifestos. There is life beyond an election.
It is against this background that those that take part in a race have to appreciate that there are two or three possible outcomes. You either win, are tied with your opponent or lose that race. What we are witnessing in the run-up to the elections is excitement tempered with fervent optimism by all participating parties, and indeed all the voters.
The post-election period takes us into another phase that brings to the fore the character of the contestants and their supporters. Are they graceful in victory and in defeat, will they shake the hand of the victor and live to race another day?
It is this phase that we are interested in since it takes all of us to make Zimbabwe the great nation that it deserves to be, even if it means letting our pride and emotions give way to reason. We must not just recite peace slogans but be seen to be peaceful before and after the elections. Let us all go out and vote peacefully and peacefully await the outcome. May Zimbabwe be the ultimate winner.
We would like to applaud Zimbabweans for their maturity and tolerance of divergent views in the lead-up to the elections. We may hold different beliefs, vote for different parties, even within one family but what we should never lose sight of is that we are all Zimbabweans, bound by the values that make this beautiful land, all emblematically encapsulated in our national flag.
Our call to dear patriotic Zimbabweans is to go all out and exercise their right to choose how they should be governed and by whom they should be governed. This should never be taken for granted.
Thousands of people lost their lives fighting for universal suffrage, the one man one vote, and next month the country remembers such heroes. We believe there is no better way to honour these heroes than to exercise our right responsibly by making sure in enjoying our right we do not impinge on other people's rights by unduly encroaching into their rights sphere. We need peace.
Elections are just a contestation for power that is underpinned by manifestos. There is life beyond an election.
It is against this background that those that take part in a race have to appreciate that there are two or three possible outcomes. You either win, are tied with your opponent or lose that race. What we are witnessing in the run-up to the elections is excitement tempered with fervent optimism by all participating parties, and indeed all the voters.
The post-election period takes us into another phase that brings to the fore the character of the contestants and their supporters. Are they graceful in victory and in defeat, will they shake the hand of the victor and live to race another day?
It is this phase that we are interested in since it takes all of us to make Zimbabwe the great nation that it deserves to be, even if it means letting our pride and emotions give way to reason. We must not just recite peace slogans but be seen to be peaceful before and after the elections. Let us all go out and vote peacefully and peacefully await the outcome. May Zimbabwe be the ultimate winner.
Source - bmetro
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