Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe's problems do not warrant foreign intervention
13 Jul 2016 at 09:16hrs | Views
Some opposition political parties in the country are always eager to see this country put in the international community spotlight even in situations where there is nothing to talk about. For the past few days, Zimbabweans have witnessed some sporadic demonstrations and stay aways triggered by the recent promulgation and implementation of the Statutory Instrument Number 64 of 2016 by government through the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The implementation of the SI number 64 which sought to regulate the importation of basic commodities and building materials was hardly received by some cross border traders who thought that the government has plugged off their means of survival. Some of the cross border traders were known for importing basic commodities for resale in the country with them not paying tax to the government. So the SI number 64 was implemented as a measure to make sure that all importers of basic commodities and building materials can do that when licensed to do.
So such disgruntlement by the cross border traders over the implementation of the SI number 64 of 2016 coupled by government's failure to timeously pay some civil servants their June 2016 salaries triggered those demonstrations and stay aways in the recent days. Some pseudo political activists led by Evan Mawarire with his #ThisFlag campaign and Promise Mkwananzi also with his #Tajamuka/Sesijikile campaign highjacked those demonstrations and then began inciting Zimbabweans to stay away from work. The two suggested that Zimbabweans should stay away from work until government acts against corruption as well as fixing the economy as to create employment for the unemployed youths in the country.
Those two political activists began posting their videos on the social media inciting Zimbabweans to stay away from work as well as to demonstrate against the government over those plethora of economic problems which the government is said to be failing to solve. So Zimbabweans who have now mastered the art of using social media as their means of communications received the two's messages and on Wednesday 6 July 2016, there was a partial job stay away in the country as a result for that.
As if to spruce up the image of Mawarire and Mkwananzi, the opposition political activists rushed to come up with their favourable analysis of that partial stay away. Some said that it was a success as the message was sent to the government with others saying that such a stay away should invite the intervention of the SADC and the AU to mediate on the crisis that the country is reeling under. The Dailynews of 12 July 2016 came up with a screaming headline: SADC, AU must heed early warnings from Zim. Reading such a headline from afar one can be forgiven to believe that Zimbabwe is in turmoil.
Such a headline might make those in the diaspora to think that Zimbabwe is now burning with a possibility of a civil war ensuing. What a fallacy from such a learned journalist who fails to analyse the situation in the country. Coming up with a story calling for the intervention of either the SADC or the AU in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe reveals that some people live with no reality on what is on the ground. Zimbabwe has not reached a situation where a foreign mediation is welcome. It is naïve and uncalled for people to rush to the international community to have mediation being carried out in country where demonstrations and stay aways are people's rights.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe allows people to demonstrate and a stay away from work is not a crime. Zimbabwe is not in any crisis that warrant foreign intervention as espoused by the Dailynews. So there is no need to press panic button over some mere demonstration by some political malcontents.
Actually the opposition political groups especially the Coalition Crisis in Zimbabwe should urge the SADC region to intervene in the Mozambican crisis where the Renamo rebels are fighting the legally elected government of Mozambique. Since April 2013, Mozambique has been experiencing political clashes between government forces and the rebels but the so called human rights defenders are silent over such calamities taking place there. They only rush to wish for the SADC bloc to intervene in Zimbabwe where no guns are not being fired. What a hypocrisy.
May be the opposition political groups are rushing to long for either the SADC or the AU to intervene in the country in the belief that another Government of National Unity (GNU) would be formed. Being outside government has stifled the opposition political groups for a long time. They feel that if they make a lot of noise calling for the intervention of the SADC bloc in the country's internal affairs they would be smuggled into government again like what happened in 2009. Some opposition political parties where part and parcel of the Zimbabwean government brought about by the mediation of the SADC region after the disputed 2008 presidential runoff elections, so the opposition political parties miss that time in government hence the wish for SADC to intervene.
It is surprising that those political opposition groups were silent when in 2008 South Africa experienced one of her worst xenophobia attacks with foreign nationals being killed and their businesses burnt down. The similar violence occurred in 2013 as well as in April 2015 up to October of the same year with the so called human rights defenders keeping quiet. Why was there no call for the SADC bloc to intervene? Do the Coalition Crisis of Zimbabwe think that the butchering of foreigners in South Africa was a minor act which did not warrant either the SADC or the AU attention? Why rush into thinking that some mere demonstrations and stay aways in Zimbabwe could warranty either SADCor AU intervention.
In Kenya, since May 2016, there has been some violent demonstrations against that country's Independent electoral and Boundaries Commission led by that country's main opposition political party, the Coalition Reforms and Democracy (Cord) which alleges that the IEBC is not impartial and cannot oversee the impending 2017 presidential and parliamentary elections. Such demonstrations have led to the arrest of some of those involved in such disturbances and they are currently behind bars. But the same so called human rights defenders are silent over that and one wonders why the issue of Zimbabwe is drawing international attention. So the conclusion by the Zimbabwean government that some recent demonstrations and stay aways that gripped the country were the act of a third force could not be wished away.
For the record some different African countries have been having some political and economic problems but the so called human rights defenders tended to give a blind eye over there but in Zimbabwe they rush here with an eagle's eye whenever there is a problem even if that problem does not need foreign attention. For over a decade Zimbabwe has been put under economic sanctions by the western countries claiming that the 2000 elections were not free and fair. But then since 2000 a lot of African and even non-African countries held their elections with some of those elections becoming contested ones but no sanctions were imposed on such countries by the western world. So one wonders why Zimbabwe is always under the spotlight in the international community.
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kazamulamatilaya@yahoo.com
The implementation of the SI number 64 which sought to regulate the importation of basic commodities and building materials was hardly received by some cross border traders who thought that the government has plugged off their means of survival. Some of the cross border traders were known for importing basic commodities for resale in the country with them not paying tax to the government. So the SI number 64 was implemented as a measure to make sure that all importers of basic commodities and building materials can do that when licensed to do.
So such disgruntlement by the cross border traders over the implementation of the SI number 64 of 2016 coupled by government's failure to timeously pay some civil servants their June 2016 salaries triggered those demonstrations and stay aways in the recent days. Some pseudo political activists led by Evan Mawarire with his #ThisFlag campaign and Promise Mkwananzi also with his #Tajamuka/Sesijikile campaign highjacked those demonstrations and then began inciting Zimbabweans to stay away from work. The two suggested that Zimbabweans should stay away from work until government acts against corruption as well as fixing the economy as to create employment for the unemployed youths in the country.
Those two political activists began posting their videos on the social media inciting Zimbabweans to stay away from work as well as to demonstrate against the government over those plethora of economic problems which the government is said to be failing to solve. So Zimbabweans who have now mastered the art of using social media as their means of communications received the two's messages and on Wednesday 6 July 2016, there was a partial job stay away in the country as a result for that.
As if to spruce up the image of Mawarire and Mkwananzi, the opposition political activists rushed to come up with their favourable analysis of that partial stay away. Some said that it was a success as the message was sent to the government with others saying that such a stay away should invite the intervention of the SADC and the AU to mediate on the crisis that the country is reeling under. The Dailynews of 12 July 2016 came up with a screaming headline: SADC, AU must heed early warnings from Zim. Reading such a headline from afar one can be forgiven to believe that Zimbabwe is in turmoil.
Such a headline might make those in the diaspora to think that Zimbabwe is now burning with a possibility of a civil war ensuing. What a fallacy from such a learned journalist who fails to analyse the situation in the country. Coming up with a story calling for the intervention of either the SADC or the AU in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe reveals that some people live with no reality on what is on the ground. Zimbabwe has not reached a situation where a foreign mediation is welcome. It is naïve and uncalled for people to rush to the international community to have mediation being carried out in country where demonstrations and stay aways are people's rights.
Actually the opposition political groups especially the Coalition Crisis in Zimbabwe should urge the SADC region to intervene in the Mozambican crisis where the Renamo rebels are fighting the legally elected government of Mozambique. Since April 2013, Mozambique has been experiencing political clashes between government forces and the rebels but the so called human rights defenders are silent over such calamities taking place there. They only rush to wish for the SADC bloc to intervene in Zimbabwe where no guns are not being fired. What a hypocrisy.
May be the opposition political groups are rushing to long for either the SADC or the AU to intervene in the country in the belief that another Government of National Unity (GNU) would be formed. Being outside government has stifled the opposition political groups for a long time. They feel that if they make a lot of noise calling for the intervention of the SADC bloc in the country's internal affairs they would be smuggled into government again like what happened in 2009. Some opposition political parties where part and parcel of the Zimbabwean government brought about by the mediation of the SADC region after the disputed 2008 presidential runoff elections, so the opposition political parties miss that time in government hence the wish for SADC to intervene.
It is surprising that those political opposition groups were silent when in 2008 South Africa experienced one of her worst xenophobia attacks with foreign nationals being killed and their businesses burnt down. The similar violence occurred in 2013 as well as in April 2015 up to October of the same year with the so called human rights defenders keeping quiet. Why was there no call for the SADC bloc to intervene? Do the Coalition Crisis of Zimbabwe think that the butchering of foreigners in South Africa was a minor act which did not warrant either the SADC or the AU attention? Why rush into thinking that some mere demonstrations and stay aways in Zimbabwe could warranty either SADCor AU intervention.
In Kenya, since May 2016, there has been some violent demonstrations against that country's Independent electoral and Boundaries Commission led by that country's main opposition political party, the Coalition Reforms and Democracy (Cord) which alleges that the IEBC is not impartial and cannot oversee the impending 2017 presidential and parliamentary elections. Such demonstrations have led to the arrest of some of those involved in such disturbances and they are currently behind bars. But the same so called human rights defenders are silent over that and one wonders why the issue of Zimbabwe is drawing international attention. So the conclusion by the Zimbabwean government that some recent demonstrations and stay aways that gripped the country were the act of a third force could not be wished away.
For the record some different African countries have been having some political and economic problems but the so called human rights defenders tended to give a blind eye over there but in Zimbabwe they rush here with an eagle's eye whenever there is a problem even if that problem does not need foreign attention. For over a decade Zimbabwe has been put under economic sanctions by the western countries claiming that the 2000 elections were not free and fair. But then since 2000 a lot of African and even non-African countries held their elections with some of those elections becoming contested ones but no sanctions were imposed on such countries by the western world. So one wonders why Zimbabwe is always under the spotlight in the international community.
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kazamulamatilaya@yahoo.com
Source - Kazamula Matilaya
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