Politicians should walk the talk

The meeting of the three principals of the parties in the inclusive Government, namely party presidents Welshman Ncube, President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, together with the highest decision-making structures of the three respective political parties was as historic as the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

It was this important because it was the first time ever that the national councils of the MDCs and the central committee of Zanu-PF have met in one room, sitting side by side in harmony to show their commitment to creating long-lasting peace in the country.

The meeting, which came up as result of the engagement by and conversations of the heads of secretariats in the three parties, namely Didymus Mutasa (Secretary for Administration of Zanu-PF), Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Tendai Biti (Secretaries-General of the two MDC formations) could not have come at any better time than this one when once again the ugly face of violence was witnessed in a number of areas in Harare and was already threatening the life of the fragile inclusive Government.

It goes without saying that the principals, the co-ordinators of the meeting and the executive structures of the political parties deserve a pat on the back for a job well done.

It is quite obvious that the issues that the principals spoke about cannot be solved overnight, but what is important is the symbolic meeting of the parties and the message that it sends to the masses in the rest of the country.

The meeting will work on inculcating a culture of cohesion amongst the people of Zimbabwe and may help to stabilise and build cohesion among the masses.

What we should have in the back of our minds is that while we can compete for political office in the country, we have to do this as political opponents and not as enemies.

Competition for political office should be based on presentations of ideologies that show that you have better programmes for the country than your rivals.

Violence, coercion, intimidation and murder while soliciting for votes are archaic methods of seeking political office and political parties seeking a mandate to govern using such methods cannot claim to be serious about representing the people. It goes without saying that such parties that use violence as a way of getting to power have no interests of the people at heart and therefore cannot be entrusted with public office.

In the addresses by the three principals, there was emphasis on the need for the politicians to be true to serving the people and not individual interests. There was also an emphasis that we have only one country and no other and, as such, in our competition for political office and power we should make sure that we preserve that country and not destroy it.

If in our competition we destroy the country, as was the case in past years, then there would be no country to talk about and, therefore, no country to lead. Ultimately all of us will be losers, hence the importance of creating healthy competition that preserves our country and legacy for future generations.

Fortunately this is the message that was cross cutting in the presentations of the three principals. Therefore, what is now required is sincerity on the part of the political leaders at all levels of their respective political parties.

It is quite an unrealistic expectation to think that politicians can easily accept the need to be sincere, but in situations like these, where our collective intention should be to serve the country, there is a need to give up all our personal interests and ensure that we put the country ahead of everything else. Politicians therefore have to walk the talk.

Talking alone is not enough, what should be done is that the talk that we make is translated to practical action. The politicians should do exactly what they say and lead by example. I have no doubt that in a society where those in the top echelons of power show unity and the spirit of unity and oneness, the ordinary masses will do the same.

It does not help to preach peace with one corner of the mouth while the other corner of your mouth incites violence. Politicians seeking political power are sometimes guilty of inciting the masses and sometimes sponsoring them to embark on violent campaigns.

This does not help the country move forward and should be avoided at all costs. Politicians should not divide the people by promoting and sponsoring them to embark on violence while they themselves drink together in Harare's expensive clubs.

Citizens should be allowed to make their own political choices and have freedom of association. It is my hope that this message that came out clearly in the principals' addresses will be adhered to so that the country moves on the positive path of recovery.

It is an issue of great importance that the people of Zimbabwe come up with a shared vision of a stable, prosperous and tolerant Zimbabwe. It is possible to achieve this but there is a need for the State institutions to play their role in that regard.

The security organs, as was said by the three principals, should execute their duties without fear or favour and must be true to their oath of serving the people of Zimbabwe and not individual political parties. The vision of a peaceful, tolerant Zimbabwe is possible only if those institutions that have been tasked with policing and providing security for citizens play their role in a non-partisan manner.

I have no doubt that in the security apparatus of this country are multitudes of men and women who are professionals and would not want to compromise their integrity by being viewed as a partisan force that is not really committed to serving the cause of the masses.

It is equally important for the leaders of political parties to also try and treat the security apparatus with respect and not make them punch bags. I know we have problems of getting concessions on the political front. It does not help to turn to the security apparatus and give them instructions that compromise their integrity.

Similarly, if as politicians we fail to get our act together on procedural issues of political engagement, let us not heap the blame on the security organs. It is thus essential that these institutions be given adequate respect. Equally, the State organs should help us achieve a collective national vision of a peaceful and tolerant Zimbabwe by doing their work according to the laws of the republic.

This dialogue of the political parties at the highest level should not just end there, it should cascade to all levels of the party organs. There should be similar engagements at provincial, district, ward and even branch level. Parties need to reorganise themselves to establish inter-party committees that promote peaceful co-existence in the communities.

This helps the work of the Organ on National Healing as well as the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic) in their efforts to bring lasting peace in the communities. Also important in stabilising the country is the need for implementation of all the issue that we agreed in the GPA.

Failure to implement the agreements that we made can be frustrating to the supporters of the political parties and can fuel violence.

In my view, formation of the inclusive Government was the most difficult thing ' the rest of the issues surely should be easy to fulfil. The conclusion of the issues that are yet to be addressed should then pave way for talks about the election dates.

The timeline for the holding of the election should be such that it allows for clearing of all the impediments that can cause post-election conflict. To that end, the conclusion of the constitution-making process should be the prioritised and also the enactment of the electoral reforms should be done.

There has been considerable progress made on the media fraternity, with the print media opening up to many players. This, however, is not the case with the electronic media and there is an urgent need to deal with that. Commercial radio, television and community radio licences should be granted to new players to allow for diversity and plurality of ideas to be thrown into public discourse.

It is my hope and that of many Zimbabweans that this indaba will be a new beginning that will see the leaders of the political parties in the country continuously interacting and engaging on building a peaceful and tolerant Zimbabwe. The senior leaders have set the pace and should be sincere and should walk the talk.

The test of that sincerity will come out soon when they meet for the Monday meetings. There is hope amongst many Zimbabweans that the next Monday meeting will reflect the composition of the principals as they addressed that indaba. If that happens, then that will indeed reflect sincerity.

They would have passed the test of sincerity. Our political leaders should keep the promise.

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Qhubani Moyo is the National Organising Secretary of the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube and also a member of Jomic. He is contactable on qmoyo2000@yahoo.co.uk