Maravi

Zimbabwe: Appeal to my two brothers (Kenneth Kaunda)

Zimbabwe: Appeal to my two brothers
By Dr Kenneth D. Kaunda
Sunday June 29, 2008 [04:00]

I STARTED writing this only two days before the scheduled June 27, 2008, second round of presidential elections in Zimbabwe. The first, my reader may know, was in March 2008. This is now some three months since those first elections for the presidency and other levels.

The results, it will be recalled, were that Movement for Democratic Change, MDC's Tsvangirai took some 47 per cent, and Robert Mugabe, of the ruling ZANU-PF, got some 42 per cent. The Constitution provides that for a leading candidate to win, he or she must get more than 50 per cent of votes cast. Thus the figures required that Zimbabwe goes to a second round of presidential elections.

So many developments have taken place. It has been announced that over 80 Zimbabweans have been killed. Photographs and images on various television screens have shown terrifying wounds on bodies of our fellow human beings in Zimbabwe.
We have been told that these ugly pictures have been caused by supporters of the ZANU PF, the current ruling organisation.

I also remember three commanders of the various forces of Zimbabwe appearing on the screen and telling the world. Each one of them said they would never salute Tsvangirai. Some people have also pointed out that some MDC supporters have victimised others. All the above facts I have referred to show clearly that there is a major crisis in the country of Zimbabwe.

When trying to help find a solution to this major problem in Southern Africa, we have to look at what has taken place in the past. And I believe we should refer to some of these also as we look at the best way of trying to find solutions to the current issues in Zimbabwe.

In this extremely difficult situation, we also have to remind ourselves about some of the ugly pictures of things that have happened in the past in Zimbabwe.

For example, thousands of people in Matebeleland were destroyed in the conflict just after Zimbabwe's independence. Thank God the Mugabes, of the ruling ZANU-PF, and the Nkomos, of the opposition ZAPU, got together in one political movement. That led to unity between people of Zimbabwe and Mugabe became president and ZAPU's Joshua Nkomo, from 1987 to December 1999 when he passed on, became first vice-president. Simon Muzenda was second vice-president.

For now, the problem is now between ZANU-PF and MDC. Media reports indicate that those who were causing death and injury to MDC supporters include ex-combatants, those who, with President Robert Mugabe, fought in the liberation war.
MDC president Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the elections. This will not make matters any easier at all, and yet a solution must be found to those problems and that solution must involve him and his party. If we actually are to have peace and development in the country, these divisions leading to death and injury must be tackled in an honest and indeed effective way.

The first thing we must consider is genuine prayer that the good Lord God Almighty might bring to the people of Zimbabwe genuine love for forces of our Creator. It is a love of people of Zimbabwe across anything artificial.
The Holy Scriptures tell us, in Mark 12: 29, “Love God your Creator with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is how the people of Zimbabwe will need to relate in terms of the relationship between each one of them and his or her relationship with his or her Creator.

In the next Commandment God tells every Zimbabwean to love his or her neighbour as he or she loves himself or herself. This neighbour is every person who is in Zimbabwe. Of equal importance is, “Do unto others as you would want them do unto you.” This is regardless of whether one is black, white, brown, or whether one is Shona, Ndebele, Tonga, European, or from other groups.

I have publicly said, “Please do not demonise Mugabe.” Please remember the history of Zimbabwe, and the harsh experience of the blacks from the time of Cecil Rhodes, to colonialism, Unilateral Declaration of Independence, UDI, by Ian Douglas Smith, and the experience of the liberation struggle, which led, after the London Lancaster House conference of 1979, into Zimbabwe's independence in April 1980.

Zambia closely followed the events of Zimbabwe. And on Robert Mugabe's government side, for a long time, they followed their part of the Lancaster House agreement. This agreement, amongst other things, dealt with the land question and amnesty for mistakes committed by all sides during the liberation struggle.

Please note that, following the Lancaster House agreement, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government began to work on this land issue. John Major's government, continued to work on that very difficult problem. Please, remember that it is when my fellow socialists in Britain came to power under Tony Blair's New Labour, as they called themselves, that the land problems now in Zimbabwe began. How could, of all governments, a British government, a socialist government for that matter, negate on such an extremely important agreement?

Yes, on the issue of land, it is being said by many that the reaction by the Mugabe government to this failure by Tony Blair was not helpful. My view is there was, and I think there is still, room for talking to President Mugabe and his colleagues about the future of Zimbabwe. Naturally, these discussions must involve all those concerned – ZANU-PF, MDC, churches, labour leaders, and many other recognised civil organisations.

Going back to the discussion table means the British government's involvement is a must because of the Lancaster House agreement on land matters as proposed by the Thatcher government at that conference.

Just remember, the Thatcher government undertook to resolve this matter as a way of contributing to solving the problems - political, economic, and social - that Zimbabwe was facing.

In this Zimbabwe situation, people like President Jimmy Carter give us some very good example of how to deal with problems of this nature. He helped to negotiate the settlement between Egypt and Israel. Recently, quietly, he visited the Middle East, meeting various leaders as quietly as possible. We are now noting signs of peace developing through talks between various fighting forces

How can we forget that great man Nelson Mandela, “Madiba,” who has just been in London celebrating his 90th birthday. We remember him in 1990 coming to Zambia as the first country he visited after 27 years in prison. He not only came to say “thank you” to the people of Zambia for looking after the liberation leaders and freedom fighters of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa itself, but also for the contribution Zambia made to the negotiations towards his release from prison. Over the years we had been negotiating with leaders like prime ministers John Vorster, Botha, and Fredereck De Klerk.

Dear reader, I refer to a number of these cases of mediation. These are similar cases of conflict, some of them in individual countries and yet others between countries. Mediation is very important in the field of bringing peace to earth, our one world.

Within Zambia, my own life has serious lessons about conflict. For example, when we became One Party Participator Democracy, we did not impose this on the people of Zambia. We set up a commission under that great son of Zambia, Mainza Chona. We met several times with another great leader in Zambia, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, who led the opposition ANC.

We negotiated until, through the Choma Declaration, we agreed to come together. An agreed constitution settled every thing. Who can tell us today that we could have handled successfully, thank God, liberation struggles in neighbouring countries that every body knows, if we did not come together?

At a personal level, when we went back to multipartism in 1991, we had three years to go. But Zambia's constitutional arrangement was such that we were required to go back to the people through a referendum on going back to the multiparty system. In the situation, I thought that there was no need for us to spend more time and money on such referendum. So, in December 1990, I signed the repeal of the constitutional clause, thus allowing us to go back to the multiparty system and the third Republic.
In terms of conflict within our nation, I should point out that, after I left State House and was in opposition during the administration of Frederick Chiluba, I had a young and brilliant lawyer Richard Ngenda, who was handling my personal affairs very well. He was assassinated for doing that. Following on that, my own son, third born, Major Wezi Kaunda, also a lawyer and very promising politician, was, in November 1999, also assassinated.

When I was in opposition, there were several attempts on my life. In one, in Kabwe, August 1997, we almost lost the life of outstanding lawyer Dr Roger Chongwe. Thank God he was shot, like I, but he recovered. It was definitely a miracle that he survived.

Many of our friends, supporters, and associates suffered. In spite of this, I thank God that He has made it possible for me to accept the Holy Teaching that vengeance is not ours, but under God's control. Every body who has witnessed me meeting president Chiluba will testify that I accept this Holy Teaching. I greet him without anger. It is not easy but I believe it is the only way.

These teachings must continue to guide us all, whether it is in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, or South Africa with its current violent xenophobia. We need to “Love thy neighbour as thy self.” It is to “Do unto others as you would love them do unto you.”

I am appealing to my two brothers, Robert Gabriel Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai and their comrades in their parties, please for the sake of Zimbabwe and a new future, please start a new leaf. Remember that after that extremely difficult time of the massacres in Matabeleland, Bob you laid bare your sorrow for that tragedy. That is how Zimbabwe was reborn. You began to build together with your now late brother Joshua Nkomo. In a way, we are a bit fortunate that this current problem is largely between parties, and less between ethnic divisions.

Allow me to remind us all the message of God Almighty, our Creator: “Love God your Creator with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And, “Love your neighbour as thy self.” We are to, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

In Matthew 5:43, Jesus says: “You have heard the law that says,'Love your neighbour' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
“If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

This is a challenge for the great people of Zimbabwe. Working together, the current conflict can be solved.

Labels: KENNETH KAUNDA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, MUGABE, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:02 PM