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(TALKZIMBABWE) 'Time to turn our swords into ploughshares'

'Time to turn our swords into ploughshares'
Brett Nyakudirwa -- Guest Column
Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I EAGERLY anticipate the formation of a Government of National Unity. It represents the triumph of African diplomacy and those who wanted former South African President, Thabo Mbeki to fail in bringing Zimbabweans together will have to swallow their pride and congratulate him.

He has remained resolute and focused on the task at hand — a mandate he got from leaders of the region and endorsed by those concerned about the plight of millions of people who have no access to medicare, food or clean water.

The process of the formation of a GNU in Zimbabwe, which effectively started yesterday with a meeting of the rival parties to resolve outstanding issues, should be viewed as a quintessential African solution to a peculiarly African problem.

It is now time for cautious optimism. We all know that it is darkest before dawn. We do not want petty issues to break an agreement that has been in the making for over two years now. Cynics, especially the ones spreading divisive propaganda and self-serving interests should be ignored and shunned.

The voices of those who have expressed cautious optimism and a commitment to the development of this resource-rich, tiny landlocked country should be reckoned with by the major players on the Zimbabwean political scene.

President Mugabe (then new Prime Minister in 1980) once said: “It is time to turn our swords into plough-shares.” MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai instructively quoted the same statement on Sept. 15, 2008 in front of Sadc leaders and in front of millions of TV viewers from around the world. They were (are) both right.

It now is indeed “time to turn our swords into ploughshares”; but we should understand our history well to know where we are going. We should not be slaves to cheap propaganda and intimidation.

One newspaper editor said in relation to Zimbabwe: “It is good to look into the future; it is also important to look back so as to know from where the rain started beating Zimbabwe, as they say.”

Our future is shaped by where we are coming from. Unless we understand where we are coming from, we will never truly understand or appreciate where we are going.

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*Brett Nyakudirwa is a Masters student in International Diplomacy and writes as a Guest Columnist for The Zimbabwe Guardian. Guest columnists are given the free reign to express themselves and their ideas do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The Zimbabwe Guardian.

Labels: NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT, THABO MBEKI

posted by MrK @ 5:07 AM