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(TALKZIMBABWE) Heed Tsvangirai's call to return home

Heed Tsvangirai's call to return home
Lloyd Msipa - Opinion
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:10:00 +0000

THE recent debate sparked by Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai on whether Zimbabweans in the Diaspora should go back home to assist in the reconstruction of Zimbabwe following the formation of the inclusive Government, brought to the fore more questions than answers.

Questions emerge as to who we are as a people and the degree of commitment we have to our beloved country. Zimbabweans seem to have mastered the art of making excuses and devising strategies to extend our stay in foreign lands.

An old adage that sums the attitude of fellow citizens with regard to Zimbabwe:

There was any important job to be done and everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it and somebody got angry about that because it was everybody’s job. Everybody thought that anybody could do it, but nobody realised that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done.

Zimbabwe is haemorrhaging and urgently needs skilled people back in the fold in order to make it out of its current quagmire. Arguments have been advanced as to the timing of the Prime Minister’s call for Zimbabweans to seriously consider coming back home.

We all knew this call to return home was coming, but instead we decided to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that Zimbabwe would sort itself out and we will be invited at the end of it all to take up high-flying positions despite not lifting a finger to fix anything.

We have, indeed, been remitting our hard earned income to our families and friends in Zimbabwe, but this has been largely subsistence money. None of that money could be regarded as enough to get industry moving.

The second argument advanced in dismissing the Prime Minister's call relates to the perceived human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

Despite the Prime Minister insisting that Zimbabwe had no political prisoners in its correctional institutions, most Zimbabweans decided to disregard this and instead relied on a report authored by a visiting human rights official from Amnesty International.

The Prime Minister's statement was ignored by Amnesty International and news agencies across the globe.

In Britain sacrifices were made through the Industrial Revolution by its citizens to bring the island to its current status as the desired destination of every national in the world.

The Industrial Revolution was a period in the history of Britain when the British people decided to take charge of their economic destiny following years of poverty and political instability.

They came up with innovative ways of producing goods, manufacturing services and created new methods of transportation based on their geo-political reality. They designed machinery based on the reality of their terrain.

This not only revolutionised the way their market system operated, but also changed the way they themselves perceived their status in the wider world. In other words they redefined their psyche bringing it in harmony with their national agenda.

They defined what they required as basic necessities for their growth.

Sacrifices were made and society in general paid a heavy price for the emergence of the society that we now seek to become a part of . The welfare system in place did not come overnight. Their revolution was total. Hence the subsequent benefits.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Britons survived through a culture of subsistence.A few local consumers operated a simple “putting out” system. The average producer at the time was able to produce a product in the same area that he or she lived on.

The demand for that product was usually set by a few local consumers.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution saw the citizens of Britain bringing about a disciplined and determined work ethic.

The Industrial Revolution presented mankind with a miracle that changed the fabric of human behaviour and social interaction. Eventually, it even influenced political ideologies and spread across the four corners of the Earth.

Zimbabwe needs men and women who will pioneer this kind of 'economic revolution' in Zimbabwe.

Amongst our kith and kin are some brilliant minds that can turn water into wine.

Zimbabwe is endowed with a wealth of natural resources which if exploited can bring about a new economic reality in our country.

The politics of a country influences its economics hence the sad reality of where we are economically as a country.

However, it is equally true that dynamic economic agendas can also bring about a new political dispensation in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe needs its citizens now.

The other argument being advanced relates to the availability of jobs in Zimbabwe and the paltry one hundred dollars salary being paid.

Whilst I understand the problems associated with the major adjustment required psychologically, it is however beyond comprehension as to why a Zimbabwean exposed to the West for the better part of the last 9-10 years, would be looking for a job in Zimbabwe.

I am sure society at large would be expecting this class of people to come home and be job creators, entrepreneurs. They could put in place projects to employ the unemployed in Zimbabwe.

The 1992 Zimbabwe census reported a population of 10.4 million. The estimated population in 2001 was 12.8 million. It is now estimated that at least 4 million Zimbabweans are living outside the country. That leaves a total of at least 8 million Zimbabweans at home. If we factor in the high mortality rate post 2000, Zimbabwe has at most 6 million citizens within its borders. The demographic shape of this population shows a high number of elderly people and children.

The required demographic numbers to jump-start an economy do not exist in Zimbabwe. Working population numbers are needed for government and state to get Zimbabwe working again.

Let’s put all the excuses aside and be realistic with ourselves. I will be making my own individual plans to go home and play my role in bringing Zimbabwe up on its feet.

In Shona parlance we say, “Kudzokera kumusha hakuridzirwi bera, kana nguva yakwana yakwana.” (No bell is going to sound, signalling us to go back to Zimbabwe). The same way we came must also be the same way we must return, one by one, but return we must, Zimbabwe needs its citizens.

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The writer Lloyd Msipa writes from London in the United Kingdom. He can be contacted at lmsipalaw@googlemail.com

Labels: DIASPORA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 3:54 PM