Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Bennett, unrepentent and a threat to unity

COMMENT - For a potential minister to criticize his own government from foreign soil should be grounds for dimissal. Or for not being

Bennett, unrepentent and a threat to unity
By Tendai Midzi
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:10:00 +0000

MANY people who listen to online broadcasts would have heard the interview conducted by SW Radio Africa's Violet Gonda and MDC financier and treasurer-general, Roy Bennett in which he (Bennett) described the government of Zimbabwe, in which his own party the MDC-T is part of, as "kleptocratic, defunct, a totally rotten, murderous regime".

Said Bennett: "We are going nowhere with this bloody transitional government.

"The biggest challenge we have right now is to completely transfer power out of Zanu-PF hands... We have to bond together as hard as we can and support one person to topple the dictatorship."

Bennett's comments would have been excusable had he not been nominated by the MDC-T for the post of deputy minister of agriculture in that government - a role he gladly accepted.

Ironically Bennett's own MDC-T party has a minister responsible for reconciliation and national cohesion.

By calling the government as such, Bennett is criticising his own party and its leader.

God forbid this is the way Bennett views a progressive democratic Zimbabwe - where the idea is not to give the electorate a chance to elect a leader of their choice, but to elect "one person", who presumably is his ally Morgan Tsvangirai.

Those critics who have reservations with such characters as Bennett having power are concerned about such irresponsible utterances at a time when Zimbabweans a trying to run away from problems of yesteryear.

The fact that the so-called "Zimbabwe's independent voice" has the audacity to air such divisive and caustic statements makes one question whether Zanu-PF is at fault in calling for an end to hate speech promoted by such stations.

If this is what opening up media space entails, then Zimbabwe is headed for a tumultuous time ahead.

If this is the attitude with which we will confront our future, then Zimbabwe is headed for disaster.

Bennett and the accompanying sympathetic media should encourage what they always claim to fight for: a cohesive, democratic society in Zimbabwe, where the demand for a free and fair society comes with responsibility.

Surely calling for the obliteration of a political party that is responsible for freeing millions of black people from the yoke of slavery and apartheid and second-class citizenship is irresponsible. In fact, Bennett should be fighting for an end to violence, corruption and what he prefers to call 'kleptomia', rather than calling on the people of Zimbabwe to ditch a nationalist party like Zanu-PF that fought hard for the majority of the black people.

Zanu-PF is not, and will never be, one person. Infact, it is an ideology, an ideology that augurs well with many Zimbabweans who fought for decades for their liberation. Such an ideology cannot be owned or hijacked by one person. So when Bennett asks the people of Zimbabwe to abandon Zanu-PF he is calling on them to abandon their fight for freedom. That is a herculean task and good luck to him.

Coming from a man whose ancestors were responsible for that apartheid regime smarks of hypocrisy of the highest order.

The irony is that some of the broadcasters who suffered under colonialism, or whose forefathers were victims of that murderous regime, are actually encouraging such divisive talk.

Bennett has every right to air his views, but that should come with responsibility. Rather than trying to masquerade as a champion of democracy, he should first admit his past deeds and apologize for his ancestors embarrassing murderous past.

Bennett should learn from Francois Piennar, who on Al Jazeera recently praised the forgiveness afforded him to lead the World Rugby Cup winning South African team, the Springboks.

The notion that the future of Zimbabwe lies in forgiving the likes of Bennett and preaching reconciliation is ridiculous if the same people do not show contrition. His trick of preaching good politics but still acting bad racism is nauseating.

Our people have been fed such propaganda for too long and they are no longer as gullible as they were in the past ten years.

Zimbabweans have shown a great propensity for peace, and are skilled at mending race and tribal differences. They have a long tradition of peace-loving and racial harmony; starting from Ambuya Nehanda, Kaguvi, Lobengula and Mzilikazi to Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe. That racist and murderous Rhodesian prime minister, Ian Smith spent his last years in the country where he had butchered over 100,000 innocent black civilians. He enjoyed his retirement in peace at his farm. Such an olive branch was extended to anyone else who wanted to be part of the majority led Zimbabwe.

Our inclusive Government was built faster than any other unity government, without much bloodshed, compared to Northern Ireland, Kenya and so forth. We should cherish that and cherish our peace-loving impulse and say, "No!" to divisive and irresponsible statements by the likes of Roy Bennett.

*Tendai Midzi is a lecturer in economics at London's Metropolitan University.

Labels: ROY BENNETT, TREASON

posted by MrK @ 5:09 AM