As we approach elections, we should guard against one danger that can spell disaster for our nation — tribal politics.
NewsDay Editorial
As a nation, we should be wary of politicians who want to incite the electorate.
We should not go the Kenyan route in 2007 when tribal politics led to people slaughtering each other over election results.
We should remember what happened in the early 80s in this country when Matabeleland disturbances gave the government an excuse to slaughter thousands in what is now the infamous Gukurahundi era.
We should separate tribal identity from tribal politics. Zimbabwe is a nation made up of different ethnic groups and any leader who desires to get into power to ensure the hegemony of one ethnic group over the others should be rejected at the polls.
We should not vote into power leaders who have the “superior tribe” mentality.
History has made us a nation of different ethnic groups and that fact cannot be wished away.
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It is also an immutable fact that no ethnic group is better than the other, it’s just a myth.
Tribal politics does nothing positive for the nation except to create too many fault lines among us that weaken us as a country.
Each ethnic group has something to contribute to the development of the nation. We must be careful to choose leaders with a vision of national unity.
Such leaders can come from any ethnic group and as a nation we should be on the lookout for such leaders for our benefit.
We should equally be on the lookout for politicians who wish to get into power brandishing the tribal card and relegate them to where they belong—the political dustbin.
The world has become a global village and thinking from a narrow tribal perspective does more harm than good.
Nations that prioritise tribal politics lag behind in development as they waste energy and resources on tribal wars, political bickering and marginalisation.
We should not promote tribalists who want the voice of their tribe to be heard to the exclusion of the voices of other ethnic groups. We should be aware of the fact that leaders with selfish tribal interests are found across the ethnic divide.
They have no place in our national politics and we should get rid of them through the ballot before they poison our society.
