The lavish 21st February movement celebrations held at Elephant Hills Golf Course in the majestic resort town of Victoria Falls are a clear testimony that President Robert Mugabe and his legion of blind supporters have no idea of the damage they are causing to Brand Zimbabwe.
NewsDay Editorial
It boggles the mind how Mugabe could bring the country to a standstill and feast on 91 beasts and an elephant as well as burn $1,2 million in a day when government hospitals have no medication.
Besides medical practitioners and other government workers are earning peanuts.
Mugabe himself does not get medical treatment locally simply because of the awful state of local hospitals.
But on his 91st birthday Mugabe decided to put everything on hold and elevated his birthday to a national day forcing government and the only remaining companies operating in this country to donate towards the fete.
One wonders whether Mugabe and his family realise the damage they have caused to Zimbabwe. This talk of sanctions is simply what it is — rhetoric. Mugabe must be real and show that he cares about the ordinary people.
In this day and age, how does he hold the country to ransom when the majority of Zimbabweans are living on less than a dollar each? Is the 21st February Movement relevant anyway? To whom, because according to reports only 10 youths per province were bussed in from arround? So if the event was supposed to benefit the youths why were they excluded?
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Has the movement departed from its founding principles and ideals? Mugabe must ask himself soul searching questions, and try to reform soon rather than later to protect his waning legacy –that is if he still has anything left.
The damage to which his policies have done to Zimbabwe is unfortunate, hence he should learn that personal programmes are treated as such. Zimbabweans do not owe anything to the President. If anything he should owe everything that he is to the people.
He should also inculcate this to his family and kowtowing ministers and Zanu PF officials to serve the country from collapsing.
Sadly, the overzealous Zanu PF youth league is pushing for Mugabe’s birthday to be declared a national holiday, in addition to asking the ruling party to extend the festivities to a week what hogwash!
Besides Mugabe should use these public platforms to preach peace, unity and reconciliation and not vilify those that do not agree with him always. Is that what Father of the nation does?
What does he teach the youths who ironically were also celebrating the movement’s 29th anniversary? The President should know that this conduct is despicable and should not be allowed in an independent country like Zimbabwe.
The fact that he was incarcerated for 11 years does not make him a saint after all. So many of his contemporaries have left the throne and it is time for him to pass on the baton to fresh ideas.
What he does not know is the fact that whoever takes over from whether from his party or not, will not rub the fact that he played his role as one of the many liberators of Zimbabwe.
This hero worshipping happening in the ruling is setting a wrong precedent for future leaders. It is unthinkable that Mugabe who by any measure has achieved all a man could do in life was inciting people to invade the remaining white-owned farms and conservancies among others.
He fired Vice-President Joice Mujuru. So what has that got to do with the failing economy? His failing policies has failed to arrest the economy which is on a free fall. Everything happening now is a sign of Mugabe’s failing policies.
We believe Mugabe must learn from other leaders how to lead a country and not rule by decree. Zimbabweans deserve better.
