Polarisation hindering development

LACK of patriotism and political polarisation are the leading factors hampering progress and development in Zimbabwe.

Sanctions may have a contributory factor to our challenges, but the fact that Zimbabwe is divided more than ever before because of political contestations has had a huge bearing on perpetuating the suffering of the masses.

Just think of it this way, if the United Kingdom had warmed up to the new dispensation before the July 2018 elections, where would the country be? And again  had the opposition accepted the election outcome and worked together with the winner to develop the country, what would be Zimbabwe’s status today?

But, in a clear sign of uncaring and compromised love for one’s country, former MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his cronies chose to go into overdrive, denigrating the government and clandestinely sabotaging any effort to revive the fortunes of the economy.

At the end of the day, the ordinary man, including those he calls his supporters, are leading a pauper’s lifestyle.

In that vein, political polarisation has now taken its toll in a way that has become a cause for concern.

Our country is sharply divided along party lines, a thing that is taking too much energy for any good to be realised.

People have suffered for a long time and they need a break from such a torturous life. There is now too much burden on the plate of an ordinary Zimbabwean, regardless of the political affiliation, signifying that we now need a concerted effort to deal with our woes.

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It is now virtually impossible for one to have peace of mind amid the skyrocketing cost of living that is exacerbated by the meagre salaries that workers are getting.

A salary is now a source of stress, owing to its erosion where it is not holistically reviewed to match the market demand.

There is need for an honest and fair assessment of the situation from mainly the warring parties, with the aim of putting the fate of the citizens first before political ambitions.

Zimbabwe needs everyone’s hands on deck more than ever before. Patriotism is mainly thinking of one’s country first ahead of one’s political party or affiliation.

If the crop of politicians across the political divide can be guided by this fact, for sure, this polarisation would not even be there.

It is written in the Christians’ holy scriptures that there is nothing new that happens today that has never happened before. History repeats itself. I need to revisit the French Revolution of the 18th Century, where apart from everything else, food riots sparked a revolution. This, indeed, should sign post our leaders to a possible fallout with citizens, especially if the on-going price madness is not nipped in the bud.

Price madness is now a national security concern,  something should give. There is no other helpful advice than this honest and practical criticism that is meant to correct certain issues on time rather than tryto be reactive later.

To pretend as if Zimbabweans are united when, in actual fact, they are not is the biggest mistake that is making every possibility to initiate unity futile. An honest dialogue is fast appearing to be the real panacea to our suffering than any policy change or declarations.-Munhu Mutema

Security agents must be professional in discharging their duties

YOUR story titled Govt under spotlight over police, army brutality, in yesterday’s issue refers.

I believe that to have a reasonable idea of how police and soldiers will generally behave towards the public they are meant to serve, we must first understand what motivated them to join the  profession to start with.

Maybe many law enforcers target/acquire such authoritative fields of employment mainly for “power” reasons, though perhaps subconsciously.

It is, after all, a profession in which, a police officer or soldier ends being ruthless after testing power of storming into suspects’ homes, screaming, with an  automatic machine gun or handgun drawn.

Such on duty experiences that can permanently traumatise individual as whole families end up shapping characters of our security agents. The police and  army personnel must simply be proffessional in discharging their duties.

Admittedly, many, if not most, of us as children have fantasised about, and even planned for, a future working in the police or military.

But many of us, probably sooner than later, grew out of that dream, as it wasnot reflective of our true nature._Frank Sterle Jr

NO rocket science is needed to appreciate that corruption is one of the major drivers of the political and socio-economic decay in Zimbabwe today.

In fact, corruption is so deeply embedded in all facets of our life, be it political, religious, business or social, among others. Corruption is like a malignant cancer rapturing and tearing apart the very fabric of our existence as a nation.

Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs.

From your small-time illegal foreign currency dealer on the street corner to your vacuous and vapid, but extremely powerful and well-connected politician, corruption is widely being practised in Zimbabwe. It has now become a national curse, a sordid and deprecating badge of shame and dishonour.

There is massive and unprecedented corruption within political, business and religious circles, in the security services, at the courts and, in fact, in both the public and private sectors. Corruption is stinking to high heavens.

Unless and until we adopt and implement effective measures and strategies to identify, clamp down and eventually reduce or even eliminate corruption, Zimbabwe’s national economy will continue to tank and in the process, cause massive public disaffection, disharmony and discontent.

Put simply, corruption in Zimbabwe has now effectively degenerated into a very serious and alarming national security threat.

Business cartels, monopolistic and greedy, but insipidly corrupt informal networks, have since sprouted within the private sector to such an extent that the prevailing unrealistic and random increase in the prices of basic goods and services can easily be linked to the emergence of these corrupt, but extremely powerful business cartels.

Something surely has got to give. We cannot continue on this ruinous and self-destructive route that is causing untold misery and suffering to the majority of Zimbabweans.

In one of my recent opinion pieces, I boldly stated that I always speak truth to power and, as such, I am not going to spare the blame that also involves very senior government officials and top-notch business executives in the private sector.

We have got absolutely no other viable option, but to be ruthless and uncompromising when it comes to dealing with and thwarting corruption, or else the much-publicised government’s anti-corruption onslaught will be nothing, but an embarrassing and humiliating flop.

Thus, we should not only denounce corruption in word; we should also be seen to be effectively uprooting the cancer of corruption within our midst and in the process, firing corrupt public officials and also ensuring that the full wrath of the law descends upon all corrupt officials in both the public and private sectors.

Let us learn from and indeed, emulate other countries that are apparently succeeding in fighting graft. A far-reaching campaign against corruption began in China following the conclusion of the 18th national congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

Going forward, we expect heads to roll as the anti-corruption onslaught gathers momentum in Zimbabwe. Failure is not an option and defeat is not on the agenda. _Mukunda Chitova