None but ourselves

By Mutsa Murenje

Our lives and stories are diverse, but one thing we have in common: we are all Zimbabweans and our interest must be in writing the sort of history that we and future generations will be proud of. Situations of social, economic and political injustice remain in our country. They cry for attention and change. This isn’t a task to be left to a single individual or political entity.

Desirable change is orderly and never by accident. Zimbabwe calls for people who assert themselves, articulate their beliefs, and take on the hard work of leading. We are unhappy with the current state of affairs but this is hardly enough. There is an incumbent need to devote our time and talents to the service of our beautiful country. This is the only country we have and we need to protect it.

We continue to be treated as if we don’t belong. We have been turned aliens in our own country. It is somewhat surprising that some of our fellow citizens are of the viewpoint that those in the diaspora should not be allowed to vote. For God’s sake, our constitution guarantees us freedom of movement and that includes the right to leave one’s country.

Leaving one’s country isn’t in any way tantamount to forfeiting citizenship. We have been bullied by President Robert Mugabe’s regime for the past 36 years and I don’t think such aggressive domination by the dictator is tolerable. You may take everything else from us but never our right to self-determination. We need to determine our own destiny.

This is a decision that cannot be made on our behalf, we are capable of doing so on our own and we expect engagement from national authorities. Engagement with citizens in the diaspora shouldn’t be problematic. Already, the government has shown great zeal and enthusiasm in collaborating with the diaspora in its attempt to boost remittances. We expect the same verve when it comes to our right to vote.

From a more analytical point of view, it can be argued that efforts to work for social, economic and political justice require participation in the political process. I am a political addict and I cannot do without politics. I have a political mind and body and without politics the two are sick. Basically, politics is the art of gaining, exercising, and retaining power. I am fascinated by politics and I am consciously aware that there are some who find it distasteful.

How and to what degree one involves himself or herself in political activity is a matter of choice, reflecting such factors as interest, available time, energy level, and personal style. Although being an informed and conscientious voter is an essential first step, more is required of anybody who wishes to devote his time and talents to working for social, economic and political change.

Henceforth, I will devote my time and talents to evaluating how existing and proposed public policy affects people in need, the common good of society, and my social work profession; educating the public regarding the social dimensions and ramifications of law and public policy; participating with other concerned parties in the formulation of public policy; entering into the debate on matters of public policy and advocating for desirable changes and as expected (for I am a political animal), working for the election of those who represent my beliefs and values. Perhaps I should add that I will someday also seek political office!

Working for social, economic and political justice is never easy. Constantly, one must make hard decisions about where they stand on complex issues. However, I am both liberal and conservative. Liberal in the sense of being open to the truth, regardless of its source; desirous of change; and accepting of governmental action if it will, in fact, improve the lives of people and promote the common good.

It well has been said that everyone who is intellectually and spiritually alive is liberal. Similarly, every thoughtful and responsible person is conservative in the sense of wanting to preserve those values, social arrangements, and approaches that have been beneficial to people and because he or she knows that the newest idea is not necessarily the best one and that there is usually a negative side to government intervention. Thus, depending on the issue, one might line up on either the liberal or conservative side of the debate. The merits and wisdom of a proposal, and not political ideology, should dictate one’s stance on an issue.

Furthermore, I would like to bring to your attention, dear readers, that the political health of a nation, state or city depends on informed citizens debating the issues and the best ways of achieving justice and the common good. In saying this I recognise the efforts by the Mass Public Opinion Institute and Southern African Political Economic Series Trust and other civil society organisations in raising and debating topical and policy issues in Zimbabwe.

However, let me hasten to add that such a debate requires not only mutual trust and goodwill among all involved but a common language, respect for diversity, and agreement on a core of basic beliefs about people, society, and government. Debate, discussion, and decision making can be constructive only within a context of such fundamental agreement. Destructive to this process are those who replace dialogue with monologue, civility with coercion, and reason with slogans.

I have noticed that our struggle for social, economic and political change hasn’t been without problems. It is a fact of knowledge that political involvement can be tiring and frustrating. Many have lost heart the very moment they were confronted with setbacks. Political splits are cases in point.

There can be no doubt that some who are frustrated by the slowness of change become belligerent toward those who resist their ideas and actions. Such hostility becomes an obstacle to real change. In order to continue working for desirable social and community change, year after year, we must strive to develop personal qualities of hopefulness, patience, perseverance, and tolerance. To realise this we need to adhere to these guidelines:

• Hold to your principles without being ideological
• Be political without being partisan
• Be respectful of those with whom you disagree without being soft or compromising
• Be active and engaged without being used and manipulated
• Focus on what brings people together, not what divides them, and on what people are for, rather than against

Conclusively, let us remember that citizenship is active participation in public life. For this reason, we should all be in a position to identify responsible leaders and support their election to public office or we should seek office ourselves. We should also be able to observe the actual impact of social policies and programmes on the lives of people.

It is also my fervent belief that most of us have both the opportunity and obligation to document and communicate the effects of social legislation and administrative decisions, as well as offer ideas on how policies and programmes can be made more humane, effective and efficient. Those of us with special abilities to speak and write can make valuable contributions to the education of decision makers and the citizenry.

This in my opinion, dear readers, is the way forward. For, “whoever accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it” (Martin Luther King, Jr). May God help Zimbabwe! The struggle continues unabated!