The ABCD solution to Zimbabwe’s problems

A month following the casting of ballots in Zimbabwe, it is becoming all too apparent that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission messed up their job big time. This deadlock or “logjam” (as Mr Jacob Zuma so aptly described it) should never have occurred if the commission had properly done the job they were required to do in the first place – that is to ensure a victory for Mr Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party. The ZEC acting perhaps in misguided good faith decided to allow the people of Zimbabwe to vote freely for candidates of their choice and, having allowed that, are now stuck in stalemate in which they cannot pronounce the outcome of the ballot. They are still verifying and recounting the votes with, perhaps, an expectation that somehow the outcome will show a result which is different to the one so far produced.

This is just a quick riposte to vent my frustration with the lack of progress in resolving the election impasse. But that is not the subject on my installment of this week because, as I promised last week, I want to be a bit more positive and outline some of my thoughts on solutions and the way forward for Zimbabwe. I will call this the ABCD solution - this standing for acceptance, belief, contrition and determination. These are all very optimistic and positive words and I should start, perhaps, by explaining the rationale behind my thinking.

There is no doubt that the Zimbabwean nation has been badly abused and traumatised by the Mugabe dictatorship and this has greatly harmed the nation’s psyche. Whatever happens now and if indeed there will be a change of direction, a lot of the work will need to be done to repair the damage on the nation’s psyche in order to restore and rebuild its esteem, character and confidence as a nation. The one enduring memory that one has of the past two decades of independence is one of people suffering from one injustice or another. There are strong images of people being beaten, tortured or otherwise being brutalised for holding different political opinion, their home being razed to the ground in Operation Murambatsvina (Operation Clear-the-filth), the tribal genocide in Matebeleland and the economic meltdown which has spawned massive suffering amongst the generality of the population.

So the nation has to embark on a serious cleansing process and this should start with the acceptance that grievous wrongs have been committed and that things should not have happened the way they did. Mugabe and Zanu-PF should accept that they failed in their first and most important duty of acting in the best interest of the people who elected them into power and, instead, only acted in their own best interests exploiting their positions to their own individual benefit. They should accept that the people are angry because of this massive betrayal and have expressed their anger by voting them out of office. The retired army commander, General Vitalis Zvinavashe, demonstrated such acceptance earlier this week when he conceded defeat in his constituency. More voices in this vein are now required.

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party should accept and recognise that their victory in the election was as much a rejection of Zanu-PF by the electorate for its failures as it was an affirmation of their own popularity with the masses. This should tell them that they will also be swiftly rejected if they fail to deliver real and substantial improvements to the lot of the people. This is what happened in Kenya, where Mwaai Kibaki was rejected after only one term in office. He had to resort to rigging the elections in order to remain in power. It is therefore important that MDC should be prepared to work hard and quickly to deliver on its promises and to meet people’s expectations. That should help take the country forward.

The second element is to restore belief amongst the people. Belief in all those things that are important and necessary for national character building – freedom, security, prosperity, democracy and justice. There is no doubt that many Zimbabwean people have lost their belief and confidence in their government. And there are good and justifiable reasons for that. Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF have worked very hard to undermine the belief and confidence in government and all that it represents. The government has spawned and nurtured corruption to levels never before seen in the country. They have destroyed a once vibrant economy through reckless and vindictive policies and with it institutions of delivering public services such as education and health. The government has wantonly disregarded the rule of law – brazenly ignoring court decisions and applying selective justice. Millions of disposed and impoverished people have left the country to seek relief and solace elsewhere.

It is therefore important to restore belief in the people of Zimbabwe – belief in their individual selves and in their national character. With restored belief will come greater hope, expectation and confidence in the future of the country. The one thing that Mugabe and his acolytes have not completely destroyed is the goodwill that the country still enjoys both from its own people and from the wider international community. Many exiled Zimbabwean are prepared to return to the country if there is political change and to contribute to the rebuilding of the nation. The international community is also prepared to provide significant levels of aid and support to help turn the country around. This is why there is now a pressing urgency to get Mugabe and his lot out. If the ballot cannot do it, all other means necessary should be taken to ensure that he goes now.

Once Mugabe and his lot have been driven out, the third aspect will kick in. The outgoing lot should show publicly some contrition and remorse for their evil deeds while in office. I know that one of the more vexing issues now facing the opposition is what to do about the crimes that were committed by the Mugabe regime and whether some amnesty should be given in the interest of national healing. There will be some arguments that Ian Smith was left alone after independence and so the same must be extended to Mugabe. In my mind that argument does not wash. Mugabe’s sins are infinitely worse than Smith’s sins. Laying aside the political arguments a bit, Smith’s security forces fought against an armed insurgency while Mugabe’s army has largely fought against unarmed civilians. Smith fought against black Africans (a different racial grouping) while Mugabe has been fighting against his own people. Smith did not rule with the mandate of the majority of the people while Mugabe had the mandate of the majority, at least initially.

Given all that I think it would not be in anyone’s best interests to give a blanket amnesty to Mugabe and his people. People have to be brought to account for their misdoings, even if it is only to serve as a deterrent for the future. But there should be no retribution and those who show some level of contrition should be forgiven and rehabilitated. This may call for something somewhere between Tutu’s truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa and Charles Taylor’s indictment for crimes against humanity.

Finally there should be a determination by the people of Zimbabwe to forgive the past and embrace the future. There is very little to look back to with any degree of pride but there is a whole lot of bright future to look forward to. The people should also realise that reconstruction will not be easy and that there will be a lot of pain. But forge ahead they must if they are going to haul the country back from the edge of the precipice where Mugabe has taken it to. In practical terms this will require that the many people who had become disconnected to and disenchanted with national political systems should be fully re-engaged with the body politic of the country. They should now start to actively influence policy and developments in the country.

Those with the means must return to invest their human and material assets for the development of the country. There should be a determination to succeed in the face of the many adversities which will no doubt be laid in the path of progress. However most importantly, there should be determination that never again should our country be dragged to the dogs as has happened under Mugabe’s stewardship. Never again should our people suffer the way they have done in the past decade. Never again.