The Sunday Mail
Two weeks ago I wrote about politics of expedience and the psychological basis of corruption. Today I focus on a shared vision based on principles.
There is need for us to increase our intellectual and political perspectives in order to strengthen our nation and lead it to present and future prosperity in unity.
There have been deliberate efforts by Westerners to call themselves nations while calling their former colonies “countries” so as to justify their intentions. To bring this point for note, have you ever heard of a European country say a French country, German country, British country or American country?
But Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria etcetera are referred to as countries.
Our various cultural groups are referred to as tribes while the Western groups are referred to as ethnic groups.
“Nation” means a coherent state with its own sovereignty and a shared vision.
Zimbabwe is indeed a coherent state with its own founding principles of liberation based on socialist principles of “Suthisa uzulu wonke” or “Gutsaruzhinji” for land ownership by the State on behalf of the people, control of means of production and ownership of wealth and natural resources and provision of education to all.
A vision does not just come impetuously and end like a nice dream which cannot come again or cannot be repeated.
A vision is an embodiment of powerful emotions and principles recollected in tranquillity by national political leaders in our case by our President Cde Mugabe and our late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo for the purpose of nation-building, peace and development.
Without a shared national vision between Dr Nkomo and Cde Mugabe cascading to the members of PF-Zapu and Zanu-PF and all the people of Zimbabwe there would be no unity, peace and development.
It is not enough just to talk about unity without walking the talk and availing the fruits of unity to all and not having only a few or a section of the nation benefiting.
As I said before, corruption comes in to destroy the national vision and national unity, peace and development.
There must be a clear consciousness of nationhood and willingness to serve the nation and to be proud of one’s nation. A national vision is an epitome of the principles which guide the nation’s existentialism.
A nation without a vision is as bad as a dead nation or a non-nation but a fragmented country as what we see in some countries which suffer from strife, hunger, disease and political fragmentation and civil wars; wars sponsored by imperialists to control and safeguard their permanent interests using their own political megaphones.
For example, in Angola, Unita was formed to fight the revolutionary party and MPLA government, in Mozambique Renamo was formed to fight Frelimo, here at home the British political parties formed the Westminster Foundation and the American State Department ganged up with them to fund the formation of the MDC.
The people of Zimbabwe could not have something like the so-called Arab Spring or like Libya, Egypt, Iraq, and Cote d’Ivoire, etc.
The inclusive Government did not have a shared vision, as the non-revolutionary Western-sponsored parties aimed at destroying the national vision to effect regime change.
Those parties were saying what they wanted was a new Zimbabwe guided by Western so-called investment without talking about the liberation history.
Zimbabweans have kept together against all odds because of the national vision and principles enunciated by President Mugabe and Dr Nkomo and also because of the revolutionary principles inculcated into the Zimbabwe people.
The new Constitution is our greatest shared vision. The Constitution is a product of the people by the people for the people of Zimbabwe. Its founding revolutionary principles are impeccable.
It covers all aspects of the lives, culture freedoms, three pillars of government and their responsibilities and national protection, human rights, education and socio-economic development.
The Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) is the second greatest national vision ever conceived and adopted by the people of Zimbabwe. Zim-Asset is a down-to-earth blueprint.
The President has been at the forefront of making sure Zim-Asset is implemented; the monitoring and evaluation function was given to the Office of the President and Cabinet.
We have already seen the Chief Secretary and his deputies at work to make sure the vision is implemented.
In one rural area, an old woman was heard saying “i Zim-Asset isifikile”; “Zim-Asset yasvika”.
“Sengichola idobi ngithengisa”; “Zim-Asset is here in rural areas, I am beneficiating groundnuts, grinding them and selling.”
This means Zim-Asset has gone to the grassroots.
There is need to find funds to implement the national vision. Treasury must not sleep until this vision delivery process is fulfilled.
These efforts should not be left to Government alone. Public-private sector partnerships, private investors and SMEs should also move into top gear.
Let us all share the Zimbabwe vision.
