On the MDC’s 5th Anniversary
Zimbabwe has an extremely troubled history. It has never experienced true peace or true democracy since it was colonised in the 1890s. Our political culture has been dominated by violence, tyranny, racism, sexism and tribalism. The MDC from its inception has been determined to break Zimbabwe out of these shackles. The MDC has a vision for a new Zimbabwe, for a new beginning and has made great strides in the last five years in building a new political culture in Zimbabwe.
A new culture of non-violence
For over 100 years violence has often been used to attain political objectives. Violence was used to colonise Zimbabwe. Violence was used to maintain white minority rule. Violence has been used in the last 24 years to keep the Mugabe regime in power. In the last 5 years extreme levels of violence have been used in an attempt to crush the MDC. The MDC has been determined to break this cycle of violence and in so doing to create a new political culture. It has deliberately pursued non-violent methods. In the face of immense provocation the MDC leadership and members have displayed enormous courage and integrity by not responding to violence with violence. The recently decided Cain Nkala case is a vivid reminder of the fact that the MDC is a party committed to peace and that it is ZANU PF that has been responsible for building a culture of violence in Zimbabwe since its establishment 41 years ago.
Despite the unrelenting attack on it by the Mugabe regime, the MDC is a more powerful political force now than it was five years ago and in this it has demonstrated that this dreadful cycle of violence can be broken and that non-violent methods can bring about political change. In doing so the MDC has laid a new, solid foundation of peace and tolerance in Zimbabwe. On this foundation the MDC will build a new humane and democratic structure when it comes to power.
Martin Luther King once said: “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but the means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?” Likewise in Zimbabwe we must ask ourselves the question whether we want another 41 years of violent rule or do we want a new beginning.
A new culture of democratic practices
Zimbabwe has never known true democracy. Successive Parliaments and the elections which brought him into being have been plagued by undemocratic practices over the last 100 years. As a result we have laws and electoral practices that belong in the dark ages. These oppressive laws have been the main reason why Zimbabwe has never reached its economic potential. Zimbabweans have never had a real, open and free opportunity to choose their leaders. The MDC has been determined to break away from a sad past.
The MDC has realised that both a new democratic constitution and electoral process are pivotal to establishing meaningful democracy in Zimbabwe. Whilst the intransigence of the Mugabe regime has stalled the constitutional reform process the MDC has scored a major victory in the announcement by sake of the Mauritius principles which will henceforth govern all elections in southern Africa. Through the numerous electoral court challenges brought by the MDC the serious flaws in Zimbabwe’s electoral system have been exposed. Through the publication of the MDC’s Restore document, which sets out new standards for elections, the new benchmark has been set for the entire region. In other words the MDC’s campaign for new democratic electoral standards in Zimbabwe will not just benefit Zimbabweans but all the citizens of southern Africa. As the MDC responded to the Mugabe regime’s electoral fraud with violence, rather than through the courts and through the use of diplomacy as it did, SADC would never have had to confront the issue of electoral standards as it has had to do.
When the history of this period of the democratic development of southern Africa is written the MDC’s pivotal role in bringing about new democratic practices will be recognised. It goes without saying that free and fair elections lead to democracy and democracy leads to sustainable economic growth and development. In this respect the MDC’s contribution to the stability and prosperity of southern Africa is remarkable.
A new culture of non-discrimination and involvement of all Zimbabweans in decision making
Successive regimes have used race and ethnicity to divide the Zimbabwean people and to achieve political objectives. White minority governments invoked racially discriminatory practices to maintain power. The Mugabe regime has used race and ethnicity to divide and rule for 24 years. Racism and ethnic cleansing also belong in the dark ages and have no place in a modern democratic society.
Since its inception the MDC has been committed to a vision of a new Zimbabwe that does away with racial, ethnic and gender discrimination. The MDC has been determined to move Zimbabwe away from ethnically/racially based politics to the ideologically rooted politics. As a result its policy has been to include all ethnic and racial groups in its structures and leadership. Likewise it has been determined to ensure that women get a fair deal in Zimbabwean society.
Given the fact that the MDC is made up of such a diversity of cultural, ethnic and racial groups one of its truly remarkable achievements in the last five years has been to build an inclusive political party that truly represents all these different groups. What is even more remarkable is that it has forged a profound consensus and unity of purpose around the policies it has developed in the last five years. On a whole range of potentially divisive issues, including economic, land and gender policy, the MDC has achieved an amazing unanimity of thought.
On a continent which has a shocking history of ethnically and racially orientated political parties, the MDC has set a refreshing new precedent not just for Zimbabwe but for the whole of Africa. The future prosperity of Africa is largely dependent upon it moving away from racial and ethnic hatred to a mature political discourse which is rooted in an ideological debate. In this regard the MDC has set a new standard for the whole of Africa and provides a wonderful example of other political parties throughout Africa to follow.
Shakespeare wrote “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones”. Likewise the evil of political systems and parties leaves a dreadful legacy and the era of ZANU PF rule is no exception. The last 24 years of ZANU PF rule has all but destroyed the economic, moral and social fabric of our nation. The MDC has, against incredible odds, commenced the process of breaking down that legacy. This work cannot be completed overnight but in the last five years a solid foundation has been built on which will be built a new beginning for all Zimbabweans.