This letter was sent today to senior leaders of both factions of the MDC:
Dear Friends,
As you know I have been trying to broker peace between the two factions of the MDC since the 12th October 2005. I know that some of you are skeptical about this and about my ability to play this role but nevertheless I am convinced in my mind at least that this is the right thing to do.
I have been deeply concerned about the vitriolic statements made by both sides and by individuals on both sides since the 12th October as I believe they have greatly lessened any chance of reconciliation being achieved. However in recent weeks I have discerned an even more disturbing trend and that is that violence has been increasingly threatened and used. A vehicle has been hijacked by youths and at least one rally threats have been made to crush members of an opposing faction. This is of course just a continuation of the violence we have seen perpetrated by both sides against each other in the last 18 months.
I do not propose at this juncture to delve into who is responsible for that violence. Nor will I try to assess which side is most culpable at this stage. What is needed now is a deep rooted commitment from both sides to refrain from violence, not just in word but more importantly in action. Anyone can simply condemn violence – Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF do that all the time at the very time they are plotting evil. Violent tendencies can only be quashed if leaders demonstrate that they are not prepared to tolerate violence in any form or fashion.
Furthermore it is clear that one or other, or both, of the two factions in the coming months will engage in mass action against the regime. I am concerned that if violence is tolerated or condoned in intra party disputes that the same policy may be applied in opposing the regime.
In this regard I draw your attention to the “Pledge to non violence” drafted by Martin Luther King for the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights which I have both attached and set out in full below.
I think the following points about it should be noted:
1. Our aim in both the settlement of intra party disputes and in our struggle against the regime should be to achieve “justice and reconciliation – not victory”. The organisation we represent is after all the Movement for Democratic Change not the Movement for Change. In other words mere victory over the other faction or Zanu PF should never be our goal – our goal should be to bring about a new order of peace, justice and reconciliation, not the continuation of the hatred, pain, intolerance and overwhelming power we have experienced under Zanu PF.
2. We need to “walk and talk in the manner of love”. We cannot just talk about non violence; our entire demeanour must reflect our commitment to non violence. This applies particularly when confronting the regime. If we begin marches with prayer and ensure that no weapons of any sort are used then the regime will find it hard to crush protests because its objective will be so obviously noble. But our walk begins with how we treat our own brothers and sisters in the struggle. How can we possibly convince the regime that we have noble objectives if in the settlement of our internal disputes we are so quick to resort to violence or to turn a blind eye to violence?
3. We need to blanket our entire actions in “prayer”. It is more difficult to engage in violence if one takes the time to pray before undertaking any activity. But this needs to be genuine, heartfelt prayer not prayer by rote. And when we pray we should not be asking God just to end tyranny but to examine our own hearts and motives. We need to ask God to give us restraint in our words and actions. And if we are confronted by law enforcement agencies then our first reaction should be to get down on our knees and pray, not to fight. The regime will have no answer to such action and also I have no doubt that God’s mighty power will be unleashed in such situations.
4. We need to “sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men shall be free”. One of the things that has distressed me the most in the split is the realisation that many in both sides are not interested in reconciliation because that is the very thing that will obstruct their path to higher office. There is no doubt that there are people on both sides who have now attained high office in one or other faction; office they would never have dreamt of had the MDC remained united. They fully understand that if the party were to unify they would lose those lofty positions. We have not seen sufficient people on both sides who have been prepared to sacrifice their personal goals for the greater good. But the same applies to our attitude in confronting the regime. I have heard at least one member of the MDC National Executive complain in the last year about not being prepared to wait any longer to become a Minister. Our goal should not be the attainment of high office in Government – our goal must be to liberate Zimbabweans whether that results in us becoming Ministers or not.
5. If our struggle is indeed a noble one, if we are to maintain the moral high ground, then we must observe “the ordinary rules of courtesy” with both “friend and foe”. How can it be that we have allowed ourselves to be so uncouth towards colleagues, comrades and friends who have been to hell and back together with us in the last 6 years? What has caused us to stoop so low to sling all manner of unsubstantiated barbs against each other in the last 6 months? Why is it that we have not afforded each other the courtesy of testing “facts” before publishing untrue and wildly defamatory statements about former colleagues? Why have we resorted to making such vile and vitriolic statements about former colleagues in public? I have been utterly appalled by the use of words like ‘sell outs’, ‘dissidents’, ‘rebels’, ‘dictators’ to describe colleagues who only yesterday were in the trenches with us. But this principle applies equally as we tackle the regime and law enforcement agencies. Indeed what has greatly diminished the moral authority of our struggle against the regime has been our distinct lack of courtesy shown to each other. It is now perfectly reasonable for the regime to argue that they are up against uncouth people who do not care for truth or the observation of ordinary rules of courtesy.
6. Our commitment to non violence should be all embracing; we need to “refrain from the violence of fist, tongue or heart”. In other words we need to watch our physical actions, what we say and importantly what motivates us. One can pay lip service to non violence and even refrain ourselves from the violence of the fist, whilst at the same time entertaining deep rooted malice which eventually spills out. It is no good putting on a façade of commitment to non violence whilst at the same time encouraging others, especially young people, behind closed doors to engage in violence. Recently I have been given the excuse that violent acts and statements committed by young men and low ranking officials were not done in the presence of leaders. That is simply not good enough. In my experience young people rarely engage in acts of violence unless they are encouraged to do so by leaders behind closed doors. The history of Zimbabwe is littered with examples of young men and women being sacrificed to achieve the personal political goals of their elders. We must break this cycle both in the settlement of our intra party disputes and in tackling the regime. The cycle can only be broken if leaders consistently demonstrate in their words and actions their deep rooted commitment to using non violence. Unless those who have engaged in violence are disciplined and expelled from the party young people will inevitably be left with the impression that leaders simply do not want to be associated with violence but actually support the use of violence.
7. There is a need for discipline – all must “follow the directions of the movement”. Even if leaders are committed to non violent methods being used, undisciplined and over exuberant people can get carried away in attempting to achieve what is otherwise a noble goal. I have been alarmed by the cavalier attitude displayed by some in dealing with both the intra party dispute and the national crisis. Some seem to be prepared to throw caution to the wind and not to care how their strategies and tactics may unfold. Zimbabwe is a tinderbox as a result of the great pressures that all people are under. Leaders have a responsibility to consider carefully what they say and do and also leaders need to ensure that their followers are highly disciplined. If this approach is not adopted there is a great danger that a wildfire will be ignited that will be difficult to extinguish and indiscriminate in its destruction.
I recognise that some of you may be deeply skeptical about what I have written. Some of you may just think that these are irrelevant musings of a naïve Christian who does not understand the nature of this regime and what is needed to remove it. I hold to these views not just because I think they are morally correct but because I also believe that these principles provide the best and most effective means of bringing democratic change to our beloved nation. I think if we engage in intra party violence we will simply perpetuate the struggle for freedom and never deal with the root causes of our nation’s distress. I believe that if we try to tackle the Zanu PF regime using the methods they are most experienced in and familiar with, we will lose that battle. When Mugabe speaks of having “degrees in violence”, that is no idle boast. I think the one thing they are longing for is the excuse to crush a violent uprising. I think the one thing they have no answer to is a genuinely peaceful, non violent movement that does not care about power but is more concerned with rooting justice and reconciliation in Zimbabwe.
Let me conclude by saying that whether you commit yourself to these principles or not I am determined to do everything in my power to continue persuading anyone who will listen that this is the right way. I can do no better than to quote Martin Luther King again in this regard.
“I’ve decided that I’m going to do battle for my philosophy. You ought to believe something in life, believe that thing so fervently that you will stand up with it till the end of your days. I can’t make myself believe that God wants me to hate. I’m tired of violence. And I’m not going to let my oppressor dictate to me what method I must use. We have a power, power that can’t be found in Molotov cocktails, but we do have a power. Power that cannot be found in bullets and guns, but we have a power. It is a power as old as the insights of Jesus of Nazareth and as modern as the techniques of Mahatma Gandhi.”
It would be wonderful if all democratic leaders in Zimbabwe would make a similar pledge themselves to the one drafted by Martin Luther King 43 years ago.
With regards,
David Coltart
Bulawayo 12 April 2006
I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF – MY PERSON AND BODY – TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS:*
1. MEDIATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory.
3. WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. FOLLOW the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to preserve.
Name ____________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________
Phone ____________________________________________
Nearest Relative ____________________________________
Address ___________________________________________
Besides demonstrations, I could also help the movement by: (Circle the proper items)
Run errands, Drive my car, Fix food for volunteers, Clerical work, Make phone calls, Answer phones, Mimeograph, Type, Print signs, Distribute leaflets.
ALABAMA CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
BIRMINGHAM Affiliate of S.C.L.C.
505½ North 17th Street
F. L. Shuttleworth, President* Pledge signed by volunteers for sit-in demonstrations to protest segregated eating facilitates in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.
Drafted by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pledge to non violent action Martin Luther King (1963)