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International
Day of Peace
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
October 06, 2006
Today is the eve of International Day
of Peace and it is important for any nation to reflect on the impact
this day has had on them. Every nation around the world commemorates
this day whose main objective is the observance of global peace.
Zimbabwe is no exceptions to such a noble cause in particular the
government in promoting peace?
Twenty five years ago, the General
Assembly of the United Nations made a declaration that the 3rd of
September of the opening of the regular session of General Assembly
each year "shall be dedicated and observed as the International
Day of Peace and shall be dedicated to commemorating and strengthening
the ideals of peace both within the organization and all nations
and peoples." (GA Resolution 36/67). NGO's are working to increase
awareness of the day so as to make people unite in support of world
peace.
While other countries are working toward
promoting peace, Zimbabwe has deliberately chosen to play the villain
and disregard this noble cause rather than a protagonist. The government
has been unable to encourage peace within the state. For peace to
prevail there is need to be a stable country with a stable economy
and stable political environment. Stability is a non-existent word
in the country and the government, instead of upholding peace; is
upholding a spirit of violence and instability.
Stringent laws are the order of day
for journalists in Zimbabwe. In 2002, the government enacted the
draconian Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which
criminalizes free speech and the Public
Order and Security Act that criminalizes public meetings which
is an adaptation of Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA) a product
of the Smith regime that criminalizes anything viewed as 'likely
to cause alarm and despondency'. Since the inception of these laws,
countless people have been arrested and tortured. Ray Choto, former
reporter of The Standard and editor of the same newspaper Mark Chavunduka
were arrested and tortured under LOMA for publishing an article
on the alleged coup attempt.
There are increased food shortages
in the country mainly due to the under utilization of farmland as
a result of the fast track land reform programme. A report from
the World Food Programme reported that 46 percent of Zimbabweans
are facing starvation. With the breadbasket for a family of five
pegged at $100 000 a month, 85 percent of the population is living
below the poverty datum line. In addition, HIV and AIDS are taking
a major toll on the population with more than 200 people dying every
week of AIDS and AIDS related illnesses. Government has been unable
to combat this problem and civic organisations have taken to the
streets to force the ruling party to address these issues. However,
such efforts have been thwarted by the insensitive regime.
On September 13 2006, the ZCTU
leadership and others were arrested and tortured for staging a demonstration.
They were demanding the availability of anti-retroviral drugs and
incomes, which are at par with the poverty datum line. Mugabe's
police arrested Wellington Chibhebhe, Lovemore Matombo, Lucia Matibenga
and other officials before gruesomely torturing them at Matapi Prison
cells in Mbare. This was done simply because the leaders had decided
to air poor workers' views.
Citizens have been suffering poor service
delivery by councils that include poor refuse collection, lack of
clean water supply and unmanaged sewer systems. 107 women from the
women's group, Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested for engaging in a peaceful
march to the city council to hand in a petition for improved council
services. Once again, the government muffled the voices of the suffering,
which is totally unacceptable in a peaceful and democratic nation.
In light of the examples sited above,
can we then say that the Zimbabwean government is promoting peace?
There will never be peace where people are hungry because a hungry
man is an angry man. No peace will prevail if the voices of the
people are muffled. Where the government uses torture and violence,
the suppressed will some day resort to that. A leader is supposed
to lead by example and if he uses undemocratic instruments to silence
the majority then the majority will follow suite and revolt. As
we commemorate International Day of Peace, we should do so with
our situation and the oppressed in mind. Peace is a privilege everybody
should enjoy regardless of his or her political affiliation or social
status. It is time Zimbabweans deplore violence and encourage the
prevalence of peace.
The government continues to drive the
citizenry from their motherland into political destitute in foreign
lands. The poverty levels continue to balloon with no stringent
measures on the ground to cushion the majority of the suffering.
Students continue to drop out of school as parents fail to sustain
the cost of education that has become a preserve of the elite. There
will never be peace, as long as poverty remains a reality of Zimbabwean
lives. Crisis Coalition reminds the state that a hungry population
is an angry populace. Anger has got an elastic point after its limits
it breaks down.
Visit the Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition fact
sheet
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