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Shape up or ship out
Zimbabwe
National Students Union (ZINASU)
May 12, 2010
Civil society
refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared
interests, purposes and values. In theory, its institutional forms
are distinct from those of the state, family and market though in
practice, the boundaries between state, civil society, family and
market are often complex, blurred and negotiated.'
The civil society
in Zimbabwe of late has been of the agenda of amassing wealth for
few individuals at the expense of the suffering masses. It has ceased
to be an issue of principles but of what donors are willing to fund
at the moment. The target group has shifted from the masses to donors
and at the end of the day there is nothing that has been achieved
towards the democratization agenda.
The sector has
been infested by unruly elements who believe in themselves as the
civil society gurus. These elements have been making it difficult
for organizations that go against them, failing to observe that
there is an aspect of equality. There are no gods or goddesses in
the civil society, organizations and individuals should agree to
disagree.
It is now an
issue of competing for relevance amongst organizations, thereby
it ends up in undermining efforts of one another. The alliances
that have been witnessed in the sector are institutional alliances
thereby not promoting public participation. In most of the alliances
which have emerged the central factor became that of leaders of
various organizations and not members of these organizations and
it compromises the formation of vibrant social movements.
The union therefore,
demands the following from members of civic society:
- The organizations
should have the ability to agree to disagree.
- There should
be a distinction between organizations that enjoy the fine line
of engaging the current government and those that come out clearly
as being in search of a clear democratization process that will
regularly clash with the government line.
- Various
alliances should concentrate on individual membership as opposed
to institutional membership in order to improve public participation.
- Organizations
must have membership outside the MDC structures to enhance public
participation and bridge the polarized Zimbabwean political landscape(
either ZANU-PF or MDC}
- Organizations
should cease existing on laptops but to be identified with the
masses who are the targeted group of the taxpayers' money
from countries such as Britain, USA, Australia to mention but
a few.
- Umbrella
organizations (Coalitions and Alliances) must not compete for
space with their member organizations, but facilitate the programs
of the later.
Meanwhile, Joshua
Chinyere ZINASU Secretary General, Tinashe Chisaira UZ Spokesperson,
Kelvin Munyini, James Katso, Chikomborero Mkwaturi, Willy Hlatshwayo,
Sydney Chisuko and Temptation appeared in court today at Rotten
Row Magistrates' Court facing charges of contravening the
diabolic POSA
on the 29th of March 2010.The ZINASU leadership is happy with
the way ZLHR
has handled the case, and the UNION is retracting the statement
sent on the 11th of May as there was misinformation relating to
the matter.
The students
were demonstrating against the lack of seriousness by the Inclusive
Government as far as bread and butter issues are concerned. Students
at Great Zimbabwe University are being barred from attending lectures
because of non-payment of this semester tuition fees.
Visit the ZINASU
fact
sheet
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