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Independence,
dependency and patronage
Students Solidarity Trust
April 15, 2011
When 18 April
arrives, every Zimbabwean will wish their country a happy birthday
and many more years to come. Indeed, Zimbabwe will have 31 candles
on its birthday cake ready to be blown out on this important day
in certain celebration of its chequered history. Patriots and patrons
will have reason to celebrate this milestone and cause to believe
that Zimbabwe will traverse the path of prosperity from here on
end.
Students will
also have their say when the history of this country and of this
generation is recorded. Those who fortunately went to state institutions
before 1997 have cause to celebrate as the state ensured that they
got the support they deserved during their time at college. From
the emergent socialist crop of leaders who inherited the mantle
in 1980, a petty bourgeois, greedy and violent generation of leaders
quickly rose and took hold of the power handles. A capitalist mentality
cemented itself in the ruling elite and a power obsession soon followed.
Starting with the disastrous structural adjustment program in the
early 90's, Zimbabwe look down a barrel of failed leadership
culminating in a Thabo Mbeki initiated face-saving coble under the
banner of an inclusive
government. Critically, policy continuation was lacking to the
extent that policies were being chopped and changed with announcements
even coming at funeral addresses by President Mugabe.
As the culture
of corruption set in, protection was offered to those who were willing
to pay the financial price. Leaders grew into larger than life characters
with ultimate control over all facets of life. Everyone was supposed
to depend on them for protection from arms of justice and general
security. Scandal after scandal rocked the nation with President
Mugabe's response commissions whose reports continue to be
fodder for moths in his Munhumutapa offices. Unwise entry to wars
as far afield as the Democratic Republic of Congo and privatization
of essential social programs such as education were some of the
signs of malnourished leadership. Priority continued to go to non-essential
repressive aspects such as equipping the military with an ability
to turn on its people whenever voices of dissent were sniffed out
by the state. An insatiable appetite to privatise and personalize
authority has led to numerous attacks on Zimbabweans even up to
now as ZANU PF continues to hold the belief that they are the only
group of people baptized by their participation in the liberation
war to rule this country. Even students have been sent scurrying
for cover as the state has mutated from protector to vanquisher
in the years after independence.
Those who have
not towed the line have felt the heavy impact of jungle justice
from a party whose slogan was freedom. Students have been readily
persecuted by a system perfected to cause havoc to any democratic
thought. From suspension and expulsion, students have been hauled
before the courts with regularity despite the feeble nature of the
state cases against them. Violence has been visited on the citizenry
by a President and party who have boasted of degrees in violence.
A litany of speeches from ZANU PF stalwarts leaves no doubt that
Zimbabwe is saddled with leadership intent on ensuring compliance
at any cost.
With state-sponsored
celebrations set to rumble on for a while, reflections are necessary
on where Zimbabwe goes from here. Now is the time to reclaim Zimbabwe
and accord students in particular and Zimbabweans in general the
respect they deserve. Zimbabweans want to participate in the political
and economic discourse of their country and a serious leadership
worth its salt cannot ignore its constituents as has been the case
in the past. Strategic support to students must resume fully with
the return of the grants and loans to ensure that Zimbabwe remains
atop the ranks of those nations aware of the value of education.
Leadership should continue to be accountable and civil servants
non-partisan for the country to achieve its potential. Incidents
such as the ejection of students from a parliamentary portfolio
committee on higher education where the permanent secretary was
leading evidence on grounds that those sympathetic To ZANU PF's
view were celebrating their supreme leader's 87th birthday
is symptomatic of the bootlicking civil servants who are supposed
to be professionals have been forced to do. Zimbabwe deserves better
and as April 18 comes, an unequivocal message should be sent to
all in leadership that a tokenistic inclusion in processes must
stop and a truly interactive process where the people's views
and will are not subverted and play second fiddle to politicians
and their ambitions.
As the nation celebrates Independence Day many questions will be
asked and indeed no one will be in a position to provide a convincing,
reasonable and rational response. Why has the education sector been
allowed to collapse to this unprecedented level that takes us back
to the medieval period? Who has been presiding over this monumental
collapse for the past decade and why are the culprits being involved
in the recovery exercise? Indeed the students' movement in
the country will take celebration of the Independence Day as an
opportunity to mourn the historic collapse of the education sector
in the country. They will also pray together for those who working
tirelessly for the resuscitation of the education sector.
Visit the Students
Solidarity Trust fact
sheet
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