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In the spirit of nation building
Mutsa Murenje
March 30, 2011

Differences exist in all countries and in every level of society. They arise when we believe our interests are incompatible. Differences, however, aren-t a negative phenomenon and/or a negative force. They can be an essential component of immense creativity, social change, development and progress. Differences no doubt remain a necessary component of human interaction. This has to be largely because they are a natural expression of our perpetual struggle for justice and self-determination.

Today is the 29th of March 2011 and it was on this very day three years ago that Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party lost elections to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party. We are all aware of the political violence that followed the disputed harmonised elections. The death of our friends, relatives and compatriots caused us great grief and consternation and nobody in 2011 would want a repeat of the ugly brutality and violent repression that we had to go through following the dictator-s defeat. Current events in Zimbabwe are key indicators that what we experienced in 2008 is, to a greater extent, likely to be repeated.

I have detected and identified hate speech, harassment, arrests and victimization of human rights and democracy activists as signs of an emerging crisis. I am, therefore, issuing this warning to decision makers and society as a whole in order to forestall violent conflict, or the spreading and intensification of conflict. My task is very simple: prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

In the spirit of nation-building, I am repeating something that I have said countless times in various fora. Please be informed, dear reader that I take practical and moral responsibility for what I say privately or publicly. There is a strong belief in my moral and political thought about the unity or oneness of mankind and the consequent duties that we owe one another. Drawing inspiration from Victoria (1492-1546), I believe that we constitute a 'universal community-, a great society governed by such natural laws as mutual love and assistance. It is from this standpoint that I, Mutsa Murenje, hereby reiterate that the Zimbabwean dictator, Robert Mugabe, is past service and nothing will be gained by assuming or even wishing the contrary.

Mugabe has an inflated opinion of himself, one that is highly unjustifiable. He is nothing but an old and broken reed, ready to fall at any time. In converging your attention towards this fact, I have remembered the words of Alfred Adler the famous Viennese psychologist who had this to say:"It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from such individuals that all human failures spring."

Ours is an impoverished and oppressed society with a provocative and manipulative political leadership. Although our frustration will not erupt suddenly, it will inevitably erupt as a manifestation of accumulated aggression and hostility. Authoritarianism is an evil; authoritarianism is a cancer in the body politic which must be removed before our democratic health can be realized. The underlying philosophy of democracy is diametrically opposed to the underlying philosophy of authoritarianism and all of the dialectics of the logicians cannot make them lie down together.

We have weak institutions, fragile political systems and divisive social relations and our country is likely to be drawn, as we have witnessed in the recent past and in recent times, into cycles of conflict and violence. We have lost faith and trust in the governing structures, society and institutions to manage our 'incompatible- (can we really say that ours are irreconcilable differences?) differences.

In the national interest and in the spirit of nation-building, I don-t want Zimbabwe to plunge into chaos. I wouldn-t want our country to be yet another Mozambique, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the 'triangle of trouble- (Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan) and until recently, Libya.

To prevent the aforementioned crisis from occurring, it is necessary that we address the hostile mistrust and belligerence before it reaches a point where we believe violence is our only recourse. I believe this is an issue that should be of great concern and high up on our political agenda in our country. This should even come before we have an election.

I want us, as a nation, as Zimbabweans, to create a situation in which our differences can be addressed in a non-violent and constructive manner. This is necessary for bettering the lot of our people a lot better. May God bless Zimbabwe!

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