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Disappointed
If you have low expectations it is difficult to be disappointed! So I
guess
when the Heads of Denominations here produced their much-vaunted report
on
the 'The Zimbabwe we want' I had few illusions about the men who
were
involved and scant expectation. After all, these are the same men (no
women
involved at all) who bowed and scraped whenever they were in the
presence of
the State President. These are the same people who said little about
Gukurahundi and who co-operated with the State in trying to hide what
actually went on during that shameful era. These are the same men who
have
(in some cases) accepted the allocations of farms taken illegally from
their
rightful owners by force. These are the same men who said nothing when
Murambatsvina was being implemented.
The Church has a lousy record when it comes to defending the poor and
the
fundamental rights of mankind. It is not that the Bible does not speak
into
these areas - it does and often in stark and powerful terms: -
'Many, many bodies flung everywhere. Silence! Hear this you who
trample the
needy and do away with the poor of the land. Saying, when will the new
moon
be over that we may sell grain and the Sabbath be ended that we may
market
wheat, skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with
dishonest
scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of
sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.' Amos 8 vs. 3 - 6.
On the issue of justice, the Bible is one of the great examples of
teaching
that this is not a negotiable right - it is a fundamental right,
especially
for the poor and heaven help anyone who denies justice to the
downtrodden!
But there is nothing new in respect to this stony silence by the Church
on
issues of governance and justice in society. I well remember when I
first
stood up for black rights in the early 60's having been given a
baptism of
fire by a young Methodist who challenged me on the conditions under
which
black Rhodesians were living. The reaction of the white, evangelical
community was to label me a Communist and to steer carefully around us
when
we appeared in public. At the same time many of those same Christian
leaders
did more than bow and scrape to the leaders of the Rhodesian Front -
many
were active in their political programs. When I attempted to bring
black
Rhodesians into the structures of our society I was asked if I was in
favor
of miscegenation - I resigned from most of my Evangelical
associations in
fury.
Now obviously there are many exceptions and the Church has, on
occasion,
played a key role in the resolution of many singular human rights
failures -
the abolition of slavery and the destruction of apartheid perhaps being
prime examples. But even in these cases, many Church leaders
collaborated
with those who were guilty of gross human rights abuse. The rise of
Hitler
and the Nazi Party happened under the noses of European Church leaders
and
the record of the Lutherans was not very exemplary!
So now these Church leaders, who hitherto have been notable only for
their
silence, have discovered that all is not well in the State and have set
out
to try and conjure an agreement on a possible way out of the impasse we
are
in. But my colleagues argue, at least they have woken up and have now
spoken - we may not be happy with all they have said, but overall
what they
say is welcome and a useful addition to the pressure we have been
trying to
bring on the Zimbabwe regime to talk to the rest of us about finding
solutions.
Pius Ncube, the Catholic Bishop of this part of the country, is
reported to
have said on an occasion when the prelates were presented to the State
President, that he was unable to stay in the same room as the
President, let
alone share in the fawning attitude shown by his colleagues - after
all, the
man they were meeting was guilty of the murder of thousands of his own
people.
If the initiative of the Church were to produce some sort of action on
the
part of Zanu PF and the President, we would all welcome their actions.
However, at best they have added their voices to those who have been
speaking out on national issues and at worst their report will be used
by
Zanu PF to prevaricate on the issues that confront us all in our daily
lives. I see no sign that they are going to move one inch.
In recent days we have had Nathan Shamuyarira - one of our most
senior
political figures with a PhD from Princeton saying that Zanu has
nothing to
be ashamed of in respect to Gukurahundi, then Chombo - another senior
figure, saying that there was nothing untoward with Murambatsvina and
that
they were preparing for another round of shack demolitions. Not to be
outdone, Mugabe himself has defended the actions of the police when
they
beat MDC and ZCTU activists recently while in custody. And remember
these
were not beatings like the one they gave me last year outside the
Supreme
Court which left me with deep bruising on my back and arms, in this
instance
they broke bones and two people required medical attention in South Africa
for head injuries.
The Minister of Information said in a clear statement that Zanu was not
about to negotiate itself into oblivion. To me this frank admission
says it
all - they know very well that if they give one inch, they will start
an
avalanche that will bury them all and sweep away every vestige of Zanu
PF in
our society. So the stalemate continues and Zimbabwe burns. The monthly
inflation numbers should be out today - I have no idea what they
will
reveal but the chaos in fiscal and monetary policy continues.
To me the joke of the week however, was a plaintive cry from the IMF
representative in South Africa who complained that if only the Zimbabwe
government would follow their prescriptions, recovery would begin. I
hope
Washington is not so naïve or ignorant.
The Rural District Council elections are over - we put up over 1000
candidates and got thumped in most areas. Zanu simply used the exercise
to
confirm they control the process and the outcome. Our people were not
deceived - they simply stayed away and the total poll was under 5 per
cent.
I am relieved we did not win many seats - what on earth would we do
with
them? We cannot deliver any meaningful change or development until the
whole
evil hierarchy of Zanu PF is put out to pasture. That will take a
different
battleground and that is coming - not even Zanu PF can avoid that.
Eddie Cross
10th November 2005
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