Zimbabwe's Teachers want schools declared “peace zones” ahead of the coming elections.
So the Teachers have given up hope of a free and fair election free of the scourge of violence and are therefore looking for a compromise solution: let the rest of the country be engulfed in the same orgy of violence as in 2008 but make sure school are left as islands of peace and tranquility. Yes I can just imagine Chipangano thugs on a war path having to give up the chase as soon as their victim enters the sanctuary of school. Erect an electric fence or laser guns to zapping up any Zanu PF thugs who dares cross into the school zone. What a joke!
Takavafira Zhou and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe of which he is the President are behind this call. Mr Zhou told SW Radio Africa that the real problem lies in the unity government’s failure make any real changes (to end the culture of violence) since 2008. Still that is hardly cause to push the panic button and to propose a down right stupid solution!
2 comments:
13 th December 2012: Five Police Officer storm into Zimbrights Office and arrest and detain the organization’s Education and Programmes Manager. He is allegedly accused of conduction illegal voter registration!
13 th December 2012: Three children and their pregnant mother are abducted by Zanu PF Operatives because they would not reveal where the children’s father is, an MDC activist.
There are some human rights organizations and private individuals who have again and again turned a blind eye to human rights violations by Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs to appease the dictator. Then there political parties like the two MDC factions who have made political appeasement of the tyrant their core business - how else can one explain why they have failed to get even one democratic reform implemented all these last four years!
Appeasing Mugabe has not forced him to stop his brutal oppression of the people. No tyrant is history has ever given up his tyrannical powers because he felt sorry for his victims – tyrants have heartless brutes!
But after read stories like this one day in day out, week after week of the regime continues to ride rough shod over defenseless citizens, one can only hopes these stories will force the appeasers to finally see their folly of their policy of appeasement.
The only way to stop these tragic stories of human rights violations is for people to stop appeasing dictators and demand without compromises the rule of law and the restoration of all basic and fundamental rights of the citizens. At present the line in the sand behind which the nation should speak with one voice is the call for new truly democratic constitution, robust enough to get those responsible for human rights violations finally arrested and punished.
The Copac draft constitution now under consideration is too feeble and weak to stop the country’s culture of violence. MDC tells the nation it offers "incremental changes"; the language of appeasement. People must now unit behind the NO vote in the upcoming referendum because that is the only way the nation is going to get a robust democratic constitution the nation need to end this oppressive dictatorship.
@GBR
I wish I could believe you and many others out there who think that regardless what Mugabe and Zanu PF throw at the nation, Mugabe and Zanu PF will lose the coming elections. So confident are you lot that you have dared Mugabe to have his usual vote rigging machinations; the one sided public media and muzzled private media, the chaotic voters roll, have full war chest of cash to fund his terror machine from the money looted from the Marange Diamonds, a new Copac constitution so feeble and weak Mugabe will do as he please, etc. and last but most important of all allowed him deploy his party thugs aided and abetted by the Police, Army and CIO to unleash the same orgy of violence comparable to that the dictatorship unleashed in 2008 or worse. With all that, you are still confident Mugabe and Zanu PF will be defeated in the elections. I beg to differ for four reasons:
1) One should never underestimate an adversary and PM Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and their supporter have done just that to the extent of becoming complacent and arrogant. PM Tsvangirai should have worked hard to get all the democratic reforms implemented and to ensure the new constitution was democratic, etc.
2) Whilst it is true that Mugabe and Zanu PF have lost the trust of the overwhelming majority of the people of Zimbabwe and therefore would have no chance of winning free and fair elections. The tyrant and his cronies know that better than anyone which is why they have no intention of holding free and fair elections; they offer no carrot to the electorate but a whip and have elected a heartless brute who has earned a reputation of cracking the whip without mercy to lead them.
In the March 2008 vote the electorate voted for Tsvangirai in droves but after three months in which the dictatorship cracked the whip, everyone very quickly fell into line and voted for Mugabe without further ado. It is all very well to defiantly say “My vote is my secrete!” now but looking up the business end of murderous thug’s gun the bravado will disappear like morning mist in the African dawn.
3) Even if by chance Mugabe and Zanu PF do indeed lose the elections in spite of all their political machinations, intrigue and brutality one has to question why it was deemed necessary to follow this torturous path to electoral victory when a safer alternative offered itself.
We should all be wary of Generals who view the foot-soldiers as nothing more than cannon fodder!
4) The fourth reason is that if Mugabe and Zanu PF should “win” then you people will have no grounds to complain. You knew all along Mugabe is playing with a loaded dice; you ignored the warnings of those offering to help but still went on to play. Well if you lose, then surely you must pay the price of your arrogance and folly and expect no sympathy from no one!
According to a leaked cable, in 2002 the then US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Chris Dell found Tsvangirai to be “a flawed and indecisive character “ after meeting the MDC leader two or three occasions. After ten year of blundering, his failure to get the reforms implemented being one of the many blunders, Tsvangirai has proven Ambassador Dell right . Tsvangirai has clearly decided to take part in an electoral process in which there is already overwhelming evidence is not free and fair. It is sheer folly on the nation’s part to follow where Tsvangirai is leading them.
By voting NO in the upcoming referendum the nation will assert their demands to have all the reforms implemented and a democratic constitution written and thus have all the guarantees and safe guards not only that the next elections but all future elections are free and fair! We have waited for 33 years to exercise the right to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country, for that is the essence of “One man! One vote!” , it is now up to us to secure that right for ourselves and posterity. A NO vote to the Copac rubbish will secure free and fair elections for all time!
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