AU, Zimbabwe Progressive forces - reformist or conformational?
"Indeed I am comforted that this Assembly has a clear knowledge of where we have come from, where we are and the objectives we need to set and try to achieve so that our generation and those after us will be proud of being Africans.”
This is just one of the many quotes from the recently appointed Chair of the African Union (AU), Ghanaian President John A. Kufuor, addressing Heads of States and members of the diplomatic corps at the closing session of the AU’s eighth ordinary session in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia .
The underlining theme to his speech was aimed at stressing a stringent need for implementing the decisions the organ takes in order to make the continent a better place for Africans. “Divided we are weak, united Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world,” he said quoting Father Africa, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
This has been something we have been yearning for as young Africans, an acknowledgement by our African leaders in addressing some of the issues that plague our motherland. The summit managed to address and conceive resolutions to conflicts in Sudan , Somalia and Ivory Coast but fell short of addressing the burning issue, that is more of a tumour to sub-Sahara’s social and political climate - the Zimbabwean crisis.
Though there has been a recent shift in attitude amongst some of the African institutes, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointing a Ministerial Action Group (MAG) as part of the troika to look into the political crisis in Zimbabwe and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania on his recent visit to London was quoted saying: “The situation in Zimbabwe posed a challenge to African Leaders,”
I guess the question of how transparent and accountable the African leaders are willing to be in addressing some of the challenges that face Africa in the 21st century still linger.
I think what’s crucial at this stage is for us (Progressive forces and ordinary Zimbabweans) to embrace such initiatives like the Africa Liberate Zimbabwe campaign aimed at seeking solidarity and sympathy from the continent by articulating and projecting the Zimbabwean crisis from a socio political ideological perspective, and desist from just being critics, but also project an alternative road-map. Much focus and emphasis needs to be drawn onto the imperative need to have a clear African based ideology.
It’s somehow premature to lock horns with Zanu PF, using human rights and repressive legislature to challenge their authority, when they are viewed across the region as champions of indigenisation and fighting neo-colonialism and “questionably successfully” implementing the land reform and staying true to their socialist fundamentals and principals.
Unfortunately this is not common knowledge to key influences in Africa (AU and SADC) that all Zanu PF has done can arguably be portrayed as a betrayal of the true African revolution and a political illusion to cover up its incompetence as a government, but the uncomfortable truth is, it catapults them to a whole different level of political maturity (even at their weakest, rigged with internal conflicts, decay and collapse of infrastructure, economy i.e.).
Please do not get me wrong, calling for the repeal of oppressive, repressive legislature and a new Constitution are supporting pliers in a structure that should be firmly based on African ideology. In order to counter Zanu PF we need to be clear on where we stand on key issues, land reform and the empowerment of ordinary black Africans, as a critical step to expose the agrarian ways Zanu PF has implemented its abrupt policies.
But we need to offer an alternative and one that sees us (Progressive or Pro-Democratic forces) building basic fundamentals and principals in the interest of the social and well-being of the peasant who makes up 95% of the population.
There are strong sentiments amongst most ordinary Zimbabweans that independent media outlets, could be major catalysts in the reform and rebuild of the progressive and democratic forces by not shying away from confronting and debating on the core issues (land reform and indigenisation) that are highly critical to the foundation of an African driven resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
Comrades there is a drastic need to relinquish reformist politics as we have entered the era of confrontational politics.
Power to the people!