There has been a lot said about the failure or success of the Zimbabwean unity government. A lot of it has been based on what concessions Tsvangirai has been able to wring out of Mugabe. There is almost an obsession with who has scored more points than the other that a very important issue has fallen by the wayside. In August 2008 I wrote in The Zimbabwean about the need to help the victims of political violence find closure. While there has been a number of high profile cases highlighted in the media the same cannot be said of the ordinary villagers whose homes and families were destroyed by the actions of political thugs. In my letter I argued that “The victims of the Zanu PF violence risk being forgotten in our desire to get this country working again. Those who lost family members or those whose relatives were maimed and crippled risk just being cannon fodder if we do not put in place a system to keep this in the public domain”.
I believe that while there has been progress in other areas there has not been much in the direction of getting the people responsible for destroying families and homes to account for their actions. Peace without justice rings hollow and I think the people of Zimbabwe will feel hard done by if our political leaders do not pursue this matter with the vigour it requires. Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara owe it to the people to demand justice for the victims of violence. I am not advocating for retribution but it is essential that we investigate and prosecute those who killed and maimed political opponents. I do not believe that the perpetrators should be given amnesty without trial because then they will have received no more than a slap on the wrist. The thugs need to go through the courts and where there is evidence to convict then they should be convicted.
The politicians can then agree that the crimes were done at a time of political madness and grant amnesty but the convictions would be on record. I think we need justice for the men, women, and children who suffered greatly for choosing to oppose Mugabe and Zanu PF. As we seek to open a new chapter in the history of our nation I believe we need to proceed “with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations” as Abraham Lincoln counselled in his second inaugural address as US President. We owe it to these courageous women, men and children to bring to justice the perpetrators of the violence that ravaged our nation.
While there may be relative peace now there is no guarantee that it will last if we continue to ignore those who suffered at the hands of the political thugs. One day the people will choose to take matters into their hands and we may have to deal with a much messier situation if we do not have the courage to face up to the past now. Let us give these families closure by ensuring that justice is done and is seen to be done. Let us give meaning to the shaky peace that has enveloped our nation by showing that we are willing to forgive and forget but only when justice has been done. Peace will have no meaning for the people because it will only be the absence of physical violence but the psychological wounds will continue to fester. As Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet says, “Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones…. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.” I can find no better way of putting across the argument for peace with justice. When I read this quote I was reminded of Albert Nyathi’s questions, “Peace! What peace? Justice! What justice? Whose justice?” Indeed what peace, what justice if we continue to ignore those who were killed and maimed for their belief in democracy. As we seek peace in our nation we must ensure that it has value for all the people otherwise we will have failed those who gave all for freedom. We must not waiver in our commitment to see those who committed crimes against our people brought to justice. Our desire for justice should not be driven by our need for vengeance but the need to close a horrible chapter of our history. In 1987 we agreed to peace without justice and the results are there for all to see. Let those with ears hear.
In some ways, we are all victims of this regime in one way or another. Its not only those whose loved ones were murdered but also those whose dear ones' deaths could have been prevented. In order to give the victims the justice they deserve, we have to first resolve the political impasse we find ourselves in. The necessary healing can only be achieved in a nation of peace, justice and democratically elected leaders with a mandate to bring it about. The GNU is just but a tiny step towards that goal.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are all, in effect, victims and there is need to create an enabling environment but we also need to keep the debate going.
ReplyDeleteI particularly worry that the interests of the political elites across the spectrum do not take into account the aspirations of the rural majority who bear the brunt of this situation. I fear whatever the outcome the rural people will be betrayed once more - tendai
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