Friendship rallies maybe the answer

The Standard, Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:30

It seems we have lots of unfinished business in our nation. Each time issues from the past are raised there is a lot of resistance to deal with them. There is Gukurahundi, Operation Murambatsvina and election violence. These have been landmarks that have left many people bruised in many ways. The way we seem to have dealt with these is to silence people even by using force. This does not work.

Posa has come in handy to control the feelings of people. This approach is even worse because it does not solve anything. Instead the anger of the people is bottled up. We had done well to introduce the Organ on National Healing and Reconciliation. Unfortunately those in charge have also been the subject of harassment.

One of the ministry’s top guys Mzila-Ndlovu was humiliated to the extent of being made to appear in court in leg irons. Treating Father Mkandla in a similar way did not augur well for the nation. Some people have to apologise.

What has gone wrong?

While the idea of the above organ is very noble, it maybe that there is no longer any trust in the whole exercise. Then why did it come about? No one would advise government to disband the organ but to look again at the whole issue from another angle.

The business of healing and reconciliation has to be done by faith-based groups, traditional leaders and those experts who have the know-how. There is nothing wrong with learning from others who have gone through similar processes, like South Africa and others across the globe.

We now seem to be experts of piling-up issues that are very difficult to deal with in the future. Is it not time we learnt to trust those we give tasks so that they are free to exercise their talents and we support them in all their endeavours.

Most of our national events have been turned into partisan platforms where people who think differently are scolded. Funerals have been turned into political rallies.

Would it be out of place or very belated to suggest that we introduce what one would call “friendship rallies”. National galas have been turned into music lover’s pungwes and not many serious people would spend the whole night in such circumstances.

Friendship rallies would be organised by leaders from across the political divide. No political party would be allowed to monopolise them. The leaders of parties would then be invited to come and address these rallies and sell their ideas. This will put to end all the rivalry that has been the order of the day. Our greatest enemy is the antagonistic camps we have created. But we can control them by bringing people together and sharing ideas.

Rev Dr Levee Kadenge