IT IS heartening how the country’s main political parties, Zanu PF, Citizens Coalition for Change and the MDC have been calling for national unity and dialogue as a way to resolve the country’s decades-long political and economic crises.
What is bothersome is their failure to translate their rallies’ pronouncements into reality by meeting and charting the dialogue path.
Talks are needed now more than any other time as the country inches towards the 2023 harmonised polls.
There is a need for an “all hands on deck” approach to turning around the fortunes of the country and this can only happen if we find a permanent home-grown solution to political problems.
It is our firm belief that this country can rise from where it is today like the Phoenix and claim its rightful place among the family of nations if we all rise above petty political differences and really work for the good of the country.
Our leaders must all swallow their collective pride and begin to look at each other not as enemies, but companions in the quest to bequeath on posterity a country worth talking about.
Every one of us must take their rightful place and add their effort to national development.
This can only happen if those in the opposition know their space and act accordingly while the ruling party also knows its space with mutual respect across the board.
The government needs to work in partnership with the opposition even if it means in a temporary measure if the fortunes of the country can be changed for the better.
The government on its own cannot re-invigorate the economy. This will require a truly national effort that — even if only temporarily — brings together political, economic and social stakeholders in a collective effort to address the economic crisis.
Otherwise, all parties will lose credibility.
Failure to unite as a nation is a humiliating indictment on this generation and those who will come after us will curse the current leadership and the citizens of our time of being nothing, but a bunch of economic saboteurs who never loved their nation.
We can surely do better and we have the necessary intellect to remember that “haw-jaw” and not “war-war” will resolve our country’s troubles.
The time is now and it is only now that our political leaders can rescue their fast melting legacy if not for future generations, then for the current one.