MDC Press Statement
12 August 2002
Mugabe's Heroes Day Speech typical of his own short-comings.
All Zimbabwean patriots realise that the National Heroes' Day is a day of sombre reflection on the liberation of this country from the yoke of colonialism and a time to rededicate ourselves to the values and ideals for which the national heroes lived and died. It is a day to map out a vision for future development of the country in accordance with these noble and cherished ideals.
However, the illegitimate ZANU PF government has routinely turned this sombre national occasion into an indecent partisan junket to spread a message of violence and hatred. This year's National Heroes' Day proved to be no exception. It is a tragedy that once more Mugabe took the occasion of the burial of Dr. Bernard Thomas Gibson Chidzero, an internationalist, an illustrious and cosmopolitan son of Zimbabwe who abhorred racialism, tribalism and all divisive practices, to spew a message of violence and racial hatred.
Indeed, the circumstances of Dr. Chidzero's own life are a clear and unequivocal demonstration of his abiding faith in non-racialism and a common brotherhood and fellowship of all human beings. For Mugabe to disgorge a message of violence and hate, the very antithesis of what the life of Dr. Chidzero signified, was not only an insult to all patriotic Zimbabweans, but indeed to the memory of an illustrious son of Zimbabwe. The record of Dr. Chidzero's life places him firmly in the camp of Mugabe's victims. Those who have routinely opposed Mugabe's dictatorship at the pain of death are the real patriots carrying forward the ideals and values of the genuine heroes, like Dr. Chidzero who are interred at the national shrine. They have carried forward the torch of liberation in a manner that Mugabe can never imagine.
Zimbabwe is currently reeling under the effects of Mugabe's dictatorship with millions facing certain death from disease, starvation and state-sponsored violence and yet Mugabe's message to the nation was a promissory note for more misery and death.
Mugabe fails to connect with the primary concerns of the people of Zimbabwe, which are food, jobs, health and an end to poverty. He instead concerns himself primarily with rhetorical nationalism. In fact Zimbabwe now is a country where everything is in short supply except misery, starvation and death. The regime has reduced innocent citizens to the level of scavenging animals.
Where Zimbabweans expect a message of hope and decisive leadership to confront the problems bedevilling the country, they are told that their daughters and sons will be forcibly drafted into the so-called National Youth Service and be transformed into killing machines for the perpetuation of Mugabe's dictatorship. Zimbabweans must resist the imposition of this evil programme. They must send a clear and unequivocal message to Mugabe that he and his cronies can continue to brutalise us, murder us, starve us to death and visit all manner of unimaginable atrocities on us, but we shall never succumb to dictatorship. We shall never allow our children to be turned into shock troops for his evil regime.
The only success that those camps have achieved to this date is to subject our children, particularly girls to sex slavery by the uncouth trainers and to turn our children into killers.
Having been effectively isolated by the international community because of its murderous record, the regime now threatens to turn its wrath on innocent, defenceless and democracy loving Zimbabweans. We want to tell Mugabe here and now that the old adage still rings true among the gallant citizens of Zimbabwe: "THERE IS NO ARMY WHICH IS MIGHTIER THAN AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME". Change in Zimbabwe is inevitable no matter how many innocent citizens are slaughtered by the regime.
Morgan Tsvangirai,
President.
For Further Information Please contact:
Nkanyiso Maqueda, MDC Information Manager - 00263 91 248 570
Grace Kwinjeh, Brussels - 0032 494 181621
James Littleton, London - 0044 7771 501 401
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