Political tolerance key to development

P RESIDENT Mnangagwa was inaugurated last Friday. We take this opportunity to congratulate and wish him well in steering the country to greater prosperity. But that is not the story. The story was the convergence of the country’s main political leaders in the form of MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and National People’s Party leader Dr Joice Mujuru to mention just a few political leaders who all took the opportunity to wish Cde Mnangagwa well in his new portfolio.

We were inspired by the gesture by the country’s opposition leadership. It is time our country found a happy way of differing.

Let us differ in the modalities of governing our country, but not who should govern it, we won that right 37 years ago.

As we go to elections, we urge the political leadership to maintain that spirit by showing their supporters that differences may be on ideology, but Zimbabwe unites us all.

We hail the example shown by the three main political parties -Zanu-PF, MDC-T and NPP - they need to spread the gospel of peace to their structures at the grassroots to sensitise them on the integral role political tolerance plays in national healing.

This example, at the level of party leadership, should bid the parties’ supporters to emulate their leaders particularly as we count down to next year’s elections.

What unites us is stronger than any perceived divisions or differences we may have.

What we saw at the National Sports Stadium were party leaders relating, that theme should also run through the messages they deliver at campaign rallies. They should not change tune by giving supporters bad messages that push some to violence against rival party members.

Senseless political violence has led to the destruction of property worth thousands of dollars and loss of livelihoods in the past. But when all is said and done, when the profits and losses are tallied, the violence did not benefit the ordinary man, let alone the goons who destroyed public and private property.

It is time all party supporters sat down to weigh the prudence of their actions. To this end, we urge all progressive Zimbabweans to maintain the spirit of tolerance and maturity shown by the leadership, put shoulders to the wheel to move the nation forward.

It is said a fish rots from the head down.

To this end, we hope all party supporters stand put on notice, their leaders have shown the way and they now need to appreciate that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

We challenge the parties to go a step further and take that unity of purpose to all other challenges confronting society.