2019 is what we’re going to make it

ACLASSIC reference is usually made this time of the year to the myth of a Roman god called Janus — a figure who was associated with doorways, beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality and endings.

Further, we are told Janus was invoked as the first of any gods in prayers while the beginning of the day, month and year, both calendrical and agricultural, were considered sacred to him.

The symbol of Janus itself is a two-faced head figure facing forwards and backwards making the eponymy of the month of January.

But this is for academic purposes only. Across, the world people are reflecting on the year that has been and the prospects in the New Year.

It is a ritual we approach with differing attitudes — or mien, in Janus’ symbolism.

The fact is that we all approach New Year’s Day from different backgrounds and angles at personal, institutional and national levels.

This background then dictates how we should approach the new calendar.

The issue of New Year’s resolutions — from quitting alcohol and smoking to building wealth — becomes pertinent. Never mind that the same are usually dumped halfway through the year, for many personal goals!

Now, we need to locate the national interest in the New Year, the making of its resolutions and setting the national agenda.

It is crucial in this exercise to first identify where we are coming from as a nation.

The year 2018 was a crucial year in the history of the country.

The most important fixture of the year was the elections held on July 30, which marked the transition into the Second Republic.

President Mnangagwa, the presidential candidate of the ruling Zanu-PF, got the mandate to lead the country on a new trajectory.

The election was free, fair and peaceful, bar the unfortunate incident of August 1 in which there was an outbreak of violence perpetrated by interests linked to one of the losing candidates, Mr Nelson Chamisa.

Mr Chamisa’s supporters’ cassus belli was that their votes had been ostensibly “stolen”, a fatuous claim as it turned out to be.

As, indeed, Mr Chamisa failed to prove his allegations at the Constitutional Court.

2018 was a fractious year, in the uncanny way that our national politics has been over the past two decades.

The polarisation in politics is at both inter and intra-party levels. And this kind of emotions and negative power associated with our national politics is something that should worry us all.

The negative energy is the greatest expression of disunity, which has cost the country so dearly.

As history has shown, the polarity could have dire consequences on the country’s cohesion, progress and spirit.

As we go into the New Year, the exhortation is to be more united and focus our collective energies towards things that unite and build us rather than separate us.

Another key background issue relates to the economy.

The last quarter of 2018 was challenging as the economy took a knock leading to price shocks, shortage of commodities and hardship on citizenry.

The socio-economic condition of Zimbabweans is far from ideal.

We boldly take note of these developments, and their sour note concluding 2018.

However, the challenges of 2018 — and previous two decades —are not insurmountable.

We therefore locate the national interest in riding out the challenges of yesteryear and building on the successes and foundation of the Second Republic.

The national agenda is located in transcending differences, polarity and disunity and focusing on building a better Zimbabwe for all.

This is the quintessence of President Mnangagwa’s New Year message which we carry elsewhere in this issue.

Zimbabwe cannot and will not remain trapped in the negative electioneering energy of 2018 and the fighting between and among compatriots. We need to move on, as we shall. It is a conscious decision we should make. The New Year is what we will make it.

Let’s make the national interest paramount.