Thursday, April 13, 2006

MDC TORONTO - YOUR MESSAGE IS INCOHERENT

This Saturday the Movement for Democratic Change's Toronto chapter is "launching its first ever peaceful protest".

The organizers are calling for as much support as they can get from Zimbabweans and sympathizers in Toronto. Protesting is a good concept for anyone to draw attention to their problems; however, undertaking the protest successfully can be a challenge especially if the theme, message and preparation for the protest are not up to scratch.

I have tried to understand the theme and message of the MDC Toronto protest but I have since failed. There are so many issues the branch wants to bring to the world's attention, through badly written rantings of the branch's leaders.

We are in a part of the world where English is the first language and as Zimbabweans, we pride ourselves with our good command of the Queen's language. It is, therefore, a disgrace when people who claim to represent us at the highest level of politics in exile cannot string a single coherent sentence in long and winding streams of thought disguised as political messages. (See MDC messages attached below).

Toronto MDC, you need to do better than that. In fact, good leaders are those who acknowledge their weaknesses and/or limitations. Your weakness as a branch, or should I say the executive of the branch, is an inability to formulate a coherent message and to put it across in a language that is not only understood by your intended audience, but will attract even the uninterested.

There are advisors, consultants, spin doctors or wordsmiths, you need them badly. Back to the protest, the protestors would want Mugabe and his government to go.

Then they want the same government to stop or ensure a number of things, from stopping looting diamonds in the DRC to ensuring a free press and judiciary.

The question is: Do you want Mugabe and his cronies to go now or you want them to correct the anomalies you cited? Suppose they offer to be a truly democratic government and address all your concerns as you listed them, are you going to let them stay?

If it were me I would simply say, Mugabe has misruled Zimbabwe for a long time, he should just go and we will fix the problems ourselves.

Then there are other themes that really amount to demands that the EU, UN and others must intervene to ensure democracy in Zimbabwe through free elections, constitutional reforms and even peacekeeping - what peacekeeping?

What if these organizations all say we have actually intervened and here is what we have done on elections, constitutional reforms and other issues? My point here is that the MDC protesters' message is rather cluttered. There are too many issues to address.

They may all be important but you do not catch attention by overloading the message. I am also reliably informed that a petition will be handed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Governor-General, Michaƫlle Jean. I really want to see this happen.

Lastly, it is really a bad idea to allow everyone to talk to the press, especially if you give them a shopping list of messages.

TO READ MORE OF MY OWN RANTINGS, PLEASE VISIT;

www.torontosun.ca/News/Columnists/Madawo_Innocent/
www.catholicregister.org
www.canadiannewcomermagazine.org
www.thecanadian.ca

*****ATTACHED MDC MESSAGES*****

Last call on every Zimbabwean to turn up for our DEMO on April 15, 2006 which is an answer to the congress resoolution of March 2006 Congress when we have to seek change the none violent way through protests. Lets me emphasis that the protest is like a cry from and by Zimbabweans running down the meaninglessness of Zimbabwe independence. We all agree that Zimbabwe has probably seen its worst in the fall down of economy. If we remain quiet then our being under torture for political beliefs in the country, will mean nothing to the world too because it will appear as though what happens in Zimbabwe meet with the joy of those who have had temporary reprieve from terror of Mugabe. Is this true though? No! Never!!

But why keep silent? What ever explanation story you and I can can make, silence is a betrayal of a condition we did not approve of hence our being out of it, therefore it can only be regarded an excurse, which soon looses its hold on world opinion and therefore run down Zimbabwe Diaspora credibility. Yet our story only suffer from lack of a passionate witness from among ourselves victims of the system, otherwise publicity on Zimbabwe goes on as a troubled country. We as part of Zimbabwe Diaspora are changing the paradigms for the PROJECTION of our country political condition's deterioration and the lack of integrity from Zanu Pf government in their governance.

It is for this reason that we will stand before God to take our oaths that Zanu Pf government is a disaster to our country, our people, our culture and a betrayal of our human sacrificed struggle for our freedom. Its a prayer from those oppressed that the world watch our mother, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons and grand parents as they walk streets of our cities in protest against Mugabe and his regime.

Tell your friends in Canada, tell every Zimbabwean irrespective of political affiliation, because even though the Demo is led by MDC party structures in Canada, it is on the tragedy of Zimbabwe blinded by the admission that independence in such circumstances could be classified as WORTHY of celebrating at all. On the contrary it calls for LAMENTATIONS and REGRET.

***

Come join us, we from Zimbabwe and tell this story laudly.Ffirst PRESS RELEASE! PRESS RELEASE! PRESS RELEASE!
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
INDEPENDENCE PROTEST: ZIMBABWE
The Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe, Toronto chapter, along its sister Diaspora districts in the UK, USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, launches its first ever peaceful protest in Toronto, Canada, on the 15th April 2006 a few days before Zimbabwe’s independence day celebrations due 18th April, 2006. The protest starts at 1:30PM. and the registered venue is Nathan Phillips Square on the City Hall grounds.
The protest demands:
1. That the corrupt Robert Gabriel Mugabe Zanu (PF)-led government: –
(a) Must go!
(b) Must stop illegal detentions from arbitrary arrests;
(c) Must stop torture, intimidation, terror and dehumanising women by the partisan security organs, CIO, PISI, ZRP, ZNA, youth militia, etc;
(d) Must stop corruption; seize illegal depleting mining of diamonds in the Republic of Congo;
(e) Must stop muzzling of the Press and Media;
(f) Must stop coercing, intimidating, patronising the judiciary

The Zanu (PF)-led government must:
(i) Allow peaceful protests; political gatherings; freedom of association; and free speech;
(ii) Guarantee security of everyone;

2. A free and fair election to restore meaningful independence in our country, Zimbabwe.

3. Intervention of the UN, EU, AU, the Commonwealth, and the Church to:
(a) Policing of the elections; Verifying of the voter’s roll;
(c) Peacekeeping well before, during and after elections for a reasonable time period.

4. A people-driven Constitutional reform.

5. Voting as a must by all citizens including those in the Diaspora.

6. The Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Governor-General Her Excellence Michaƫlle Jean need to demand action from the United Nations, Commonwealth, European Union and the African Union on immediate solutions.
Contacts: Mr. Andrew Manyevere: http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/ym/Compose?To=amanyevere@mdczimbabwe.org (905-492-0490 or 647-839-6612); Johannes Mutyanda: http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/ym/Compose?To=jmutyanda@mdczimbabwe.org (519-208-0117); Mr. Andrew Mudzingwa: http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/ym/Compose?To=amudzingwa@mdczimbabwe.org. (416-439-2781)

Dear party members,
See above the text of our press release which make up the focus of our demo.

The purpose of this communication is to guide any nature of media answers by members if approached by media personnel or you deem it necessary to entertain their question during the demo otherwise refer media to officials designated. See our cause for concern and follow the thought process without going off the mark. Mischief could have it from media personnel and they refer to ben manashe issue, as if it has anything to do with the demo or such issues as the home trouble of division etc, courtiously refer such to the chairman. Our success shall come from discipline, discipline of restraint, and to follow out text and refer when it is necessary. This is what is called organized party.

Obey our security personnel orders during the demo process and do not do anything that will betray the trust of the masses who devote thier everything including life to make sure that the party remains alive on the ground.

Call anybody including even those who are members of other political parties for this demo, because the demo has to do with CHANGE THROUGH DEMOCRACTIC PROCESSES and concern itself with devastation our society has endured through injustice promoted by poor leadership under Zanu Pf.

Come all in your big numbers and we share the making of History.

Manyevere M Andrew.