Monday, April 17, 2006

ONE MEMBER OF THE MDC EXECUTIVE RESPONDS

One of the Toronto MDC executive members responded to my “fabrication” and you can read it in the comments section. But, I have also responded.

Owen, your response is, of course, predictable. There is no way you could agree with me when I am criticizing your executive.

However, the fact that you admit that membership of the party in Toronto numbers over 100 now and only a third of them turned out vindicates me. It shows that something was not done to make sure at least half of them came. Maybe it was bad timing – planning a protest on a holiday.

Let us all wait and see if your message, which I really did not understand, will bring a response or reaction, for the better, as it should.

Yes, there is something wrong with an executive of a branch of a serious political party, with the majority of its members being unemployed refugees from an impoverished country, getting into a habit of organizing barbecues.

It is one thing to have cookies and soft drinks during your meetings, and yet another, to collect money from each other and go on night-long get-togethers. It is simply wrong. As political leaders, what are you saying to those who want to follow your party, what are you saying to our hosts and benefactors? Think about it. You have not even started solving the problems that brought you together as a branch, so what exactly are you getting together for?

There are political groups from other countries in Toronto, do they do it like that? Even in Zimbabwe, we hosted Thabo Mbeki and his ANC comrades in the 1980s and 1990s. We also hosted the likes of the late John Garang of the SPLA. Did they celebrate their suffering? No.

The Zimbabwe national anthem is in the three main languages, English “Blessed Be The Land Of Zimbabwe”, Shona “Simudzai Mureza WeZimbabwe” and IsiNdebele “Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe”. There is no compromising about it. You cannot substitute a national anthem, no matter what.

My point, Owen, is simple; you and your executive are representing a nation of about 14 million people at the highest possible level of politics in exile. Everything you do or say, we as Zimbabweans, our hosts and others in the same situation as us, are watching and we all want you to do better.

We look at you as future leaders of Zimbabwe, act that way.

TO READ MORE OF MY WRITING, PLEASE VISIT;
www.torontosun.ca/News/Columnists/Madawo_Innocent/
www.catholicregister.org
www.canadiannewcomermagazine.org
www.thecanadian.ca/