Paul Nyathi|DR Fred M’membe says the southern African region has letdown the people of Zimbabwe for too long and that the trend cannot be tolerated anymore.
Dr M’membe, the Socialist Party (Zambia) 2021 presidential candidate and the leftist party’s deputy general secretary, said the plight of Zimbabweans required the region’s urgent attention.
In a statement, he said the Socialist Party was deeply moved by goings-on in “our sister Republic of Zimbabwe.”
“It’s unbecoming of our regional leaders to leave these defenceless citizens to the mercy of the police and military. We have letdown the people of Zimbabwe for too long. This cannot be tolerated,” Dr M’membe stated on behalf of the Socialist Party (Zambia) Politburo.
His press statement is in the wake of current happenings in Zimbabwe where government authorities have waged a crackdown on citizens protesting a more than 100 per cent fuel price hike.
He stated that what the working class in Zimbabwe was facing was unjustified brutality.
Dr M’membe wondered how an administration that campaigned on a platform of reviving the economy and democracy could descend on its citizens using its military power.
The fuel price hike, which was announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on January 12, saw petrol prices rise from $1.24 per litre to $3.31 with diesel up from $1.36 per litre to $3.11.
“At these prices, Zimbabwe has the most expensive gasoline in the world per litre. The next highest is Hong Kong at US$2.06. How can the Zimbabwean government justify this?” Dr M’membe asked.
“Now we hear, in trying to hide its heavy-handedness, the government blocked Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp messaging apps amid a crackdown on days of violent protests. What is the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa trying to hide from the global eyes?”
He further wondered that if the Southern African Development Community (SADC) could not come out clear and condemn the military brutality in Zimbabwe, “then what else is left of this regional body?”
“SADC leaders have been firm condemning the West on sanctions on Zimbabwe, and rightly so. But why are regional leaders and the African Union mute over the regime’s brutality against innocent citizens? And this annoying silence seem premeditated!” he stated.
“Not too long ago, we saw the ruling elite unleashing the military against citizens for questioning the elections results in last year’s presidential elections. The toothless SADC again sided with the ruling civilian-military elite. Today Zimbabwe is deputy chair of the SADC Organ on politics, defence and security. The organ is led by Zambia and typical to his defence of the ruling elite in Zimbabwe, Zambian President Edgar Lungu has not issued any concern over events unfolding in Zimbabwe.”
Dr M’membe observed, with apprehension, that while President Lungu was quick to advise the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to consider a government of national unity, he did nothing when opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leaders in Zimbabwe were being arrested and several other civilians were “murdered or maimed” in the aftermath of the disputed July 30, 2018 elections.
“Again, today when our innocent brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe are being shot at and opposition leaders are forced into hiding over the unbearable socio-economic situation, President Lungu and his SADC colleagues seem to be blind to the reality! These people are not attacking the system. They are pleading for a livelihood. Here are the citizens who have stood by the ZANU-PF through the thick and thin since independence. To be killed for asking the government to reconsider the hyper fuel price and to address food scarcities cannot be tolerated,” he stated.
“The primary responsibility of any government, any sane government, is protection of its citizens. We also call upon the men in uniform to restrain themselves from the heavy-handed manner they are treating fellow citizens. They should realise that the international community is looking….”
And Dr M’membe stated that the views of the Socialist Party on the situation in Zimbabwe coincided with those of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), which recently raised concern about the fast deteriorating economic situation triggered by the recent monetary and fiscal policy pronouncements in that country.
Dr M’membe added that the Zimbabwean government ought to realise that it was the sole duty bearer in terms of addressing economic challenges currently obtaining in the southern African country.
“No one in our region, including the world at large, should gloss over what Zimbabweans are going through. These are people who are patriotic and hard-working. They have stood by their government in the midst of high cost of basic commodities, unemployment, scarcity of fuel, high cost of medicines or lack of it, among other socio-economic challenges,” stated Dr M’membe.
“Zimbabweans value their country and they deserve nothing less but normalcy and full enjoyment of their socio-economic rights.”
Source: Zambian Observer