Mugabe, Father Of Zimbabwe: Please Step Down

The fight with the “neo-imperialist� has been won Mr. President—you have stood your ground and made many Africans proud. However, the general consensus now is that for the past few years the fight has been with fellow citizens.

[Letter To A President]

 

The RT Hon: Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

You are a true African warrior. Mr. President- I salute you.

The steadfast manner by which you stand up to undesirable outside influences is admirable. Like the head of a lion pride—you raised your paw, flicked-out your claws and roared into the distance to ward-off would be invaders.

But, I also ask; after being at the helm for almost three decades, is it not high-time you let the new generation of your country men and women take over the reins?

Robert Mugabe, you are a man who truly believes in himself. You believe you are doing the right thing for your beloved country. You are the father of the nation.

Yet, as father of the Nation; does the president not hold the view that he has taught his people well? Does President Robert Mugabe believe he has been working for the betterment of Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans?

What I want to know is—Mr. President; do you trust Zimbabweans? If the answer is a yes, then, not that it matters, but my personal opinion is that you must step down. This must be done for Zimbabwe to move forward.

The land reform that the ruling party brought into being in the late 1990s, was spot on in principle—but the program was subsequently executed in a desultory fashion—many of those who benefited did not use the land for its pertinent purpose and rendered the process a farce.

The recent elections took place on the 29th of March 2008—it’s now approaching two weeks and the official results of the presidential vote have still not been posted. Rumors are rife that the ruling party, Zanu-PF, is trying to figure out ways to engineer the results in its favor.

Zimbabwe’s opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has indicated that it might boycott a second round of elections saying it could lead Zimbabweans “to the slaughter” of a wave of government-sponsored violence.

The party is seeking legal action to force the state election commission to promptly make available the results from the presidential election, held nearly two weeks ago, which the opposition claim will show its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won outright with 50.3% of the vote, making a run-off election unnecessary.

The government of Zimbabwe, or any other for that matter, should not rely on ruse to cling to power. Given the history of the country, from the days of the racist Ian Smith, Zimbabweans deserve a new beginning.

In my opinion, again, not that it matters, I think it would be a good idea for all democratic governments in Africa to adopt two 4-year terms in office and then make way for a new face.

The fight with the “neo-imperialist” has been won Mr. President—you have stood your ground and made many Africans proud. However, the general consensus now is that for the past few years the fight has been with fellow citizens. Let the next generation carry on Zimbabwe’s struggle for recovery, development, and growth.

As father of the nation; I hope that you have confidence in your people; and if you do, there should be nothing in the way that prevents you from stepping aside and allowing the younger generation—the future to take charge.

 

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