adminDavison Kaiyo Correspondent
December is a month of goodwill as people celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a month of thanksgiving as people will be celebrating the end of the year.
People will be taking stock of their achievements.
It is also characterised by introspection as people take breaks from work to refresh and prepare for the New Year. It is also an important month on the calendar of Zimbabweans as it is a month during which we celebrate Unity Day.
Unity Day is commemorated every year in recognition of the coming together of liberation movements, Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu to form Zanu-PF in 1987.
It also marked the end of tensions, polarisation, and disturbances that occurred in the country after independence.
The coming together of the two movements is a manifestation of the desire by Zimbabweans to live in harmony and unity to build the country.
The progress the nation then made is a show that in order to pursue economic development the country must be at peace and also united. Having one common goal, and purpose.
It also fulfils the words of Steve Biko who said: “We regard our living together not as an unfortunate mishap warranting endless competition among us, but as a deliberate act of God to make us a community of brothers and sisters jointly involved in quest for a composite answer to varied life problems.”
Zimbabweans are known for being among the most peace-loving people on earth, a characteristic which is shared by the Chinese as enunciated by President Xi Jinping when he said: “The pursuit of peace, amity and harmony is an integral part of the Chinese character which runs deep in the blood of the Chinese people.”
It is this characteristic that has enabled China to accelerate its development in a peaceful manner. President Xi attributed economic development to a stable environ ment.
“Two things that will enable China to focus on development: harmonious and stable domestic environment and a peaceful and stable international environment,” wrote President Xi in his book “The Governance of China 1”.
One can, therefore, conclude that social cohesion is critical for the country to move forward.
Like President Xi, Zimbabweans can also stand up and say: “The closeness between us is rooted in our blood, our history and culture . . . all of which serve as an important force in promoting our mutual understanding and common progress.”
As Zimbabweans, we are one, and we only have one country. For progress to happen we need to live in harmony with each other — there must be social cohesion.
What lessons can Zimbabweans draw from the Chinese experience, a country of over 1,4 billion people, and many diverse ethnic groupings that have come together and transformed their country to the second biggest economy in the world that it is today?
As President Xi has said, the environment of unity and harmony is critical for development to take place in a country.
We learn from the Chinese the importance of peace, unity and harmony and how these contribute to national development.
As we celebrate this year’s Unity Day, Zimbabweans must come together in unity and speak with one voice in order to confront the myriad of challenges that we face as a country.
Together we achieve more.
The diversity of opinions and perceptions should never be a source of conflict, but rather a marketplace of ideas, where taking the nation forward is celebrated.
Political polarisation has been the greatest undoing of the country in recent years and we cannot move forward as a country.
Policies are great, but they need to be backed by social harmony.
So, as Zimbabwe marks this year’s Unity Day, it must not just be a day on the calendar, but an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and learn from the Chinese model, and build upon the peace that is currently prevailing in the country
As President Xi said: “The pursuit of peaceful development represents the peace-loving culture and tradition of the Chinese nation over the past centuries.”
It has been our nature as Zimbabweans to be peaceful and hard working.
The toxic environment of political polarisation and disharmony will only result in the country regressing and will fail to achieve the Vision 2030 which was pronounced by President Mnangagwa.
Not every problem has an ideal solution, but where there is communication, there is hope.
The POLAD call made by President Mnangagwa is an opportunity for political players to come together and dialogue in order to create that harmonious environment and deal with political polarisation and other toxicities that characterise our environment.
Capital is a coward; it will runs away at the slightest hint of disharmony.
For Zimbabwe to attract foreign direct investment, we need to create a harmonious and stable internal environment and learn from the Chinese whose peaceful development is underpinned by “harmonious and stable domestic environment and a peaceful and stable international environment.”
Zimbabweans must work together in peace, unity and harmony in order to take the nation forward.
It is only in unity and working together that we can fight social ills such as corruption.
On matters of national importance, all citizens must follow the flag, speak with one voice. Only then can Zimbabwe attain its goals and overcome the challenges that are bedevilling the country.
Online Reporter