Zim: Let’s climb the next hill together

Obituaries
AS the Commonwealth gathers in Trinidad this weekend, attention once again turns to the plight of our once valued member –– Zimbabwe.

AS the Commonwealth gathers in Trinidad this weekend, attention once again turns to the plight of our once valued member –– Zimbabwe.

We all look forward to the time it can rejoin our family of nations because it will signify finally that the days of oppression, violence and economic catastrophe have been left behind.But there is still much progress to be made.Nelson Mandela once declared that he had discovered a secret. “After climbing a great hill,” he said, “One always finds that there are many more hills to climb.”And so it must feel for Zimbabweans as they look back at the past year since the agreement that made Morgan Tsvangirai Prime Minister was signed.That agreement itself was a landmark achievement, rightly welcomed in the UK and across the world.Prime Minister Tsvangirai signed it having endured elections that the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) declared were neither free nor fair –– and having survived the violence and human rights abuses that followed.The magnanimity he demonstrated sent a powerful message of hope that Zimbabwe could unite, recover and –– once again –– take its rightful place in the international community.Indeed, we should all acknowledge the achievements that have followed.The inclusive government has improved living standards for hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans.The economic destruction wrought by hyperinflation has been brought to an end; tax revenues have grown; and the credibility of the Finance ministry has been restored.Humanitarian needs are being better managed; schools have reopened; and the vibrant and dynamic Zimbabwean private sector is stirring once again.As a result it is today easier than for many years to dream of a Zimbabwe that is once again a powerhouse of its region.But there is no doubt that the opponents of reform –– both inside and outside government –– will do everything possible to obstruct the change that Zimbabweans and Sadc have demanded, and that the international community must see before it can have full confidence in the Zimbabwean government.There are persistent and serious human rights violations; a continuing lack of judicial independence and an absence of the rule of law.And the constitutional reform process –– a vital component for the free and fair elections essential to full international re-engagement with Zimbabwe –– is already behind schedule.As guarantors of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which set up the inclusive government, Sadc is rightly leading the international approach to Zimbabwe, and I welcome the leadership of President Jacob Zuma as Sadc facilitator.I was encouraged by the outcome of the recent Sadc summit in Maputo which called on the parties to abide by both the spirit and the letter of the agreement, and asked South Africa to monitor implementation.But I also want to make clear that we in the UK are also ready to help Zimbabwe return to stability and democracy.In the last year, our humanitarian assistance has helped one million Zimbabweans get access to clean water; enabled two million to grow vital food crops; and helped bring the worst cholera outbreak in the country’s history under control.During Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s visit to the UK in the summer I also announced that our aid programme this year would total £60 million.This includes an additional £5 million to improve food security and to provide much-needed textbooks and educational materials to Zimbabwean children in the country’s newly-reopened schools.We stand ready to do more, once the Zimbabwean government shows that it is ready to implement the agreements it has made; to take actions to reverse the political, economic and social decline of the country; and to implement the GPA.That means progress on reforms in security, justice and the economy –– including restructuring the Reserve Bank to improve management of the public finances –– and embracing a vibrant free press.Political reform must include repeal of repressive legislation, an inclusive process leading to a revised constitution, and above all respect for human rights.And ultimately Zimbabwe must hold genuinely free and fair elections.Such actions will drive the decision about whether to lift the EU asset freeze and travel ban against the 203 Zimbabweans involved in the violence and human rights abuses, and on 40 companies associated with them.Whatever some may claim, these are not sanctions against ordinary Zimbabweans or against legitimate trade or humanitarian work.So, as Zimbabwe’s people and government recognise, the next phase of reform will be still more crucial than the last.With unity and determination, the true foundations could be laid of the democratic and prosperous society which I believe Zimbabwe can become.I do not underestimate the challenge, nor the obstacles to progress.But I stand with those who want renewal and a restoration of hope for Zimbabwe and pledge the UK’s readiness to support them in this effort. I sincerely hope that by the time of our next meeting in 2011 Zimbabwe will have made enough progress for us to welcome them back into the Commonwealth. It is a day I look forward to.

Brown is the British Prime Minister.

By Gordon Brown