The primary one was to source funding for the Inclusive Government which had been consummated four months earlier while the second one was to carry out a public relations exercise for Zanu PF, telling everyone that Robert Mugabe had turned a new leaf and the country was now unshackled from the hell that Diasporans ran away from. Both reasons found no takers. Tsvangirai came back empty-handed because nobody believed him. Many questioned the sincerity of Tsvangirai and his MDC-T. Here was someone whose very own children are warmly ensconced in Canada, Australia and South Africa, extending a call to other Zimbabweans to come back home though failing to make them believe that Zimbabwe is now safe. The responses which Tsvangirai got from Diasporans, especially at Southwark Cathedral in London, on June 20 2009 were not to his expectation. He was booed, jeered and pelted with foodstuffs that anyone in the hall could lay his/her hands on.Could MDC-T have such a short memory so as to forget that these were the same nationals who had contributed greatly to the growing of their party through donations and membership subscriptions? Not only did the Diasporans contribute to the growth of MDC-T, but also that of the nation’s economy at large. Diasporans sent the much required foreign exchange back home at a time Zimbabwe was struggling with hyperinflation between 2007 and 2008. The foreign currency was meant to support relatives who had remained behind, acquiring assets among other reasons. Recently all three political parties in the inclusive government namely Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC through their representatives in COPAC, agreed not to direct any resources towards visiting Diasporans in different countries to solicit Diasporans’ views so that they could be incorporated into the country’s national law. The reason given was that it was a waste of time and resources as many Diasporans had since given up on Zimbabwe. Surprisingly, it is not a waste of time and resources when sending high powered delegations from the Inclusive Government with their retinue of bodyguards on trail, drawing obscene allowances from the fiscus, checking in expensive suites in some of the world’s renowned hotels then ask the same Diasporans for money to rebuild the nation? Who says lightning does not strike twice? But where exactly did the wheel come off now that Diasporans are under siege from both Zanu PF and MDC-T politicians who are not willing to acknowledge the significant role played by our well -meaning brothers and sisters scattered around the globe?In most cases, actions of Politicians in the Inclusive Government are not driven by sensitivity. To imagine the pain and trauma that these Diasporans went through to be where they are today? Some were raped, tortured, maimed, had relatives killed, marriages broken and even went as far as disposing of valuable assets to buy tickets for their intended destinations. Politicians from Zanu PF and MDC-T are saying all this should just go to waste.
Quibusd antiunt, Ferrente
