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Harare, 19 June (afrol.com) - As the electoral process goes into its final phases, opposition leader and MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai grows more self-confident. Ignoring the political violence and the efforts to scare the supporters away from MDC rallies, Tsvangirai managed to fill the great Rufaro Stadium in Mbare (Harare) on the afternoon of June 18. The stadium holds 45.000 people.
Tsvangirai spoke before a cheering, singing joyful crowd. Three minor scuffles at the beginning of the rally failed to mar the exuberant spirits of a crowd that held up red flags to tell Mugabe to get off the political playing field in Zimbabwe. Trucks, buses, taxis and car loads of singing, cheering people left the stadium peacefully afterward and their flat hand "Change" salute was met with cheers and salutes along the streets of Harare.
"Victory
is certain" Every village, every community, every country needs a leader. But a country is not powerful if its people are not powerful. A leader is only powerful - if his people are strong, if his people are healthy and happy and peaceful.
A leader who makes war is a leader that risks the lives of his people and in the end destroys his country.
A leader who steals from his people - makes the whole world poor. I stand before you as a messenger of peace, I have heard your anger, your pain. I have heard what old men in dark huts say, how sad they are that the greatness of Zimbabwe is no more. I have heard mothers cry in paraffin queues. I have heard young men speak with anger about no jobs. I have heard women express frustration about the lack of respect they get in the home and the workplace. I have heard children tell me of their fears when they see their father without work, their mother crying because there is no food. I have seen the frustration of businessmen because work has stopped, they have no orders, their factories, shops and hotels are quiet - they have been forced to close or lay off people.
There are wars across Africa. But almost none are wars that seek better human rights for the people of Africa - most seek bigger bank balances for corrupt leaders exploiting the diamonds, oil, gold and chrome of their nations to make themselves richer - and rebel leaders who fight them for the same thing. The people of Africa have had enough. The MDC will pull our troops out of the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo - they protect no-one, they protect the diamond fields of the corrupt. 600 Zimbabwean mothers have seen their sons come back in body bags from Congo - for what? So the corrupt can get richer? We will not allow this. A vote alone does not give freedom.
And democracy is still born without economic liberation. Today Zimbabweans begin the countdown to THE START of our real independence. To be independent means to be different, to be unique, to tolerate and celebrate diversity. Independence means equal opportunity. It means the right to disagree, to be different. It is only when we recognise the rites of independence that we can have peace. Today Zimbabweans, this is our FIRST FREEDOM RALLY.
In these elections you will get the chance to change your lives. Change makes some people afraid. They say "but what if" the new people are as bad as the old people. They use the words "what if" a lot - those who are fearful. But I say to you today, Africa has been the continent of slaves for too long - first we were the slaves of Arab traders, then of colonialists, now we are the slaves of corrupt African leaders - in the 21st century the only people who are slaves are those who choose to be slaves. Zimbabweans will next weekend choose to be free. We are no longer the slaves of ZanuPF. We will no longer say "yes baas" to Robert Mugabe. We will no longer walk with our eyes to the floor - we are lifting our eyes to the sky and opening our hearts and saying - NOTHING CAN STOP US NOW. We want change. Zimbabwe will be free. We will build a new Great Zimbabwe. I and my candidates have heard your words: Zimbabwe, we are carrying your messages to the
world. The MDC has the people of Zimbabwe behind it - we are knocking on the doors of parliament. We are walking up its corridors. We are saying away with corruption - away. No more petrol or paraffin queues - no more. No more hunger or crying - no more. Chinonzi
regedza ndechirimumaoka chirimumoyo chirimuninga. The people of Zimbabwe say to Robert Mugabe - we showed you the yellow card at the time of the referendum, and now today Robert Mugabe we are showing you the red card. The people of Zimbabwe are calling you.
The people of Zimbabwe want democratic change NOW. Now is the time for peace, for freedom, for the rule of law, for equality
of opportunity. Now is the time to rejoice because of the courage of ordinary people.
I have travelled the length and breadth of this country. I have seen women who have been raped by Hunzi's war veterans, I have spoken with people whose houses have been burnt, I have seen
farmer workers being forg marched into re-education camps having been beaten and traumatised to support ZanuPF. I have seen proud men beaten in the streets like dogs and what I have seen in their eyes is COURAGE. The whips of cowards have made those beaten stronger and more determined.
Courage will rule in Zimbabwe. - We stand for a moment in silence to salute those who have died because
they had the courage to believe in freedom for all. (SILENCE) Chief Albert Luthuli said in 1956 - "the length of time of oppression, depends on the oppressed." Zimbabweans are sick of being oppressed - we want the freedom to make our own choices, the choice to build a great and peaceful nation. We will give amnesty to those who tell the truth to a national commission that looks into the causes of the violence after this election. We do not seek revenge. We seek the truth and healing for a nation tortured for too long.
We want change. We want national integration - we are not interested in racism in reverse. The MDC is a non-racial party. Zimbabweans are a collective, we have a common history - we share the future. Our strength comes from our cultural and ethnic diversity. The red sand of Africa flows through our veins. Every group is part of the national team - every goal we score is a goal for the nation. No team has only one kind of player - it has many different kinds of players, together those differences make them powerful. Together. We are tired of sitting on the sidelines; of being expelled to the bin. We are tired of the world laughing at the old team as they fall over the ball. We are Zimbawe. One people. One nation. One team. We want one
victory, an MDC victory for every Zimbabwean. The Army, the police, the defence forces are national institutions. They are there to protect and serve
all the people. Their level of professionalism must be enhanced. We need to set up a National Defence
Council which will be structured with input from all role players, to assess the threat to Zimbabwe and give recommendations to government on how to transform our defence forces into the protectors of the people. The people will be allowed to debate defence and security policy so our neighbours and all Zimbabweans will understand our defence concerns. We need to do threat analysis and review the size of the army, we need to look at training and equipment needs. The nation owns the security strategies of the country. Government is the servant of the people. We have forgotten that in Zimbabwe. Foreign policy is determined by national interest. We realise we live in a globalised world and that the concerns of one are the concerns of all, but in the short term an MDC government will focus on domestic issues. We trust that our regional and global partners will help us to rebuild our Zimbabwe. We need to strengthen Zimbabwe, and build solid regional links with our neighbours. We have been concerned by the partisanship of some nations toward ZanuPF - Africa has to move away from the old boys club solidarity of the past that saw terrible dictators like Idi Amin and Mobutu Sese Seko receiving solidarity from other African leaders. Africans need to put Africans first. The African people carry the spirit of this continent in their hearts. An attack on the spirit of the African people wounds this continent. It has to begin healing. An injury to a single African peasant - is an injury to all. The time for healing is here. People are reclaiming their power. To the observers, media and members of the international community we thank you for coming to observe this election process. We hope you too have found the courage to speak to the most humble of
Zimbabweans and to witness their misery in the most dangerous of communities. The Movement for Democratic Change will win this election! The people of Zimbabwe will win this election! Chinonzi
regedza ndechirimumaoka chirimumoyo chirimuninga! We want jobs! We want houses! We want decent hospitals! We want decent food! We want peace in our land! This great Zimbabwe carries the spirit of our ancestors. This great Zimbabwe carries the spirit of our children. This great Zimbabwe, the land we love, the land we call home!
Zimbabwe dry your tears - your day of freedom is soon! ZanuPF - this is the red card!!
Morgan Tsvangirai, Rufaro Stadium, Sunday, June 18, 2000 Source; MDC.
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