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Zimbabwe’s business organisations are very careful not to get involved in the party political fray and do not endorse particular parties, although they will lobby hard among all politicians for policies that they believe advance the interests of their members and business as a whole. This is sensible. Individual business people are often members or supporters of different parties, but their organisations represent them all and wish to be independent of particular parties and politicians.

The leaders of business organisations tend to be men and women who have little background of party politics although usually have an excellent business reputation and can be very lucid in explaining the desires and needs of their members.

And as we saw during the last Parliament when ministers responsible for the various economic policies came from three political parties, the business leaders lobbied all in exactly the same fashion. They were interested in policy, not in who was making or implementing that policy.

So when they warn that unrest will damage Zimbabwe’s economy and damage it severely, we need to listen.

They were careful in comments this week not to point fingers or name names, but they did criticise very strongly recent violent demonstrations, calls for stayaways, riots and the like, all the results of an opposition campaign.

Business organisations were worried that such unrest would go beyond the immediate damage. It would make customers and potential investors nervous and less willing to do business with Zimbabweans.

Of course calm does not mean that political and economic debate should be stifled. Indeed we need such debate to generate the best ideas. And in all countries there is such debate and we even get a degree of consensus in many cases on many policies, with parties then arguing before voters who is best able to implement that consensus.

Business people around the world also seem remarkably calm about who will win elections, so long as pro-business policies are followed by the winners and the elections are conducted properly.

Democratic processes are not the problem for Zimbabwe’s reputation and business credibility.

What is the problem is street violence, unrest, attempts to force people to strike for political reasons.

No one denies that Zimbabwe’s economy is fragile and that it needs to grow a lot faster despite the present global slowdown. Obviously economic policies are going to be central in most political manifestos. But damaging or wrecking what we already have, as some are trying to do, seems the complete opposite of what is required.

Parties can compete on how best to move forward, but should be united in making progress not trying to cause harm.

Our business organisations have made a very sensible analysis and appeal. They are independent of party politics. Most voters, when they go to the polls, as they will in less than two years, want to judge which party has the best ideas and the best team to deliver on those ideas.

Parties should be concentrating on these practical concerns. Those who would rather destroy than build are highly unlikely to come in first.