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guard against new forms of imperialism.

He said this in a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Mail that was published yesterday.
“There are a number of things that compromise your country. For instance, this country will never be a colony. It is not possible. . . So we are now talking of smart imperialism, more subtle imperialism.

“If you negotiate a contract, a bad deal for the country. . . you are selling your country,” he said.
Added Mr Biti: “So this is the post-colonial stage we are living in. There are many ways in which we are compromising our country. My experience in Government is that incompetence, lack of advice and technology, the bad deals that we are negotiating are part of compromising our country.

“Also not recognising what is in the best interest of our country also constitutes the bundle of what I call selling the country.”
He urged Zimbabweans to respect their national identity saying it should not be compromised under any circumstances.
“I think in the long term, the sacrosanctity of the identity of Zimbabweanhood must not be compromised under any circumstances because it is almost like your birthright, you cannot change it,” he said.

The Minister said as Zimbabweans, it was important that all individuals be treated fairly before the law and that violence be shunned as an instrument to settle political differences.

“To me it is important that we should not use violence as an instrument of political arbitration. This is critical. Let us have our differences and you must persuade me to see things your way.

“But do not use violence. . . we must never be a society run by coercion,” he said.
He admitted that the land reform programme was irreversible but called on Government to ensure that farmers have some form of security for their land to make it bankable.

He added that it was important that banks and other financial institutions be involved in funding agriculture as Government alone had no requisite resources.