Zimpapers Logo

Panganai Kahuni Correspondent
THIS is the first time our country ‘Great Zimbabwe’ has put a home grown and constitutional youth alignment policy that seeks to correctly nurture its children to be innovative and creative. It puts the children in a critical thinking phenomenon that ‘baby crying’ is unproductive and forbids development. The National Pledge in my humble view makes the children understand that it is only through hard work and not engaging in corrupt activities which make a human being live a prosperous life leading to the creation of wealth and economic development. It is this ‘national pledge’ which to me resonates with the adage ‘catch them young’ that makes these children, who are Zimbabwe’s future leaders, become defenders of their nationhood and be in a position to guard jealously their heritage and hard-won Independence.

While the Constitution talks about individual rights and yet some Zimbabweans may feel such rights are violated, I don’t believe that there is an adulteration of the Constitution. It is common knowledge that individual rights are naturally subordinate to collective rights. It is also common that there is no absolute fairness or judgement but judgement and fairness working in the interest of the majority carries the day.

This writer noted with great concern that there are religious individuals who think that the National Pledge is offensive to some religious beliefs. It is astonishing how such a National Pledge can also be said to be befouling various sections of the supreme law of the country.

This writer is also at a loss for words in trying to understand the wisdom that motivates the quasi-political organisation called the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).

The ZLHR and our esteemed teachers who seem to be bitter about the introduction of this noble pledge, could do most Zimbabweans a favour by tabulating how the pledge befouls both the Constitution and religious beliefs.

A little bit of research, as highlighted by the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education could help those opposed to the National Pledge to understand its nobility. Teachers as national torch bearers of knowledge play a critical role in shaping citizens whom they should pride as hard working leaders of tomorrow who shun corruption by upholding our heritage and putting our resources into ethical good use. The National Pledge in my humble view is one of the strategies that seek to nurture a national citizenry which respects and honours its own history and cultures for the common good of humanity.

Those complaining about the introduction of the National Pledge surprise the multitudes of patriotic Zimbabweans by not registering their discontent about the pledges made by their very same children who at school join boy scouts. Boy scouts make pledges like,’ true scouts will never die.’

Ironically, this was a pledge that prepared school children during the colonial days to join the colonial army. Regardless of its pre-colonial disposition today’s boy scouts still sing this pledge with no complaints coming from ZLHR and those of the church.

In as much as teachers may feel enough consultation was not done, the rule of thumb should be to support the idea which to all intents and purposes is nationalistic in nature. People should remember that Americans have a saying which states, ‘while it is plausible to respect humanity American interests always come first.’ Food for thought for our esteemed legion of highly knowledgeable teachers.

For our learned ZLHR the interpretation of the above American belief is that they can kill in defence of their national interest. I believe such interpretation has been proofed beyond any reasonable doubt by American war actions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, South America just to mention a few. The America wars violate both individuals and country rights of the said areas. Soon after September 11, many innocent Americans and non-Americans were incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay Prison, violating the individual rights to be fairly heard in a court of law. Julian Assange, the whistle blower was exiled for publishing WikiLeaks, but the ZLHR and UNHR were conspicuous by their silence on the violation of human rights by those who claim to be paragons of human rights.

In my view, the National Pledge, which ZLHR seems to be demonstrating an immeasurable passion by attacking it, as they go on a war path with Government does not require such unfazed demonisation from a learned institution such as ZLHR. In fact, the pledge has the capacity to unify Zimbabweans; it has the capacity for engendering a sense of oneness, patriotism, sense of belonging and building a peaceful and stable Zimbabwe. One wonders therefore to imagine whose human rights this group of learned friends are fronting by demonising and rubbishing a National Pledge extracted from the country’s Constitution, seeking to nurture a disciplined and respected citizenry? When shall Zimbabweans pride ideas that are crafted and implemented with ease for the national good? Are Zimbabweans only schooled to denounce anything from Government and not praise anything that comes from Government regardless of how good it may be?

It is disheartening to note that even some men of the cloth would want to make people believe the national pledge is a prayer of worshipping a superior human being. One individual interviewed by The Herald claimed that he/she is against the prayer because it salutes super human beings. One wonders whether these so-called ‘Christians’ who want to use Christianity they know little about ever read and understood the National Pledge. The pledge does not make mention of saluting any super human being. It rather pledges, as is natural, the respecting of the ‘the brave fathers and mothers who lost their lives in the Chimurenga/Umvukela and national liberation struggles.

Any sober-minded person would not see how this violates any human rights and religion. Heroes and Heroines died for liberating all Zimbabweans of different religious, legal and political persuasions and must be respected by such people of different persuasions.

The National Pledge, in my honest view, is only saying through the stewardship of the Almighty God, in whose hands our future lies, the national flag is saluted. To me this is a clear indication that the salute to our national Flag is subordinate to the Almighty God. To all offended religious people kindly school me by demonstrating how the National Pledge is violating any religious value of any denomination.

However, as you demonstrate such a perceived religious violation you need to understand that people of the Seventh Day and Johanne Marange are forbidden to work on Saturday. In that regard they are Zimbabwean corporates that employ such individuals and due to corporate regulations such individuals are made to work on Saturday up to midday.

What happens is that such individuals straight from work they go to church and worship without any problem. I personally believe such people are not committing a crime before God and I don’t believe that our Gracious God feels offended by their actions as He knows that what they will be doing is for the common good of His people.

In America, where this writer was, the National Pledge is done at the University of Philadelphia 24/7 where at least 12 000 students pass through an auditorium on an hourly bases getting Americanised.

No religion or human rights groups have complained about that as it naturally should be. Zimbabwe is therefore not an exception in putting nationalistic ideas that bond people together as one people. In God’s hands we minimise unnecessary complaints.

Amen.

Panganai Kahuni is a political socio-economic commentator.