An Open letter to President Mugabe

Dear President Mugabe
Twenty - eight years ago you became President of Zimbabwe. You had fought for your country's independence and despite everything you wanted the whites to stay. Whether that was a genuine gesture or one where you wanted to use them for your own purpose and once they had served that purpose get them to leave, I don't know. I would like to think it was a genuine gesture. The past was dead and the future looked bright. Everyone could work together for the good of Zimbabwe. For that is what life and community are all about. White and black people would develop equal respect for each other.
Leaders have the responsibility to lead by example in making the world and society better. Having been brought up a Roman Catholic you would have been well aware of your obligations and duties to do good for your country. You started out by doing good but something went awry. They say "Power corrupts" and this seems sadly what has happened to you.
The government you have created is far worse than the government you took over from and had been fighting against. However you have the power and the ability to turn things around and to make a real difference to your country. God has given you an opportunity to redeem yourself, by helping Zimbabwe get back on its feet and to hand over power to a younger man. Remember his love for you is infinite. The new power sharing agreement gives you a wonderful chance to solve your country's hardship. To get back to your Christian values by bringing back democracy, human rights, freedom and security. So that Zimbabweans do not fear for their lives when they speak out against the government, that they no longer fear being tortured because they voted or supported the opposition and that they no longer suffer from starvation and lack of proper medical care.
You also need to make education a very high priority. You were forced to cancel the 2008 academic year. For someone who was once a teacher I would imagine this would have been an extremely painful thing to go through. You of all people would know the importance of a good education. A teacher can make such a difference to a child's life. They can give a child confidence, motivation, independence, an ability to learn and a love of various subjects. To have that opportunity taken away is devastating when your life relies so much on your education.
Zimbabwe's future lies in your hands. You can change the course of history and make it better. Let me leave you with a quote from Nelson Mandela who with a quiet dignity, spiritual strength, forgiveness and humility did so much for South Africa. "We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." So let us all hope and pray you do right very soon.
Yours Sincerely
Frances Burke - Gaffney
Children's Web Magazine


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