For those in Zimbabwe, they are holding out their hope that their vote for the MDC-T Alliance in the next few months will positively change their fortune.
Zimbabweans have waited too long for positive change and they rightly believe this is their year.
We will not fail them.
A heartening spirit in London
I was in London for the better part of last week where I addressed think-tanks, met with ordinary Zimbabweans and interacted with the government and the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
I also had the opportunity with investors and business people.
I was heartened by the spirit of Zimbabweans who, though away from home, retain a positive spirit about better prospects for the country. I addressed a mammoth crowd in Bedford and assured Zimbabweans that we are determined to correct things in the next few months so that they can be able to come back home.
We told the proper script to the UK government about where we are as a country and that they should join the rest of the international country in calling for a free, fair and credible election so that a legitimate government can begin to transact the affairs of the country.
We had occasion to discuss a host of issues with the UK government. In particular, we took the opportunity to thank both the government and the people for their role s an inexhaustible fountain of charity and solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle for democracy, the colonial period notwithstanding.
We also took the opportunity to commit ourselves to re-engagement on an equal platform and to the readmission of Zimbabwe into the family of nations.
We underscored the need for Zimbabwe to return to legitimacy through free and fair elections. We further requested the UK government to have a clear definition of what constitutes a free and fair election, complete with clear benchmarks and standards against which an assessment of the credibility of the election can be measured.
We also underscored the importance of the scaffolding and stewardship of the transition in Zimbabwe to ensure that the process is guaranteed by credible bodies for the subsistence and sustenance of peace before, during and after the elections.
We also emphasized that the UK government and others in the international community must guard against being hoodwinked into believing in the empty rhetoric of free and fair elections without the attendant tangibles to validate those claims on the ground.
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