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EVENTS of the past week have shown a disturbing trend in the politics of our country and also on the global stage.
Last week we implored government to deal with our police’s heavy-handedness in dealing with the public in matters to do with maintaining law and order in the country.
It is true that in the Zimbabwean urban communities the popular sentiment is the resentment of law enforcement institutions such as the police force.
The controversial role of the police and the army in the midnight take-over of the Morgan Tsvangirai House by the MDC-T is a case in point were public trust in these institutions is diminished.
Ordinarily this should warrant serious and urgent political reflection by a people-centred government that would then lead to institutional reforms.
However, if such a government’s only wish is to hold on to power at any cost such a wish in the community would remain a dream.
While our focus was on the Zimbabwean situation, the death of George Floyd in the US on Africa Day and the riots and demonstrations that took place on the global stage was a double tragedy to Zimbabweans who looked up to the US as a beacon for the observance of justice, law and order.
The eight minutes, 46 seconds of police brutally that lead to Floyd’s death, which was captured on video, has caused outrage and sparked a wave of protests in cities across the US with rallies on Wednesday in Australia, France, the Netherlands and in the UK
Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to seize the chance to deal with underlying problems in society.
Back home, the reasons for the pain and anguish that Zimbabweans felt due to this unfortunate incident in the US that led to the loss of a life are two-fold.
Many Zimbabweans who have now lost hope for a local solution to their troubles at home and have placed their faith in countries such as the US to provide a solution.
The more desperate even welcome any form of intervention including the imposition of sanctions in the hope that such punitive measures would bring the change they desire in their lives.
All this is because it’s no secret that the US defines the world that we live in to the extent of forging an international system in its own image.
But of late, it appears to have abandoned its position of international leadership and the Donald Trump-led government has resorted to the use of excessive force against peaceful protestors.
Trump recent threat to deploy the military to deal with protestors undermined the US’ moral authority to issue reports against violations of human rights in other parts of the world.
To many around the globe the threats to send the military into the streets are enough proof that any leader will disregard the people and choose to preserve their regime over national interests. Zim Community News