Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The high price of Dissent

Archbishop Pius Ncube's announcement of his resignation, which he made here today in Bulawayo at the Makokoba Cathedral, was one of the most bitter moments yet in our painful struggle for justice in Zimbabwe. We have lost a champion, and we are the poorer and weaker for it.
It was not an unexpected blow. Ncube broke his Roman Catholic vow of chastity with a married woman. When this became public he had no alternative but to go.
He was, of course, the victim of a government-inspired honey trap. Mugabe had grown impatient with him. Ncube had never minced his words when it came to denouncing the Zanu-PF regime for what it was. He bravely exposed its appalling record on human rights.
The First Post.

In Zambia, information Minister Mike Mulongoti recently warned public media journalists to avoid criticizing the government. The case of archbishop Ncube may be multi facted - however will governments in Africa ever face up to any criticism without exerting retribution on those that dare speak up?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

But what do you expect of a Clergy who uses the pulpit to intercede death for the head of state? Is that spiritual or should it be tolerable dissent?

Unknown said...

Anonymous-
Indeed, the clergy should have resisted temptation and focused his body, soul and spirit on effecting the noble aspiration that...

" all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Thomas Jefferson.