If the popular African-American diplomat, Charles Ray, has the power, he would direct the new leaders of Zimbabwe to adopt the slogan – The Bones Shall Rise Again – as Zimbabwe’s epithet. This is because the former US ambassador to the Southern African country believes that once the US lifts its sanction on that country, it will arise and shine.
In his detailed testimony before the Africa Sub-committee in the House of Representatives last week, Mr. Ray made a passionate plea for the removal of the sanctions which were imposed in the years of the recalcitrant and dictatorial Robert Mugabe, who was ousted last November.
The diplomat, who served as US envoy to the country between 2009 and 2012, presented a paper titled, “The Future of Zimbabwe After Mugabe” and urged the US to abandon its hostile policy towards Harare, and “put the past behind us” and embrace the leader who would emerge after credible and non-violent elections.
He argued that, “A credible electoral process, free of violence, would make US current policies in Zimbabwe irrelevant. If this year’s elections are held and if they are determined to be credible, the ball will be in our court. If we truly want to see Zimbabwe develop its potential, we must be prepared to work with the winner of a credible, non-violent election regardless of the political party.”
Mr. Ray explained that the US should reconsider its stance on Zimbabwe, ” by putting the past behind us and focusing on the policy statement in the introduction of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001; ‘it is the policy of the United States to support the people in their broad-based and equitable economic growth and restore the rule of law’.
In his assessment of the state of Zimbabwean politics, Mr. Ray pointed at the factionalism in the main opposition party, the MDC. “As the party that poses the greatest challenge to ZANU-PF in the urban areas, if it would unite, it might do well, but it is unlikely the MDC will merge,” he said.
Mr. Ray regretted that with the death of the powerful and courageous founder of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, “the remainder of the opposition parties . . . will only take votes away from the MDC, which will be to the advantage of the ruling ZANU-PF.
