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and social divide space to air their views.
I noticed prominent members of the society like Ministers Tendai Biti, Priscillah Misihairabwi-Musho-nga and now Senator Obert Gutu have all got acres of space to exercise their democratic right to be heard and to enjoy their right to freedom of expression and that is as it should be and is really commendable.
While I entirely agree with Senator Gutu that patriotism should not be restricted to membership of political parties, it will be very naïve of us not to acknowledge that among us there are fierce puppets and sellouts both at individual and party level.
These malcontents exist and surely cannot be wished away.
Sen Gutu picked on a few political luminaries like the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo, Herbert Chite-po, and General Solomon Mujuru to illustrate what patriotism should be like.
These people and many others lying at the National Heroes’ Acre and elsewhere in marked and unmarked graves, sacrificed and or dedicated their lives for their country and their countrymen.
Coincidentally, all these true heroes belong to one party, Zanu-PF (Zanla & Zipra before the unity accord). This party with its purported sins organised, fought and liberated this country. So in terms of patriotism Zanu-PF and its cadres demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that they are patriotic.
However, when Zanu-PF or its cadres celebrate this unquestionably proud legacy they are accused of personalising the struggle or restricting patriotism to a political party.
Anything good should be quickly dissociated from Zanu-PF and put for communal ownership so that the party cannot claim any credit to it. People wish they could rewrite history and delete Zanu-PF and insert MDC-T but unfortunately it’s not that easy although the likes of Sen Gutu will die trying.
Ironically, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had an equal chance like Gen Mujuru and the others to demonstrate patriotism and be counted among the true heroes of this country when it mattered most.
He chose to sell out the struggle by deserting from Mozambique and joining the fight on the side of the enemy. In other words he didn’t want Zimbabweans to be liberated and he put his life on the line to stop independence when the people were crying to be free.
Minister Giles Mutseyekwa (MDC-T) was also fighting to stop the people’s freedom and so was Tsvangirai’s former defence advisor Rtd Col Martin Rupiya.
All these people demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that they are sellouts, they are anti- people and anti-country.
Coincidentally all these sellouts are members of the MDC-T. So Sen Gutu will forgive Zimbabweans if they view MDC-T as a sellout party.
Consistent with this image you have the MDC-T opposing everything that the true heroes fought for, they oppose land reform, they oppose indegenisation, they mock and deride ideas of people owning their own resources.
In itself MDC has no policy at all save for its obsession with homosexual rights.
Then as if it’s not enough they call for sanctions to be imposed on the people of Zimbabwe. They want to collectively strangulate people until they submit by voting MDC-T into power.
People like Sen Gutu are the sanctions cheerleaders and are paid to deceive people that sanctions don’t exist.
They say it’s only 160 people under “restrictive measures” that are affected. President Barrack Obama announced that United States sanctions against Zimbabwe would continue, citing an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US foreign policy, but MDC-T’s Sen Gutu says he is lying they don’t exist.
Some companies that are on this list include the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, the sole marketing and export agent for all minerals, except gold and silver, mined in Zimbabwe; the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, involved in investment in the mining industry in Zimbabwe, and in planning, co-ordinating and implementing mining projects on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe; the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (now New Zimsteel after the Essar deal),
Zimbabwe’s largest steel works; the Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe, a commercial bank owned by the Government of Zimbabwe; the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe Limited, a State-owned enterprise that owns a large number of companies operating in the industrial sector, including the chemical, clothing and textiles, mineral processing, and motor and transport sectors; the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe, a financing entity; Zimre Holdings Limited, an investment and reinsurance entity; ZB Financial Holdings Limited, a holding company for a group of companies involved in commercial and merchant banking, just to name a few.
Sen Gutu and his paymasters choose to strangulate Zisco with sanctions, a company on which a whole town depends and still calls this targeted against Mugabe and a few cronies. It’s a big insult to the intelligence of all Zimbabweans.
When you target a bank like ZB with over 1 000 000 account holders, not to mention employees and their families that depend on this entity, corporates which are customers of this bank, it is downright cruel and heartless.
If you look at the above companies, they were carefully chosen to effect the most damage on the economy and people of Zimbabwe.
Now when our dear Sen Gutu says, “Our people have had their lives permeated by a culture of violence and intolerance;” I agree with him. He would know better because the sanctions they have caused on the people of Zimbabwe are the worst form of violence that can be unleashed on people.
It is MDC-T and Gutu who have failed to properly honour and respect the values of our gallant heroes and heroines such as the late VP Nkomo, Herbert Chitepo, Ruth Chinamano, Julia Zvobgo, Alfred Nikita Mangena and Gen Mujuru.
Patriotism is not defined by what you say because talk is cheap, it is what you do that defines whether you are a patriot or a sellout.
So no, Sen Gutu, you can call yourself what you want, but from the eyes of Zimbabweans you and your party are fierce sellouts. We appeal to you to stop violence against Zimbabweans by stopping sanctions.

l Vhurai Meso is a Zimbabwean political commentator based in Harare.