In advance of the Stay Away called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) for Wednesday and Thursday, 19 and 20 September, we at Kubatana sent out a text message and email asking our subscribers what they thought of the stay away, whether their workplace would be participating, and what their friends and neighbours were saying about it.

We were flooded with emails and text messages expressing a range of opinions, from eager support for the stay away and a commitment to stay home even if their work place was open, to others who questioned the usefulness of the tactic or whether it would make any difference on the ground.

Here is just a small sampling of people’s responses:

Don’t think it will be a success. People are tired of stay aways.

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Supporting it, not coming to work, enough is enough.

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Yes and all my friends want to stay away in order to make a statement.

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I don’t support the stay away because it has never worked before. It is said it is foolish to try the same thing and expect different results. Can ZCTU think strategies that are constructive. Zimbabweans want solutions not “scapegoat” ideas. ZCTU/NCA are always pointing fingers and have paperwork solutions. What positive things have they done to bring reformation and transformation in this country. When they was Murambatsvina, can I ask how many of these NCA/ZCTU leaders even housed one family or looked for decent shelter for them. If they did so, I certainly did not hear about it. I know ZCTU/NCA travel a lot out of the country, can’t they forge relations outside so that we have raw materials coming in. Bring in influential/expert people (non-political) come in to help solve our economic crisis. E.g. bring in a banker who has a CV of what we are currently going through and has managed to make a turnaround in his country. I know of a few individuals (who are Zimbabweans) who have come together to help the health ministry. They have just brought in a container of medical equipment and drugs to distribute for free. This is going to make a difference and go a long way. Selfish gains is not what we want. We want reformation and transformation in this nation. Just because our president is unpopular is no excuse for better things not to happen. May God help us.

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My workplace will be open as we are 50% gov’t but I’ll be staying away together with my friends. Teachers must never attempt to go to work!

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Lets stay away and show that we are not happy with what’s going on!

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Need to be clear on the objective of the stay away.

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We, with all my friends are supporting it, i urge all people from every sector to support it, so that it will send a clear message. Lets go for it!!!!!

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I have to work, should a doctor strike? Other people are afraid of repercussions, they may have no job to come back to. A Catch-22.

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I suggest that we all wear white, black and red regalia one chosen day of the week till the next elections. It was easier and noble to wear one colour but the last time we wore red T-shirts before the elections we attracted the wrath of the green militia. So this time around it will be difficult for them to single out all people wearing three different colours say every Friday.

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The strikes never seem to take off. Some do some don’t. Some know some don’t. Each union must work in concert.

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A new form of resistance can be by people hee-hawing (like donkeys) very loudly in the street to show their utter contempt for the regime.

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There is no need for people to come into town for any kind of demonstration. People should stay in their respective residential places and demonstrate peacefully there.

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It seems this strategy of stay away has already shown its failure – I don’t know what the objective is or what its likely to achieve. Rather use the ubiquitous workers for anonymous tip offs (whistle blowing) for both violation and complicity – name and shame.

The first step would be to inform the workers of their rights in terms of international law as enshrined in the International Convention on Human Rights and its covenants -emphasizing the liability for beneficial or silent complicity. This can be equally applied to direct human rights violations like buying luxury cars instead of buying food (the car manufacturer is liable) or the local media failing to report – Mr editor, you do realise, of course, that you are complicit, you step out of Zimbabwe, you may be held liable under international law! the same applies to the Chief of Police.

They are rationing bread and the general public waits patiently whilst police and army personnel push in to the front willingly served by the staff. This is in flagrant violation of:-The Universal Declaration on Human Rights breaches of these rights entail liability under international law . Attention should be paid to how the staff and the boss might be implicated (legally or morally) in the action or inaction of others, directly or indirectly and through beneficial or silent complicity. Chapter and verse:- “Decisions on the availability of products or the allocation should be taken without discrimination or regard to arbitrary preferences.”

So if the boss stepped out of a plane onto international soil he could get nailed. Also because of the knock on effect he might find it becoming increasingly difficult to access finance, markets and supplies as those international organizations may in turn be implicated (legally or morally) in the action or inaction of others, directly or indirectly and through beneficial or silent complicity so maybe they won’t want to do business with the complicit.

This stuff is powerful and its very exciting. If it was up to me I would cancel the stay away and take this paradigm shift. Publishing a regularly update list of direct International Law violators and the complicit using a very successful tactic from elsewhere – “Name and Shame”. They were amazed at how effective this was even against organizations deemed to be powerful and uncaring. Even if the violators themselves couldn’t care less, somewhere along the line there may be a critical link in their needs or wants that does not want to be implicated (legally or morally).

This entry was posted on September 18th, 2007 at 8:49 am by Amanda Atwood and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.