Is it God or politicians who answer prayers?

This article was written by Donette Read Kruger on 22 July, at 13 : 59 PM

Zimbabwe is now on record as having more diamonds in the world than anywhere else, which everyone acknowledges that God in his wisdom kept well hidden from the Rhodesians, yet Zesa (Electricity) is on its knees and no one I know has benefited from these new-found gems.

Only yesterday my local shop manager here in the UK said to me, “Perhaps Zimbabwe is one of the colonies we should have kept!” I smirked him, but did I have a right ?  They might not have diamonds beneath the ground in the UK but they do have free medical and free education.

How many know that in France, Canada and even Cuba they give  totally free education and free medical to their nationals, yet as far as I know there are no diamond fields or gold mines in France or Cuba-one of the poorest countries adjacent to the USA that we know of.

Note: Zimbabweans only total a mere 13 million and in our country, despite our mineral wealth, these two basic essentials must be paid for privately – if you have a job and if you can afford it. Primary care is assisted by the Zimbabwe Government but that is where our Government is going wrong. Surely the question of Health and Education is also part and parcel of the Human Rights that the smiling Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner, should be investigating and dissecting?

Watch Michael Moore’s satirical and very enlightening documentary “SICKO”.  It thoroughly investigates the totally free Health facilities still not available in the USA, and illustrates pills in USA costing $145 but only costing 67 cents for the same pills in Cuba. These are available to the Americans – if they dare visit Cuba!

For some years now, foreign surgeons have been visiting Africa and performing operations for free, but surely  Zimbabwe can now afford its own surgeons – at high salaries, which would guarantee the return of our medical professionals en masse!

Every politician is doing their best to entice Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to return, but would you return to Zimbabwe and give up your free education and free medical out there in France, Canada, the UK, and Cuba?  (I am not referring to our meagre clinical services that dish out pills (chemicals) in the rural areas and Primary care services.

Even our First Lady admitted to having to fly to Hong Kong for an MRI when she damaged her back in the gym!)

In her article in a Financial Gazette, “When Religion, Culture Meet” Diana Rodrigues states that… ‘statistics suggest that Zimbos are a God fearing nation: of our 13 million strong population, 85 percent are thought to be practicing Christians, with the balance divided between a growing number of indigenous religions, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and an atheist minority.’

She goes on to say that “Even so, most of us, when praying, ask for little more than to receive our daily bread and to be delivered from evil.”

This is exactly where we, and not the Government, are all going wrong. We get what we ask for so that in asking for no more than “we receive our daily bread and be delivered from evil…” that is exactly what we will get, while the Government thinks that because we are not asking for anything else, we are deliriously happy with our lot, and this is what, after all, we prayed for and so it’s what we get: Our daily bread, and to be delivered from evil.

Everyone thinks that to be rich you have to be a tything member of some Pentecostal revival organisation – because money attracts money –  but when will everyone realize that most of the 85% religious organizations within our borders are in the Business of Christianity? God forbid that everyone should discover that we can comfortably believe totally in the Government of their country – there would be no place for churches! Our faith would be fulfilled. I know Christians that are selling alcohol so despite their T-total facade along with the rules and regulations they are in turn committed to contributing to the business of Alcoholics Anonymous.

If you believe that God answers prayer, why not change your prayers and instead, through God, identify that which our Government must realize it is lacking in the interests of the Nation? Demand that it gives us the Free Education we were assured of at Independence – surely Free Education did not mean your child would be Free to attend any school you wished? Thirty years ago, Robert Mugabe’s first ruling was to cancel the ‘Whites Only Schools’ policy and for that he is to be commended, but can you imagine having a ‘Whites Only’ school in Africa now? Unthinkable! Free Medical services  should be for everyone who lives in Zimbabwe, and not just France, Canada, Cuba and the UK.

Alright, so the UK got rich on the back of Colonialism agreed, but apparently, the diamonds of Zimbabwe equal that wealth.  And, we still haven’t even yet tapped into the liquid gasses that lie beneath the Wankie coal mines?

Perhaps if the two basics of Free Education and Free Health were entrenched in the nation’s New Constitution, then perhaps you would see  many Zimbabweans returning to their roots and investing their time and skills in their roots. In the meantime foreign consultants are being paid astronomical fees to do those jobs which our national grid is dependent upon, but their Health and Education needs are met by their international handlers.

The prototypes and formats for Free Health and Free Education are firmly in place for us to study in those countries mentioned already. There is still so much to be done in Zimbabwe, and free Health and Education should be a priority for this Government in the here and now, not a baton to be tossed aside for the Opposition to grab and run with as a red herring for winning the next Elections.

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Donette Read Kruger is the author of Zambezi Wind Song check it out on www.zambeziwindsong.com:

“A fascinating read, and an important book. Zambezi Wind Song (by Donette Read Kruger) deserves to be published successfully and a publisher with a slightly smaller list would probably be able to give it more attention that we could.” Stephanie Bierwerth, Pan MacMilland 2003.”

National Opinion & Analysis Chiadzwa, God, Marange diamonds, Zimbabwe diamonds