This motion simply calls for co-existence in a polarised political environment. It is a motion that seeks to respect, call upon citizens and Members of Parliament to respect our own police force and entire defence forces and other security services just because the safety that we enjoy is provided for by these security services and the police force. The motion also seeks to condemn politically motivated violence that threatens peace, security and stability in our motherland. As we all know, that instability is recipe for disaster.
I wish to commend our police force, defence forces and security agents for the professionalism, patriotism, loyalty and discipline that they have exhibited for the past 37 years in this country. We enjoy peace because of the efforts of these commanders. So, allow me at this juncture to express my profound gratitude and congratulate the following commanders for their astute leadership: – Comrade Dr. Augustine Chihuri, the Commissioner General of the Zimbabwe Republic Police; the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Constantine Ghuveya Chiwenga; Air Force Commander, Comrade Perence Shiri; Comrade Paradzai Zimondi, Commissioner General of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and Comrade Bonyongwe, the Director of General Central Intelligence. These commanders have done us proud in this nation; we have enjoyed peace unlike other African countries for the past 37 years because of their leadership and loyalty. We are proud of the crop of cadres that have led our security services.
Generally, Mr. Speaker Sir, Zimbabweans are peace loving, hard working, hospitable and revered for their civalisation and education. Peace is a sacred gift, once lost we can never re-gain it. It therefore becomes paramount for all of us of sober minds that we need to cherish and uphold peace for socio-economic development.
Mr. Speaker Sir, my heart bleeds to hear that there are certain political elements or political malcontents misguided in their operations, political parties and certain political activists that have no pride in our own police force, Defence Forces and security agencies. I feel pity and my heart bleeds. These security apparatus are ours, they are our own creation and Zimbabweans, despite our divergent political views, should be proud of these institutions.
The police force is made up of our own children, our sisters and brothers, our kith and keen and there is no reason why we should not be proud of our own kith and keen that makes up the police force. We should actually create a bond between ourselves as Zimbabwean citizens and these institutions. I am a bit disturbed, we were all disturbed and worried in August last year by acts of violence and acts of terror on innocent people in Harare by certain political malcontents, employed to subvert a constitutionally elected Government under the guise of human rights and regime change. There were vicious attacks on police officers Mr. Speaker Sir. It is also on record that the attacks were not only vicious but callous and unprovoked attacks on our police officers that were on duty, some to the extent that they were assaulted and their police uniform torn apart by these malcontents.
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