Sunday Opinion: Diasporans want dual citizenship

Saturday, 18 September 2010 19:20

Our nation called Zimbabwe is at the crossroads. This is arguably one of the most defining moments in our post-independence experiences as a nation.The current conditions in Zimbabwe are tough but they present an opportunity for permanent change. Zimbabweans in the Diaspora are eager to help in rebuilding the country. They are eager to play their part. But they have
concerns and fears which can easily be addressed.I followed the comments made by Trevor Ncube at the Economist conference in South Africa concerning dual citizen. The Diaspora thinks that the constitution should allow dual citizenship for Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe can adopt the American or Israeli citizenship models.

This will make a Zimbabwean always be a Zimbabwean. This will make it easy
for the Diaspora to invest in their real home called Zimbabwe. Israelites
have the guaranteed constitutional security that their home is in Israel and
as such they always invest back home.
It is a fact that a significant number of Zimbabweans have left the country
and they still love to be Zimbabweans. But the fact is many in the Diaspora
have found stable jobs and established families abroad. The trouble they
have is where to invest their earnings. It is secure to invest back home
when they know that the question of dual citizenship is solved.
This is partly because most children born to Zimbabweans abroad have adopted
non-Zimbabwean citizenships when in most cases both parents are Zimbabweans.
I have learnt some lessons here in Scandinavia on how Diasporas can help
rebuild their countries. In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the governments have
advisory boards which help their Diaspora citizens to invest back home.
This means that if someone wants to buy a house in Zimbabwe there should be
a clear-cut, transparent, reliable and efficient organ to help people in the
Diaspora to invest in the property markets in the country.
The private sector can also play the same role. But the private agencies
need clear public oversight and monitoring so that they don't steal from
people. We might have these things in Zimbabwe but there is need to bring
transparency and remove corruption.
This will make it easier for people to decide to invest funds in the
country. These are simple things that people in and outside the country need
in order to invest in Zimbabwe.
Another key issue is that people want the freedom to express their thoughts
on anything concerning national reconstruction. The negotiators of the power
sharing agreement are totally disregarding the will of the people of
Zimbabwe. The negotiations are so secret as if they are negotiating family
matters.
What they are negotiating are national issues that affect everyone in the
country. The suggestion is that the national media, especially TV and Radio
should have public programmes where people can publicly call or have talk
shows where people can contribute their opinions on the way forward.
Zimbabwe belongs to Zimbabweans and not politicians. People must have the
right to know what is negotiated before it becomes law. It is people who
should decide if something becomes law or not. This will increase the
democratic credentials of the country and people can freely invest in an
environment where they can air their genuine opinions.

Ocean Marambanyika is a Peace and Conflict Expert in the Department of Peace
and Conflict Studies, University of Oslo, Norway.
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