Freedom of expression should never be misinterpreted as a right to slander and defame other people.
The Zimbabwe Guardian
By Basil Mutoti
ZIMBABWEAN young people in the Diaspora have been sucked into political debates they do not comprehend fully and many of them now live in fear of returning home lest they face civil and criminal cases involving slander, libel and a range of other lawsuits.
In hindsight, I am sure many of them wish they had been more responsible in their expression of dissent.
Many of these young people today remain in the West where they are treated like second class citizens for fear of returning home to face the music for some of their slanderous utterances and libellous and defamatory publications.
They have no hope for the future as they wait for immigration officials to determine their fate or as they face an uncertain jobless future.
Take an example of a young man who ran a fervently anti Zanu-PF website called Zimdaily.com, Munamato Maiswa, who spearheaded a campaign to have children of Zanu-PF officials returned home, and called various politicians murderers, rapists and child molesters. While this young man has disappeared from the limelight, for reasons best known to himself, the damage he has caused cannot be easily forgotten.
Many of us could not believe what this young man was getting away with at law. He would publish a litarny of libellous, unverified, ill-researched and half-baked allegations. The internet is full of these stories.
Many other young people who had promising careers have put themselves in the limelight for the wrong reasons denigrating their country and defaming a lot of people in the process.
This is the tragedy of Zimbabwe. Many young people who had promising careers did not take time to understand the political processes in the country. They took it upon themselves to slander politicians whom they disagreed with.
Freedom of expression should never be misinterpreted as a right to slander and defame other people.
The news of Munyaradzi "Munya" Chidzonga, who came second in Africa's Big Brother All Stars reality show, should be an inspiration to many young people. Today, his career is on track having pocketed US$300 000 for merely supporting and representing his country well.
Zimbabwe belongs to all of us and it does not hurt to remain patriotic, and try and influence change in your country, through responsible means.
There is always a way to express dissent without hurting others.
I am sure there are some things that Munya would like to see changed in Zimbabwe; but he is not being irresponsible about it.
We all have our concerns and our insecurities, but we should always strive to approach problems in a mature and informed manner.
Mutumwa Mawere's return to Zimbabwe is also symbolic.
Although he ran an online media campaign to be despecified and for criminal charges to be dropped, he never overstepped the boundaries calling people murderers and all sorts. Today he can return home without any fear, and can sit on the same table with former rivals and chart the way forward.
Unfortunately, there are many young people who cannot enjoy that luxury, having overstepped the legal boundary.
A range of civil suits and criminal cases await these homesick young people when they get home. They would have to prove many of their allegations if the accussed decide to sue them.
In this information world, not much that's said in public remains private for long.
- Basil Mutoti writes from Quebec, Canada. He can be reached via basilmutoti@yahoo.com.
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