Ubuhlwempu—‘Ingxaki Engaziwayo’
UGQR. MAHBUB UL-HAQ, umcebisi weZizwe Ezimanyeneyo wathi: “Kuninzi esikuvayo ngeengxaki ezidumileyo zokufudumala komhlaba nangokonakaliswa komaleko we-ozone nokungcoliswa kweelwandle,” kodwa wongezelela ngelithi: “Ukufudumala komhlaba nezinye iingxaki ezidumileyo ekugqibeleni ziya kubulala nabani na [ekubeni] le ngxaki ingaziwayo ibangela indyikitya yokufa yonke imihla kumazwe asakhasayo.” UGqr. Ul-Haq egqabaza ngenye yeengxaki ezingaziwayo wathi: “Ubuhlwempu ngokwenene buyabulala.” Njani njalo?
Kubantu abasehlabathini lonke abazizigidi ezili-1300 abafumana iirandi ezine kuphela okanye ngaphantsi kunoku ngosuku ukuze baphile, ngokwenene ubuhlwempu kubo buba yintlekele ebulalayo. Iphephancwadi iUN Chronicle, linikela ingxelo yokuba, abantu abazizigidi ezili-18, nyaka ngamnye bafa ngenxa “yezinto ezinokuthanani nobuhlwempu.” Eli nani liyakhwankqisa! Ngokomzekelo, khawuthelekelele ukuba bonke abantu baseOstreliya abamalunga nezigidi ezili-18 bebelamba unyaka wonke, oko bekuya kuba yeyona nto iphambili ezindabeni! I-UN Radio yagqabaza yathi, sekunjalo “akuthethwa kakhulu” ngokufa kwezi zigidi zihluphekileyo. Enyanisweni le, ‘yintlekele engaziwayo.’
Ekufuneni isicombululo, abameli abasuka kumazwe ali-117 ababekho kwintlanganiso yokuqala eyiWorld Summit for Social Development bathetha ngeendlela zokuphelisa ingxaki yobuhlwempu egquba ehlabathini lonke. Umlawuli weUnited Nations Development Programme uJames Gustave Speth ekhumbuza ngoku wathi: “Kwiminyaka eli-150 eyadlulayo kwakukho iphulo lokuphelisa ubukhoboka. Namhlanje kufuneka siseke iphulo lehlabathi lokulwa ubuhlwempu obugqubayo.” Kutheni kukho inkxalabo engaka nje? Walumkisa ngelithi, ubuhlwempu, “bukhulisa ukuphelelwa lithemba nokungazinzi yaye kufaka ihlabathi lethu engozini.”
Noko ke, ekubeni abameli babexubusha iindlela zokuphelisa ubuhlwempu, ‘iwotshi yobuhlwempu,’ egcina inani labantwana abazalwa kwiintsapho ezihluphekayo yonke imihla, yayibonisa ukuba imeko yobuhlwempu yomhlaba wonke yayisiba maxongo. Le wotshi, eyayixhonywe kuloo ngqungquthela, yayibonisa ukuba ebudeni baloo ntlanganiso eyathabatha iveki yonke, kongezwa iintsana ezinokuba ngama-600 000 kubantu abaqhubeka besanda abahluphekayo. Ngosuku lokugqibela lwale ntlanganiso, iwotshi yamiswa; kodwa xa kuthethwa inyaniso, kunjengokuba uSpeth wathi, “iwotshi isaqhubeka ihamba.” Ngoku kuphakama umbuzo othi, Ngaba iya kuze iviwe?