WE would like to commend the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) for continually pushing to have President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his nemesis and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to dialogue. NewsDay Comment The two leaders have the key to unlock the political and economic gridlock that is choking the country, and during times like these, selfish and narrow-minded political interests and egos must be set aside for the greater good. Given the challenges facing the country at the moment, it is quite clear that only a negotiated settlement will suffice. Quite clearly, the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) platform that Mnangagwa had previously insisted was the only officially recognised platform for inter-party political dialogue has failed to produce any tangible deliverables. In fact, it has been reduced into a mere talk-shop before some of the actors had even started chickening out. Given that Chamisa commands a significant chunk of the population, it only makes sense that any dialogue that does not involve him will not succeed, like it or not. We know that the late former President Robert Mugabe did not like a political arrangement involving the MDC, but at least, he was wise enough to appreciate that the crisis in the country was not going to be solved by political rhetoric and brinkmanship, and, therefore, agreed to dialogue with the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Although not the ideal solution on paper, the arrangement gave the nation some breathing space after an unprecedented economic holocaust. During such trying times, making concessions and compromises for the nation rather than personal interest becomes critical. This is where real leadership manifests. It is against this backdrop that ZCC’s efforts must be embraced by all political parties and their supporters. In any case, we are all Zimbabweans first before we are political party supporters, and nothing should stop us from talking to each other and coming to an understanding for the good of our nation and its future. We must be mature and wise enough to be able to dialogue. We do hope the positive response that the ZCC said they have so far received will be seen through right to the end. We have no other option, unless if we want future generations to look back on us and wonder at some of the decisions we made that did not take into account the future and destiny of this country. We also urge Mnangagwa and Chamisa to embrace this initiative fully and allow themselves to become conduits for national progress. Their hordes of supporters, and neutral Zimbabweans, are all looking up to them to do the right thing.