Even by African standards, what Robert Mugabe has done in Zimbabwe to retain power is totally unacceptable and therefore he can not be accepted as legitimate President of Zimbabwe. So why, oh why, all the talk of Government of National Unity and power sharing as if the country had a free and fair election whose result left no individual political party with enough seats to govern on its own? For any black African, especially from Sub-Sahara Africa, the talks are perfectly natural.
In Sub Sahara Africa, people never tackle a problem head on preferring instead a more circumspect and roundabout approach. If the problem involves someone in position of power and authority then the whole process must be overlaid layer upon layer of African tradition and cultural relationship between the two parties. The only power worth having in Africa, it seems, is absolute power. And so the contest is often between the mouse and the cat in which the later is also the judge, jury and executioner. Little wonder then that in African the agreed facts of the case often have no bearing to charges, the conduct of the proceeding and judgement at the end of the day.
So if you asked Morgan Tsvangirai and his fellow leaders in MDC if they were at all surprised at what Mugabe did? Are they surprised that President Thabo Mbeki and the AU are demanding that there be power sharing in Zimbabwe? The honest answers to both questions will be, no. Ask the people themselves and they too would answer no. They all had low expectations and worked for failure and disappointment and are reaping just that failure and disappointment; the self fulfilling prophecy. If anyone should answer yes then they must explain why …. I am getting ahead of myself!
If people in African are serious about democracy and the values and principles it espouses then we must bring democracy into our homes first before we try it at a national level. African family life is dominated by father and he exercises his power and authority like a tyrant. Next to taking his wife the next thing one can do to an African man to insult his manhood is question his power and authority!
A wife would never tell her husband directly to blow his nose. She would tell a child, loud enough for her husband to hear, to blow his or her nose. If the Husband does not take the hind, she would repeat the instruction with a note of urgency in her voice. The poor child, not yet school in our culture, would no doubt be alarmed at this special when his or her nose was clean along! The child would cope-on when they notice “caterpillars” crawling out of their father’s nose.
Well may be I should have qualified the paragraph above starting, “A wife . .” with “ A wife, two three generations ago, ..“ Few African husbands would identify that wife with they one they have in their home. The modern African wife has the confidence to look her husband in the face and tell him to blow his nose. But on many other matters of importance the women would agree it is the husband who decide, and more often than not, without even consulting her!
The image of a all power domineering father head appealed greatly to Africa’s leaders and they have transferred it from a family setting to a national level. Women in their role as wives and children had no problem related to all powerful male head. One of the most enduring image of President Kamuzu Banda of Malawi and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia is one in which the two are completely surrounded by a sea of women supporters all sporting similar dresses and headgear with their portrait! Something Mugabe was quick to copy.
Give the women the vote and even play some divide and rule tactic by giving women a greater voice in their own homes. And if the electorate should ever show signs of impatience let lose party thugs paid to intimidate, beat and murder and the women voters would be carolled back into the party fold like sheep. Unlike in other countries, in African woman got their vote without ever having to fight for that right but over the years many would regard it as a curse!
The men, as Africa’s dictators know only too well, are not so easy to carol and dominate; not in the same way as women. A reasonable dictator would surround himself with a number of men to whom he gives dictatorial powers as long as they ultimately defer to him on all matters.
Among themselves African men do not speak plainly, they would skirt around. Chinua Achebe, that illustrious son of Africa, describes this beautifully in his book “Things Fall Apart”. The scene has Okoye calling on his neighbour, Unoka, to collect the debt the later owed him. Did Okoye come out right and say that? No, no definitely not! The two went into a long and elaborate greeting ritual, and then talked about this and talked about that. When Okoye finally, finally got round to the reason why he had called; even then he used proverbs; talking of if you see a frog hopping in broad day, something must be after its life! Proverbs are “the palm-oil with which words are eaten” Achebe says. May be; but I sure wish all debt collectors were like Okoye we the poor would be riding pedigree racing champions!
When there is dispute; African men would resolve it using the same elaborate system design more to wear one party down then to settle the right or wrong of the matter. Unoka, in the story above for example was know for borrowing and not pay back, people still continued to lend him against their better judge. Unoka humoured would be lender in much the same way a vampire bat anaesthetize it victim.
If the dispute is between the ordinary and the all powerful dictator, such was the case between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, then African culture and tradition says it is the wishes of the powerful that matter above all else. Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC’s have always acknowledged and accepted this – forget all the public posturing and bravado. It was this acceptance that gave Mugabe the confidence to “steal” past elections and he did. And this time he has crossed all bounds to “steal” the recent election and, again, he will probably get away with it.
It is easy to cheat, short change, etc. someone who half expects to be cheated, short changed, etc.!
What would one have expected Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC- if they had the political spine- to do? Lead from the front and not be led by the nose like a donkey by Mugabe!
MDC should make its position very clear talks will discuss the formation and nature of the Transition Government. There can not be any GNU given the circumstances of Mugabe’s election; a GNU would directly or indirectly endorse his illegitimate arrangement.
Mugabe or more explicitly the Joint Operation Command (JOC) would increase the violence to pressure MDC to accept the GNU option. That is as one would expect.
Again Tsvangirai and MDC should show some quality leadership and that they have a complete grasp of the complex issues here and act accordingly. Ever since the formation of JOC Zimbabwe has had two administrations; normal one composed of the Parliament, Cabinet and the President and JOC. JOC made all the important decisions further weakening an already powerless Parliament and Cabinet. In a GNU MDC would be allocated a few Ministerial posts and Tsvangirai would be Prime Minister running Parliament and Cabinet. JOC will remain and, of course, will report to “President” Mugabe. People should not be fooled by terms like Titular President – Mugabe and his cronies will retain all the real power in GNU.
As for the threat by JOC to increase the violence; Tsvangirai should deal with this head on. If he had done so, I am convinced it would have dead away by now or better still it would have never occurred!
To start with those who resort to political violence to achieve political ends must know that they are committing a treasonable office of denying the people the basic right to free and fair election and, by their, acts are trying to hold the whole nation to ransom. No nation worth its salt can ever accept that! These practices have been noted in past elections and Zimbabwe will put a stop to these criminal acts once and once for all. There will be a public inquiry into all politically motivated violence and those found guilty will be punished!
Reports of Commanding Officers demanding to see how the rank and file in the Police, Army, etc. had voted in the recent elections is proof, if any proof was needed, that many Zimbabweans are not happy with what is happening. If these men and women are not happy with voting as they are told they are even more reluctant to beat and murder an innocent person. Why do it?
There is no paper trail accompanying all the violence and killings that has been sweeping Zimbabwe for months now. None of the Commanding Officers want to leave any self-incriminating evidence and tomorrow they will vehemently deny they ever issued such ridiculous orders! Do not be the fool who carried out the order and, without solid evidence, will be the one to pay the full penalty alone. Ask for written orders. And even if you get them refuse to carry them out- it would be better to be dismissed now then to hang tomorrow!
Mugabe and President Thabo Mbeki have bullied Tsvangirai so much that the later has lost all credibility as a negotiating party in the political talks taking place in South Africa. Whatever they agree must be disregarded in the future. What has happened in Zimbabwe must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible for the heinous crimes must be held to account. Democracy demands a healthy relationship between the ruler and the ruled, the incumbent and the challenger. Before Mugabe, Tsvangirai, unfortunately, see himself as a mouse in a cat’s paw! The people of Zimbabwe see things differently and a full political investigation will prove this- for this matter will not go away until it is properly addressed, not this time!
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