Morgan Tsvangirai has just written an excellent letter addressed to My Fellow Zimbabweans in which he promised he will not betray us. It was one of the best things I have heard him say. The letter is available on the Zimbabwe Time web site. One swallow does not make a summer and be the same token one good letter does not make a good national leader. Mr Tsvangirai has a lot me to do to redeem his past shortcomings.
Morgan, you have said and done many things - and to be honest, many of us did not always agree with you. There will be few Zimbabweans who will find fault in what you said here or doing; I for one, am impressed.
Whilst one agrees with your commitment to dialogue and peaceful meanings of resolving our problems you must remember: 1) that dialogue is a two way process; Mugabe has planted his flag, he wants to maintain the status quo and talk about everything else but that. Frankly if we can not talk about dismantling the dictatorship, there is nothing else to talk about! 2) Talking in not an end in itself but a prologue to actions. We have to act, do something to end the political and economic crisis; talking alone will never ever do that.
Mugabe is determined to stay in power at all cost, he has said so and everything he has ever done was to achieve this singular goal. Since signed the MOU he has distributed a fleet of Mercedes Benz, Villas, etc. to one group of his ruling elite. A few days later he promoted of the very individuals responsible of the violence and murders. He may be taking part in the talks but he is also busy consolidating his dictatorship- not dismantling it.
On the other hand you, Tsvangirai, have shown a willingness to bend over double to please- anything to get the dialogue going. You demanded an end to all violence, for example, as a condition for taking part in the talks. A very reasonable demand although some of us thought it wishy-washy - you should have demanded the arrest of all those responsible for the violence and murders. You then made a complete U-turn and took part in the talks although none of your demands had been met- in the interest of getting the dialogue going, I take it.
The dialogue is not achieving anything. It is now six months since Mugabe dissolved the last parliament –not that it was doing any good – and it is totally unacceptable that the country should continue in this limbo, particularly when there is so much human suffering and misery.
The need to lift the ban stopping civic society and NGO giving humanitarian assistance to the needy is one such area calling for action now. Tsvangirai, are right in calling for the ban to be lifted. It was once again of Mugabe’s desperate acts to hang on to power at all costs. You are also right to appeal to President Thambo Mbeki and other SADC leaders over Mugabe’s head for decisive action. But that is not enough!
Surely there must be other peaceful and lawful means that can be pursued to force Mugabe to end this barbaric act of blackmail and collective punishment of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our country! A mass rally to high light and draw attention to the hundreds of thousands starving or the hospitals so ill equipped patients are dying of the most basic illness would get country wide support. It would achieve more than you and your fellow MDC leadership attending the coming SADC meeting.
Tsvangirai, you and MDC have always wanted dialogue but beyond that you never ever have a plan B! Each time you have been forced to act you have always looked to others to do something whilst you do nothing yourself. This promissory note to the people that you will not betray them is all very well but it is not near enough!
We all know Mugabe is not going to give an inch- “Chipikiri chakapiririra!” as we say in Shona. You either have to betray the people and concede to all what Mugabe wants or else take some decisive actions to end this impasse. Talking endlessly about nothing is no longer an option and, let me tell you now, letting Mugabe continue to have everything his way is too no longer an option! You have avoided grasping the nettle for years: Mugabe is a ruthless tyrant, do you have the courage to take him on head-on or will you let him twist you round his little finger as he has always done in the past?
Mr Tsvangirai, if you had taken Mugabe head-on and not just talk; there is no doubt that Zimbabwe would not have sunk to the depths of depravity and despair it has today.
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