EXPECT NO GOOD WILL: POWER IS MUGABE'S BOTTOM LINE

With all the good will in the world, a Government of National Unity (GNU) in Zimbabwe will not work for one simple reason: there is not a milligram of good will in Robert Mugabe’s whole being!
Mugabe has already vowed that “Only God” will remove him from office. And anyone who thought this was only election campaign rhetoric had a rude wake-up call. Here was a man who not only threatened to throw the whole nation into lawlessness. He did just that. He did not only threaten to beat up and murder people. Hundreds of thousands has been beaten and bones broken and over hundred have been murdered.

Mugabe has enjoyed undiluted political power ever since he led Zimbabwe’s first black majority regime. Over the years he and cahoots of equally self-serving demagogues close to him have grown to love that power, the prestige and financial benefits it brought. They have become so intoxicated with it all that giving all this up is simply unthinkable.

In a way Mugabe has prepared himself for a GNU he had one with his own ruling party on the one and his security operatives on the other. The party official held all the normal government positions such as Ministers, Governors. This gave the regime all the public façade of a normal administration; in reality, however, none of them hard any political power. All political power in Zimbabwe has been exercised by the Joint Operation Command made up of heads of the State Security Organs such as the Police, Army, Air Force and a selected others such as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono.

Mugabe would want to remains President of Zimbabwe – call him titular if you wish! MDC can share with Zanu PF party leaders the Ministerial and other public offices. These are all purely symbolic real political power will rest with JOC. And JOC will remain faithful to one man and one man only- Robert Mugabe. In fulfilment of yet another repeated pre-election promise “not to salute” Morgan Tsvangirai made by State Security Chiefs all in JOC.

Robert Mugabe’s bottom line is that he remains President and his own parallel administration JOC is unofficial and therefore not open for negotiation. He has no intention of contesting another election ever again and therefore a Transition Government with a life span of a year or so will fly like a lead balloon. He needs a secure tenure of office of a minimum of five years. MDC can negotiate all it likes but Mugabe will not budge an inch on this.

Whatever Zanu PF and MDC agree to the reality on the ground will be nothing short of Mugabe's bottom line. If good will means Mugabe must give up on his bottom line then he will tell you himself with pride that there is not a milligram of good will in him!