For the last thirty years Zimbabwe has had a generation of “untouchable and infallible” leaders; which, of course, is why we are in this mess. In our fight to get out of it; are we, inadvertently, creating a new generation of untouchables?
I am, like most other Zimbabweans, a regular listener to S W Radio Africa and reader of the Zimbabwe Times and the few others internet publications covering the tragic goings on in Zimbabwe. On Tuesday 7 October The Zimbabwe Times reported “The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Tuesday admitted that the party made “a big mistake” by signing a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe, without having agreed on the make-up of a unity government.” (MDC has since retracted the statement, claiming they were quoted out of context.)
After three weeks of bickering over which party would get which ministry, MDC was stating the obvious; one would have thought. Tendai Biti’s reply in a follow up interview on S W Radio Africa was disappointing and alarming.
According to Tendai Biti, MDC Tsvangirai Secretary General, MDC had expected Mugabe to simply accept that MDC would have control of all the finance and economic ministries. The country was in the present mess because Zanu PF “had failed”, he argued. This is true enough!
“Equally the MDC would have deferred to ZANU PF on the question of security ministries because they are still controlling,” continued Mr Biti. “That is elementary.” Well, it is not that simply; is it?
Zimbabwe is in the economic mess because mismanagement and down right incompetence on the part of Mugabe and his Zanu PF ruling party. A new team of competent people will address this, yes. But that would not be enough here.
Zimbabwe’s economy is in a mess too because there was rampant corruption. The kind of corruption that has left our Hospitals without even something as basic and vital as a drip-kit when millions of US$ are spent of a fleet of new Mercedes Benz for the ruling elite. The kind of corruption that has left the nation starving because the farms used to grow the food was seized and given to a few. And the kind of corruption that allows those few to hang on to their ill got loot.
The rampant corruption is happening in every ministry and at every level in society – it is what the very life-blood of the dictatorship. It is not enough that MDC should control a few ministries and let this criminal waste of human and material resource continue unabated!
Of course the nation would have done something to end the mismanagement, incompetence and corruption it Mugabe was not holding a gun to our collective head! He had openly brandished it, threatened and, just to prove he meant business, has frequently fired it with devastating results. 20 000 to 30 000 killed in the 1980s for the sole purpose of eliminating Zapu from the political scene.
In the three months following the 29 March 2008 election Mugabe unleashed his thugs and henchmen. Half a million people were forced to leave their homes and up to 2 000 were murdered in cold blood! Many of the State Security Agents, such as the Police, the CIO and Army were coerced to join in mayhem by doing nothing to stop the madness or worse still by committing the heinous crimes themselves.
One would think MDC would remember these recent events. Was it not for the widespread intimidation, rape and murders that forced Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from the presidential run-off! Indeed, he and others within the MDC leadership, including Mr Tendai Biti himself, were in forced exile for weeks because “they feared for their lives” we were told! How can MDC then want to continue to control the security ministries?!
How can anyone in his or her right mind want Mugabe to continue to hold the gun?
It has taken over three weeks already to complete the simply task of dividing up the ministries between the GNU parties- because Mugabe is flexing his political muscle; as usual.
The very idea of sharing power with a dictator is self contradiction. The dictator would at best simply “swallow up” the junior partner as happened to J Nkomo’s PF Zapu. It was outright stupid to think a dictator like Mugabe could be trusted to keep his word. That MDC signed a blank piece of paper with everything to be agreed later is more than just “a big mistake”. It was sheer madness! Mugabe got what he wanted out of the deal- a tacit acceptance of him as President of Zimbabwe and open ended deal for him to complete as he pleased!
The 27 June one-horse presidential run-off race was widely dismissed as a sham even by Mugabe’s sanctioned African election observers. The world at large refused to accept as the legitimately “elected” President of Zimbabwe. But when MDC signed the deal in which Mugabe was accepted as the country’s sworn President, it impossible for anybody else to say otherwise.
MDC has since found it frustrating that Mugabe should be dragging his feet over the implementation of the deal. MDC has turned to Thembo Mbeki, the former SA President and SADC mediator, to help resolve the current allocation of ministries impasse. Zanu PF has public said that was NOT necessary, and Mbeki has stayed out of it.
What exactly does MDC want Mbeki to do, any where? Will MDC call Mbeki back again if Mugabe should dictate policies, implementation, etc. – which you can bet, Mugabe will!
In despair, MDC has now turned to anyone, anyone at all, who would care to listen. And in typical Zanu PF arrogant style, Patrick Chinemasa, the Zanu PF negotiator, has dismissed MDC for negotiating “in public”. In reply Nelson Chamisa said MDC had nothing “to hide” and that the party was turning to the Zimbabwe public because they are the party’s “compass”. Compass my foot!
For the last eight years now MDC has had involved in “Talks” with Zanu PF and the power sharing deal was a result of the last lot of “Talks”. MDC in cahoots with Zanu PF has consistently kept the Zimbabwe public in the dark as to what the two were talking about let alone consulted them for direction. Some compass!
The power sharing deal is silent as to the exact term of the GNU. It was a deliberate omission on the part of Mugabe. He wanted the GNU to last five years and he will pull every trick in the book to ensure that happens. The nation is serious trouble, millions are hungry and many, many innocent lives are at risk. And three weeks after signing the deal still there is no effective government! There prospect of five years of dithering is mind boggling! Thanks to MDC for getting Mugabe off the hook!
“We do not regret anything,” answered Tendai Biti regarding the deal. “Absolutely nothing! We have saved Zimbabwe to the best of our ability!” Well, if selling Zimbabwe to the dictator for a few empty promises is MDC’s best, then God help us!
“We have paid the price (for serving Zimbabwe),” continued Biti. “Some of us are facing treason charges that may result in death.” He was referring to the numerous times when he and the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai have been assaulted by the Police and thrown in jail. Tendai still has the treason charge hanging over him for declaring the 29 March 2008 election results ahead of the official body, ZEC tasked to do so.
It is something we all deeply regret that anyone, anyone all should be subjected to an ill treatment or worse for exercising their basic and fundamental rights such as freedom of expression in independent Zimbabwe. What I failed to understand, however, was why Tendai Biti felt it necessary to bring that up! I had visions of the past flash before my eyes!
At the heart of Zimbabwe’s political and economic nightmare are people like Robert Mugabe who believe they can say or do no wrong. They are liberation war heroes and whatever they do or have ever done before or after independence, even now nearly three decades after independence, must only be viewed through the prism of their heroic sacrifices.
In our fight to end Mugabe’s dictatorship, many people have been targeted by the dictatorship and many have suffered and many great sacrifices. But in so doing, have we now created a new generation of untouchable and infallible leaders who will in turn admit no mistake?
Robert Mugabe has committed many heinous crimes against the people of Zimbabwe but the greatest crime above all else was the falsehood that because of his heroic past he is somehow incapable of any base act. Enough of these mean, ruthless and brutal dictators masquerading as national heroes per excellence!
History will pass the final say on MDC was wisdom or otherwise to sign the deal with Mugabe – I would say, enough has happened already to say which way the penny will fall. Meanwhile we must nip in the bud any autocratic tendencies of those who should consider themselves, for whatever reason, to be infallible and therefore beyond reproach.
(Tendai Biti’s S W Radio Africa interview is available on swradioafrica.com Tuesday 7 September Newsreel)
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