In a fit of temper Tsvangirai declares Mugabe appointments “null and void”. He believes he created a “constitutional crisis” with that move. And he calls on SADC to supervise Zimbabwe’s planned constitutional referendum “to help protect the rights of Zimbabweans to express their views freely and without violence or intimidation”.
I have been scratching my head trying to figure out what exactly Tsvangirai is trying to do here; but I know I can scratch till I am as bold as a baby’s bum, I will never figure it out! What a stupid move!
Tsvangirai admitted he was wrong to have trusted Mugabe and enter into the power sharing agreement. He admitted Mugabe did not keep any of his promises. And he should have listened to those who had advised against this from the start. “Thank God, the idiot has finally seen the light!” you would be forgiven for thinking. “Two years of costly appeasement are finally over!”
“I will continue to work for the implementation of the GPA in its totality,” says Tsvangirai. The man is simply an insufferable idiot!
Last time Tsvangirai was angry with Mugabe, he “disengaged” from the GNU – MDC ministered stopped interacting with Zanu PF ministers – some stupid move that turned out to be. This time Tsvangirai decided to remain totally engaged whilst at the same time torpedo Mugabe himself by challenging the dictator’s authority.
By declaring all Mugabe’s recent appointments of ambassadors, judges, governors, etc. “null and void” Tsvangirai did NOT created a constitutional crisis as he so wishfully claims. All these individuals will remain in their posts and do their appointed tasks and there is absolutely NOTHING Tsvangirai can do about it.
“I invite SADC to deploy observers before the constitutional referendum to help protect the rights of Zimbabweans to express their views freely and without violence or intimidation,” says Tsvangirai. What a joke!
What makes Tsvangirai think there will be violence or intimidation during the constitutional referendum? Mugabe wanted to make sure the draft constitution to be presented to the nation in the referendum was to his liking and it is. The widespread violence during the outreach phase was to achieve just that and it did. Tsvangirai is closing the stable after the horse has already bolted. He should have refused to take part in the outreach program until all Zanu PF sponsored violence had stopped.
Everyone knows in this GNU Tsvangirai has neither the power nor the authority to do anything all power and authority rest with Mugabe himself. All Tsvangirai has is a fancy title of Prime Minister. There is nothing more pathetic than a mouse flexing its muscles and threatening to beat up a lion!
There will be no constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe. And not even the few SADC leaders who had supported Tsvangirai in the past would want to back Tsvangirai’s hare brain scheme this time. Tsvangirai’s one and half hour long speech is nothing but what William Shakespeare called a “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
@La Quebecoise
"We should "agreeably" try to see if we can make some converge" you say? Well that is as one would expect in a civilised society. Mugabe and his cronies are not to be counted among that society!
There are some issues you and me or any civilised person out there would agree on with no if, but or maybe about it. Things like freedom of expression for example; you would go out of your way to defend my freedom of expression as readily as I would yours because we both understand that is the very foundation of civilised interaction. Mugabe and his lot would howl and scream if they are denied their freedom of expression or any other rights. But in excising their freedom of expression they not only shout at everyone else to shut the F** up but back up their demand by abusing their position of power and authority to punish you.
La Quebecoise, how do you talk agreeably with a bully trading on your toes with his heavy boot, all the while pretending there is absolutely nothing amiss?!
5 comments:
Metro Zimbabwe reported the same story but went into greater detail - reproduce Tsvangirai's press statement in its entirety!
In the speech, Tsvangirai does not just accuse Mugabe of being a racist; he declared “null and void” all the appointments of ambassadors, governors, judges, etc. Mugabe made. Creating a “constitutional crisis”, Tsvangirai’s words not mine.
Why has M&G (as did many other publications) ignored Tsvangirai’s speech? Not that I blame you if you did. Personally, I dismissed the whole speech as Shakespearean tale “told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing”. It is hard to take Tsvangirai serious.
@ Fungayi
“Zimbabwe's fate shall be decided by Zimbabweans, not French Canadians or Scots. I wish you success with your keyboard war to unseat Mugabe!”
I am fighting for every Zimbabwean to have a meaningful say in the fate of Zimbabwe and not the lie Mugabe and his cronies, including you, have been peddling. You denying Zimbabweans their basic rights; terrorise and murdered thousands in the process and you claim that is what the people want. I told you before you can fool a blind man that there is no maize meal in their rice but you can not do the same about pepper and salt in their relish. Millions of Zimbabweans now live in abject poverty and have lived in constant fear of Zanu PF thugs and the Police. They are at the cutting edge of the country’s economic melt down and repression. They know Mugabe has short changed them and they will get rid of this regime.
In 2008 the people defied the regime to vote MDC – it is great pity Tsvangirai has turned out to be an idiot. Still the people will defy Mugabe once again and I would not count on the next leader being another idiot!
We both know power is slipping away from Mugabe and Zanu PF has the increased repression but that has only served to harden the people’s resolve to end this dictatorial rule. There will be regime change in Zimbabwe – Mugabe’s worst nightmare is yet to come true!
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@ Jean Wright
You have to agree that declaring null and void the presidential appointments would have caused a constitutional crisis if that was coming from anyone who could pull it off. That would certainly have been BIG NEWS and every newspaper, radio station, TV station, news agent, you name it would be carrying it. It is impossible to take Tsvangirai seriously; how can one, when everything he says and does simply does not make any sense!
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe the Right Honourable Morgan R Tsvangirai issues what he himself says is a “constitutional crisis” speech and everyone ignores it. That says it all, there is no need for you to apologise why M & G too ignored the speech!
@ Fungayi
“Bennett is an unrepentant Rhodie whose only interest was to save his farm.” Whatever that means?!
Mugabe has sworn in men and women who planned and have publicly advocated violence and murder of tens of thousands innocent Zimbabweans whose only crime was to exercise their democratic and God given right to live in human dignity. Some of the sworn men and women have blood on their hands for Christ’s sake. Mugabe himself, if the truth be told, is just as guilty of these crimes as his henchmen and thugs. Bennett, as far as his court charges show, has no blood on his hands.
On the economic front; nothing Bennett has done can possibly be compared to the looting Mugabe and his cronies have been doing that drove the national economy into total melt down and forcing millions of our people into abject poverty.
@ Jean Wright
If this was really and truly about “intentions” then I too will join the queue of all those praising Morgan Tsvangirai's best intentions. But, since his best intentions have brought nothing but misery to millions, I too would be seeking cold comfort from “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Jean this is not about intentions, it is about appeasement and mind blowing incompetence!
Mugabe was on the hook after the sham 2008 presidential run-off! The whole world condemned the whole outrageous elections and declared Mugabe “illegitimate”. Who got him off the hook; that’s right, Morgan Tsvangirai! And for what; a one-sided GPA in favour of the dictator?
What in the world did Tsvangirai think he would achieve by getting the dictator off the hook and reinstating him back into office complete with all his dictatorial powers and all the tragic human misery that entailed? All Tsvangirai was “thinking” about is of course the fancy title the dictator offered him and all the benefits and prestige that goes with it. Anyone who witnessed Tsvangirai’s swearing-in ceremony was left in any doubt that Tsvangirai would not do anything for this.
He gave Mugabe all the dictator asked for just to appease him. In doing so Tsvangirai was of course betraying a whole nation!
To be fair to Tsvangirai is not the first Zimbabwean politician to sacrifice their values, principle and their very souls for the sake of whatever power Mugabe dishes to them. That is what Zanu PF politicians have been doing all these years. But hey, they too must have had the “best intentions”, of course!
But of course, before the ink on the agreement was dry, the dictator was already breaking his word and kicking Tsvangirai in the teeth. Saves him too!
@ Mariko Jones
Here is a leader who admits that he has made a big mistake trusting Mugabe but sadly lacks the courage and political will to make the decisive act common sense itself dictates - end the marriage!
You are right Zanu PF is “unelectable” and MDC led by Tsvangirai is “as palatable as a dug beetle” to you and me. The two parties know that too which is why they both dread the prospect of the next elections.
Zanu PF is so unelectable that the party has no choice but to use violence against their political opponents and to intimidate the electorate. The party has been fortunate in that MDC has been slow in realising its plan and also the party has had a generous wind fall from the sell of Marange diamonds to pay its thugs. What worries Mugabe though is the hardening resolve of the electorate to end his rule. In spite of all the violence the electorate will risk it all and vote against Zanu PF. Worse still, Mugabe got away with using violence in 2008 but the international community will not let him off the hook so readily this time.
Tsvangirai led MDC has lost so much credibility that the electorate will probably want to try somebody else this time.
@Jean Wright
You have asked me a lot of questions and I will do my best to answer them.
“You seem to have no regard for Tsvangirai. If this is the case is it because you now do not trust him? It is clear you now do not respect him,” you write.
You say you are British, Jean. How would Tsvangirai, given his political blundering and all, been treated by the British is he had been a British politician? One of the most enduing imagine of Margret Thatcher was of her depicted as Dracula with blood dripping off the fangs. She was unceremonious booted out of office by her own party kicking and screaming. Even her greatest political opponents will admit she was one of the greatest post war British leaders; for one thing, she got Britain working again.
Another example, the Sun had so low regard for Labour’s leader, Michael Foot, if he was to win the elections; the paper had a picture of Britain light by one bulb caption “Will the last person please switch off the light!”
Tsvangirai has himself admitted that trusting Mugabe and signing the GPA was a serious mistake but, frankly, the idiot does not even begin to appreciate the sheer enormity of this blunder and the tragic consequences of it! The man is an idiot and respect, trust, etc. have nothing to do with it. In Africa things are different.
In Africa leaders are treated with such reverence and respect it is unthinkable to say anything uncomplimentary let alone critical regardless of just how incompetent they turn out to be. In African culture respecting one’s leaders and elders is valued above truth. This is a fundamental weakness the leaders have taken full advantage of to stifle all meaningful debate at national level and even within the political party. For decades Mugabe was “untouchable” and it is any wonder he become a dictator. Now history is repeating itself, Tsvangirai has turned out to be a blundering idiot and yet, out of respect of course, we all pretend there is nothing amiss.
“Do you advocate a pull out by Tsvangirai? What then?” You ask next.
Tsvangirai should have never let Mugabe off the hook by signing a one sided power sharing agreement. Ever since he signed it Tsvangirai has got nothing but abuse from the dictator and as for the people, their hopes of economic recovery and an end to the political repression have all been dashed. Yes, MDC should pull out of the GNU; it is not working and there is no point in pretending.
If MDC had not joined the GNU in the first place the consequences of that was clearer. He would have left Mugabe to hang up and dry sending a clear message to the dictator and his cronies that their reign of terror was over. The consequences of pulling out of the GNU now are less clear cut but the consequences of remaining in the GNU are clearly even worse. If Tsvangirai is going to pull out he needs to do so decisively and not all this dithering one leg in one out!
Zimbabwe will be better off if we ditched Mugabe in 1985 and now the same with Tsvangirai after just a year as MDC leader!
Tsvangirai was down right stupid to have signed the GPA and hope Mugabe can be trusted to share power. He should have ended this one-sided marriage months ago and not this halfway house of one leg in one leg out, praising Mugabe one day and calling him a dishonest partner the next, etc. All this flip flopping has only served to undermine Tsvangirai's standing.
No doubt the new ambassadors would have presented their credentials when the arrived in Sweden, SA, Italy, etc. and they would have been found to be in order. Surely it is not the host country’s responsible to confirm that all the individuals who should be consulted or whatever before the credentials are issues were all indeed consulted. Even if these country wanted to be seen to be supportive of Tsvangirai, their hands are tied on this; they are not going to withdraw the diplomatic recognition they conferred on the Zimbabwean ambassadors just because PM Tsvangirai got off the wrong side of the bed.
This is typical of Tsvangirai; he could have refused to sign the GPA after the sham 2008 election and the whole international community was solidly behind him. Instead he picks a fight with Mugabe over issues on which his own standing is shaky and expects others, whose standing in the whole affair is even worse, to join him in the fight! The Swedes, etc. will no doubt leave Tsvangirai to fight his stupid battles alone!
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