“It is the most frustrating experience of my life to have to negotiate with somebody who lost an election, and then forced to negotiate an arrangement where the loser comes through the window in order to claim the same rights like somebody who has won,” Tsvangirai has admitted.
For the people of Zimbabwe, who have bore the brand of your stupidity, Mr Tsvangirai it has been a complete disaster. Many people have lost their lives to get Mugabe out of office and, by your simple act of signing the GPA – frustrating or not – you let Mugabe back into office by the back door. The signing of the GPA by Tsvangirai was the single most disastrous act in Zimbabwe’s history. After the sham 2008 presidential run-off Mugabe was on the hook; the whole world refused to recognise him as “legitimate” head of state. But by signing the GPA Tsvangirai got the ruthless dictator and murderer off the hook!
Yes the country has enjoyed some degree peace and economic stability for the last three years but at what price? The dictator has used the time to reorganise his thugs, most of whom are now on full civil service pay to coerce the Police, Army and CIO into taking playing an active part in the political violence and lawlessness to promote Mugabe and Zanu PF’s struggle on power; to build a war chest from the sale of diamonds looted from Marange; etc. Like it or not Mugabe has had his “Lazarus Moment” as Jason Moyo of Mail and Guardian so aptly described it.
What would have happened if Tsvangirai had refused to enter into this shotgun marriage of convenience? The nation would have had to hold fresh free and fair elections which Mugabe have lost – the dictator knew he could never win free and fair elections. In short Mugabe would have been finally buried politically and not brought back from the died as has happened! The politics of fear, repression and murder would have been buried with him. And there will be peace, freedom and justice at long last.
With Mugabe and his dictatorship out of the way and the nation finally free to act and end the lawlessness, take away the idle farms and all the other resources looted by Mugabe and his cronies and put them all back into full productive use, etc; the nation would be on its way to full economic recovery.
The GPA has allowed the political violence to die down compared to what was happening before the run-off election but the threat of it all coming back has remained hanging over the nation’s head. And on the economic front the empty shops have filled with goods – imported goods. The country’s industries have continued to close down and Mugabe’s continued anti-West rhetoric has continued to scare away would be investors. Unemployment has remained stubbornly high, 80% plus, throughout and basic services like health and education which had all but collapsed by 2008 had hardly functioning for lack of funds.
Of course, whatever little political and economic gains GPA had brought will all be wiped out as the nation falls back in the tight grip of the dictatorship.
“But I think you reach a stage where, given the level of collapse, you may have to forego, whether you have won or not and say what is the best solution for the people,” was Tsvangirai’s feeble excuse. This is more than spin, he actually believes in this nonsense!
Mugabe’s excuse for destroying the nation’s economy and for his barbaric denial of the people’s rights and dignity to satisfy his greed for wealth and power is that it was all done to protecting the country’s “independence and sovereignty”. When Mugabe offered Tsvangirai the chance to be Prime Minister – (it was not for the dictator to give offer but a simpleton like Tsvangirai did not appreciate that) even when it was clear there was to be no real power and authority behind the position (again the simpleton did not see that) – was all too much for the later How can bringing back to life a ruthless dictator so that he can continue to torment rape and murder our people be “best for the people”?!
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Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa sought refuge behind black wheelie bins on Saturday as angry refugees and activists in South Africa disrupted a planned ZANU PF anti-sanctions rally, reports S W Radio Africa.
It is a great pity that it is not only Mugabe and Zanu PF who believe that thuggery is the only way of expressing one's point of view. MDC has the numbers on its side in SA and the party's supporters did not hesitate to use violence to silence Minister Mutasa. MDC is becoming more and more like Zanu PF as the party becomes more and more powerful politically. What we want is to end the cycle of violence and intolerance Mugabe fostered on the nation and have freedom, democracy and rule of law. We do not want to see one repressive regime replace by another repressive regime.
MDC’s “an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth mentality” will only result in Zimbabwe blind and toothless!
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Zimbabwe’s representative to the three main political parties in the GNU plus President Zuma’s facilitating team are meeting in Cape Town to find a road map to Zimbabwe’s political crisis. The issue of violence is proving to be one sticking point the other is the reform of Zimbabwe’s security organs; the Police, Army and CIO who have been playing any increasing role in instigating the violence. The top brass in these organs have publicly said they would not salute any political leaders with no liberation strangle record even if they did win elections.
So reform of the security organs to free them from the shackles tying them to Zanu PF is a must. To hang on to power Mugabe and Zanu PF can not afford to have law abiding Police, Army, CIO, etc. So the battle lines are drawn.
The people of Zimbabwe’s position are equally simple; they want reforms to restore their basic and fundamental right to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country freed from fear and violence. If their free vote should result in regime change so be; that should and must be accepted with no for apology or explanation!
If one accepts the security reforms will ensure the exercise fundamental rights and freedoms – and they are all fundamental and indivisible - what then is there to negotiate!
MDC’s position should be the same as that of the people but in the past the party has traded fundamental rights as readily as a fruit seller.
The Zanu PF negotiators have already been instructed by their party not to give an inch on security organ reforms.
“These puppets and their masters will not be allowed to reform something they did not form using the cover of the GPA negotiations under misplaced SADC facilitation which the UK government apparently wants to use to dictate regime change in the country,” wrote Professor Jonathan Moyo in local media.
Mugabe and Zanu PF’s position is simple enough; they will accept all reforms as long as they do not result in regime change at the end of the day. Any changes that will result in regime change is considered a western agenda and therefore not a violation of the people’s fundamental right. As far as Zanu PF is concerned the people of Zimbabwe would not possible seek regime change although the violence and abuse are all directed at the people and not the West.
No doubt Tsvangirai and President Zuma would give away some things to appease Mugabe – why else would one seek to divide things that are indivisible. At the end of the day Mugabe will take the concessions and demand more beside. As Professor Moyo rightly pointed out what ever is agreed by the negotiators is not enforced by a Court of Law because the negotiators do not have any legal power to pass laws in Zimbabwe. Not that there would have stopped Mugabe and Zanu PF in any way, they have always disregarded the law when it suited them to do so.
Mugabe is not interested in the twists and turns in the proposed road map what he has set in stone is its final destination – no regime change! Meanwhile Tsvangirai and President Zuma can amuse themselves drawing the roadmap as long the destination remains the same. Everyone knows the Mugabe dictatorship do a lot worse than calling those who dare cross swords with it “puppets”!
1 comment:
No one disputes the fact that political environment in Zimbabwe is not right for holding free and fair elections. Ms Zulu thinks the parties to the GNU need time, the rest of this year, to write a new constitution, carry out the necessary institutional reforms, etc. for free and fair elections. How naïve can one be!
In January this year Egypt had a dictatorship just as ruthless and well entrenched in Egyptian society as this Mugabe dictatorship is in Zimbabwean society. But by the end of February the tyrant was holed up in a house with all his looted wealth frozen and all his cronies have melted away. The people of Egypt will hold free and fair elections later this year and the difficult task of rebuilding the nation has already began in earnest.
Zimbabwe’s GNU was tasked to write the new constitution in 18 months and now, 28 months later, the parties can not even submit a draft. The parties are deadlocked on institutional reforms in Police, Army and CIO to end the partisan approach behind the scourge of political violence in Zimbabwe politics. The truth is these State Security Organs are more pollicised now than ever. A 2009 Zanu PF Congress resolution calling on the Police, Army, etc. to help Zanu PF, “the only party of the revolution”, retain political power at any cost.
The Police, Army and CIO know Mugabe and Zanu PF will never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe and they are there to ensure Mugabe gets all the help he needs to win. The top brass in the Police, Army, etc., through the Joint Operations Command (JOC), are the real power in Zimbabwe; not parliament. Mugabe is nothing but the public face of JOC and the party, Zanu PF, is the fig-leaf to hid JOC. Regime change is a threat to Police and Army Officers as much as it threatens Mugabe himself. They all stand to lose the big farms and all the other loot and many will have to account for the blood on their hands from the years of brutal repression.
No; what has been lacking to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, is not time but the political will. Instead of putting their foot down and force the parties to address the burning issues what SADC and SA has been doing is appease Mugabe at every turn!
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