Back to Index

The winds of change
Lance Guma, SW Radio Africa
February 02, 2011

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news010211/winds010211.htm

The days of despots hanging on to power for decades seem to be drawing to a close as winds of change sweep across the North of Africa and the Middle East. On Tuesday the King of Jordan was forced by protests to appoint a new Prime Minister, giving him instructions to implement radical political reforms.

It all started in Tunisia where protesting youths brought down a regime which had been in power for over 23 years. Similar angry protests have since spread to Egypt and Yemen, where impoverished citizens want their leaders to step down. Just like Mugabe, both Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen have been in power for more than 30 years.

In a sign that people are increasingly resisting authoritarian governments and leaders who have been in power for too long the protests have spread to Algeria and Sudan. Organizers are also mobilizing people in Syria to join in this week. The successful ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from Tunisia has encouraged many young, frustrated, Arab populations to turn on their own autocratic leaders.

On Sunday in Sudan more than 2,000 people gathered in various parts of the country calling for democracy and improved living standards. The government has launched a crackdown arresting 70 people, including journalists. Even independent newspapers have been banned. With people in the South voting for independence those in the North have become only too aware of their limited freedoms.

This week Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai gave his backing to the protests taking place in the North of Africa and the Middle East. "To me when people take their rights and start demanding more rights, there
is nothing wrong with that, including in Zimbabwe. That was the whole purpose of our struggle for the last 10 years. The aspect of incumbents leaving power to their children, dynasties, as we may call it, that is resented by the people," he said.

The question for many Zimbabweans, is will these winds of change blow south? Speaking to SW Radio Africa political analyst Dr Bekithemba Mpofu said it was unlikely protests in the North of Africa and the Middle East would be replicated in Zimbabwe because there was a coalition government. He said for the MDC to call for protests will be difficult because it would be like protesting against themselves.

Another analyst who spoke to SW Radio Africa said the MDC, which remains the strongest challenger to Mugabe's vice like grip on power, remains fixated with the electoral route. 'They may not admit it but they refuse to contemplate anything other than contesting elections and this gives Mugabe many options for remaining in power, like disputing results or rigging them etc,' he said.

But history has provided examples that anything can happen in Zimbabwe. In 1998 a group of women in Mabvuku started what became known as the food riots. As leader of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Tsvangirai led a series of strikes and stay-aways which forced government to reverse the increases in tax. Then in 2008 Zimbabweans never thought they would see soldiers demonstrating in the street over poor salaries, smashing shop windows and looting goods.

The key to the successful protests in Egypt has been the statement by the army that they would not attack the people. Will Zimbabwe's security forces ever take the side of the people?

SW Radio Africa is Zimbabwe's Independent Voice and broadcasts on Short Wave 4880 KHz in the 60m band.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP