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Politics beyond the obvious: Zimbabwe 2008 and beyond
Andrew
M Manyevere
January 09, 2006
http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=1560&cat=4
THE Zanu PF
conferences which have always come up as endorsement to President
Robert Mugabe's imaginative campaigns to stay in power, have
thrown one more stone, through alliances in tyranny, to win him
a term to 2010 while in power. No doubt he may go on and when 2010
comes about, and God giving him another span of few years, he may
dream walking to claim life presidency.
It is realistic to surmise that Mugabe is not alone in this claim
for ruler ship to 2010 and beyond. President Mugabe no longer controls
the country affairs, and behind him is a strong group of those who
enjoy seeing Zimbabwe suffer because of their selfish ambition which
supersedes national values. This should be beyond the obvious, beyond
nationalism and patriotism and finds its place in the realm of Power
Corruption.
The so-called Zanu-PF party provincial meetings never meet with
the people to gather views. They command people on what to say,
admonishing any rejection to tore the party line with harsh punitive
punishment. The rural folks are tormented with fear threats which
are always followed with one or two illustrations of punishment
upon those chosen as enemies in the village. These alleged enemies
are beaten publicly, tortured and in the presence of police who
watch helpless, also afraid that they may loose their jobs if not
life; if detected to be in sympathy with the masses.
The report on the Mutare Provincial Zanu-Pf meeting concludes with
a shape contrast of two emerging camps; that of Mujuru the former
army commander and that of Mnangagwa Emmerson the author of the
military joint command for Zimbabwe united army in the early 1980s.
Why would a man divorced from succession by his leader be seen to
be powerfully contesting for leadership if he is without support
from people? Which people would support Mnangagwa for all the ugly
claims people purports he has done in the past? Yet too, a question
can be asked on what wrong done by who, which was not done by any
other before, who is in the Zanu-Pf camp today?
There is a too simplistic answer to issues that are developing in
our politics, possibly developed to avoid real issues and cultured
from the school of Zanu-Pf; nursed by the west. An attempt to employ
statistical analogue of any divisions in the Zanu-Pf beleaguered
party always rest on comparing strength contest between the Karanga
and any other tribes as seen then to be a threat on any other tribe-s
future in Zimbabwe politics. It becomes a very unfortunate scenario,
because from it, is the serious absence of admission on who plays
what role in the game of politics of detraction in order for people
to miss real issues.
Mugabe wants to establish lasting power control, with a probability
to have his son walk into ruler ship, even long after he is gone,
through a mentored stooge; Joyce Mujuru; being first contender among
others. The position is that Zimbabweans within Zanu-Pf are loosing
faith in Mugabe if not having lost it already, but are bound together
by fear of punishment and the shame of losing their control over
financial benefits that derive from supporting Mugabe.
Like in every country, Zimbabweans have differences now and then,
but the greater concern is the love of money, its easy access from
the coffers of Mugabe Zanu-Pf machinery; to bribe for control. Those
who are in authority through favours from His Excellency President
Mugabe offices cannot resign from power, in order to shift for those
who sincerely want people redeemed from poverty, hunger and lack
of freedom.
Mathematical table on simple power control suggests that those who
are cronies to Mugabe are less than 20% of the population, and because
they control money, army, police and secret intelligence; they manipulate
information and its use to best advantage in order to sell the brutality
of Zanu-Pf on its citizens as justifiable.
A slogan goes popular among Zanu-Pf followers that if you want to
remain in Zanu-Pf and still be alive, do not criticize Mugabe openly.
The statement implies that you can criticize Mugabe secretly and
not openly. This culture extends its theory from the propaganda
that Mugabe is loved by many; hence the silence and contentment
by Zimbabweans. Yet there remains only one person from outside Zimbabwe,
who manages to go into Zimbabwe and come out with evidence of poverty
and suffering; the British MP who initially reported on the early
signs on operations clean dirty of May 2005.
The realization, though, that it takes a Briton to successfully
launch an attack on Mugabe and succeed internationally, dampens
the spirit of blacks who assume some hegemony on information monopoly
by the west, to fight against oppression selectively. When Zimbabweans
come out in campaign against ills done by Mugabe, few listen or
even attend to their voice of pain; until you go through their chain
of command. It leads to more questions on who can be listened at
in the world and does the world care really?
No doubt it appears the
world is run from New York, not at the UN office but from the Whitehouse.
What a truth that even though Americans deny that as posturing by
enemies of democracy, it is true. When American Congressmen visited
Sudan then Sudan became an issue both at the UN and news circles.
When America threw its weight behind the Afghanistan and Iraq (oil
or no oil), the world media covers, yet these are just issues that
face many citizens of less developed countries.
There are alternatives to issues of Africa and the world, no doubt.
If Africa learns to become a big power block through sheer togetherness
in times of crisis against her citizens irrespective of from country
or leader, and deal with those problems world wide, Africa will
develop fast. If Africa takes the issue of Human rights serious
and threatens poor leadership who fail to implement sound Human
rights, the world will be shaken and the political balance will
be in favour of Africa-s future.
For a start, Africa is getting richer and richer even though fuller
exploitation of its riches is undermined by intra political fights
sponsored from capital cities of the world big economies. Every
dictator in the world is holding the west by the balls because the
west is loosing its diplomatic strength to bargain as its military
power faces competition form rivalry powers claimed as communistic
and not terrorist bound.
Our problems in Africa are imported, starting with our over dependence
on aid than on our human resources training which we keep throwing
out through poor governance policies. Our leadership is stooges
of either the west or communism and tyranny is a baby of these systems
at war with each other. Africa is the battle ground.
All dictators are special orators against imperialism and western
control. Their story starts from a premise of truth and then runs
thin on false propaganda to maintain power. When that runs out they
use force and violence, which is almost becoming the second nature
to Africa politics, and other less developing nations. These tyrants-
enemy number one is always the west when the obvious is that they
constitute their own number one enemy in themselves, through avarice
for wealth and power.
At their Zanu Pf conference in Goromonzi in Zimbabwe, the west received
its best share of attack from President Robert Mugabe. The peasants
no longer believe in Mugabe story but, as usual, they have no voice.
The emerging leadership is entangled in power struggle for images
and mirages of power they have not yet had, but wish to possess
and control. They viciously responded to the money power game and
confuse the peasants and a simple worker on what is wrong against
what is right. The confusion is true because when trust runs narrow
between leadership and ordinary people in the struggle, genuine
struggle is berried; and only signs of a struggle are sensed emerging
but never taking off.
Education or the lack of it, does not have any part in the greedy
state of those who have no love of their countries as in people
and their life. What remains obviously lacking, but insidiously
undermined by western intelligence, is the vulnerability of a poverty
stricken leadership working with a hungry people. Strong language
against poverty is emerging and it threatens the west so they have
to take control of the flow of the outbursts. No one but the west
will be hurt most if the "lets share theory" comes to
fruition, because it will disadvantage the well to do first.
In a nutshell but at a limited scale this is the theory that threatens
Zimbabwe struggle for freedom from tyranny within. The elite who
are created falsely from the greedy of Mugabe-s tyrannical
system, now wants to make belief of its permanence by killing the
initiative and will power of the poor through the building of a
defeatist attitude. Whereas history will show unequalled bravery
among the traditions of the black people, Africa as a whole, today
it is the opposite.
Those with corrupt riches use it to manipulate elections, intimidate
honesty and brutally oppose any attempt by the poor to start a revolution,
because it will disadvantage them. This false notion of hope does
not live beyond tomorrow; all oppressive systems have paid heavily
for their miscalculated misdeeds. Tyrants are beginning to pay the
prize for taking manipulation of people to their advantage and benefit.
Unfortunately there is no much learning from history by those leading
tyrannical regimes except as they are wiped out and replaced by
a democracy, do we begin to see change. Zimbabwe cannot be an exception
because of the intransigence of the Mugabe blind ambition to rule
for ever, which has not been successful anywhere.
The danger of a middle class in Zimbabwe who may have tendencies
of inclining towards tyranny cannot be underestimated much as it
should be guarded against jealously with inner education. The MDC
had been a fortunate development coming from among the lower strata
of society even though chances of a stronger will to corruption
could be easily introduced through the love to enviable tools of
corruption by the elite who claim guidance to the cause.
The need though for change, and of a shift between unity talks and
facing the true colours of the people enemy within, pauses a greater
threat to the ultimate success of a "quiet" revolution
on Zanu-Pf. The request by some Zanu-pf members to work with the
opposition to change the proposed Zanu-Pf 2010 time date for country
elections is a good open sign of alliances which will do away with
the person of President Robert Mugabe. Those who have always taken
Mugabe as a good blanket cover in their politics beyond the obvious
will fight hard to maintain a presence for Mugabe, hence the danger
of Zanu-Pf planting more insurgence within the opposition to offer
more loose change as bribery against the forcefully planting of
plans to the removal of Mugabe before 2010.
The alternative is too hard to swallow, and gustily to stomach,
and that is when the hard core in the struggle against tyrants emerge
to take over government by ideological force (negotiations) but
fail, it will see a nasty ruthlessness from those who opposed tyranny
from within. If on another hand the struggle is successful, unless
there is a strong rule of law and those respecting it, many of those
who participated in the evils of the accumulation of wealth tendency
may pay for it through loss of life.
Man-s political memory is not only very short, when in comfort
and in control, but truly selfish and greedy. History shows too
many of such scenarios when governments are overthrown by force,
and force and violence keeps breeding another brand of force and
violence, given different names at every stage of negative progress.
Hopefully, being mature politically and civilized aught to take
us beyond the obvious and should beg for a concerted effort to for
national alliances that force for a democratic overthrow of tyrannical
tendencies, first from within individuals and lastly from enunciating
policy that favours justice and rule of law.
We should never look at Zanu-Pf-s problems as obvious, they
are beyond the obvious, they need a careful study, comprehension
and systematic uproot from the stem and roots of individuals as
from society as a whole. Without an in depth study group of honesty
and apolitical patriots, failure to take deduction of the obvious
in Zanu-pf may haunt any government that takes over from Zanu-pf,
as there is need for the beyond the obvious analysis to issues of
greedy, avarice in government and control of the country-s
political affairs.
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