Why This Is Not A Head-In-The-Sand Blog
Let us get one thing straight about this blog: this is a forum for analysing events as they are. This is an area in which we deal with facts. And we accept that the truth hurts.
We all know that "Mugabe Must Go!" Oh, I forgot to add "Now!" We all know that Mugabe cheated in the June election. We all know that Mugabe has cheated and killed and beaten and tortured.
But we are not in the business of repeating slogans here with each post. We are not in the business of protecting political ineptitude whether it comes from Morgan Tsvangirai or Robert Mugabe.
Instead, we are in the business of dissecting matters as they are and presenting that analysis to our readers. Writing in with shrill, emotional insults will not solve the problem and will certainly not get that comment published. Give us a counter-analysis and we will be happy to post it. Or any other type of reasoned argument. Decidedly, though, we are not a forum for sloganeering and empty words.
The reason we are here today is because the man who was given the mandate by the people of Zimbabwe to rule, Morgan Tsvangirai, is proving to be not a closer, as one reader of this blog pointed out. It is not this blog that legitimised the June robbery of the presidency by Mugabe, by signing an agreement that confirmed the dictator in that position. It is not this blog that is insisting to this day that the agreement is sound.
Let me be frank: Neither Morgan Tsvangirai nor his supporters have a solution as to how this intractable problem can be solved. They want the people of Zimbabwe to continue shouting "Mugabe Must Go Now!" when they know very well that Mugabe has no intention of doing this. Having ruled out violence (like the liberation war), having ruled out fresh elections (because they know this will never happen under Mugabe), having recognised and confirmed the thief Mugabe in the presidency by signing the Agreement, Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC-T are not offering any intelligent solutions to the Zimbabwe problem.
"Chitongai tione" is not a strategy. Mugabe will go ahead and rule on his own. We all know that. HE DOES NOT CARE.
What this blog does and will continue doing is pointing out to our readers that there is no strategy in place from the MDC, there is no prospect of this changing because Morgan Tsvangirai has been like this since 2000.
We will never mollycoddle the people by telling them it will be alright or applauding the evident fact that Mr Tsvangirai is all at sea in the diplomatic community. He is floundering. Saying that is not saying Mugabe is a star, except to the ears of blind followers of Mr Tsvangirai, who are trying to build a personality cult around him and blaming anyone who points out that the Emperor has no clothes. But we will never desist, because we are not the ones who disrobed the Emperor. He has disrobed himself. Mugabe is a spent force and discussing his sins is not the purpose of this blog. We are looking forward and Mr Tsvangirai presents himself as the only one who can remove Mugabe. He is failing and it is legitimate, nay, essential, to look at why this is so.
Saying the reason he is failing is that Mugabe is a dictator does not wash. I would liken it to the a man who claims he can remove a cobra from your house, only to spend three years poking that cobra and, when asked why he is not removing it, answers that it bites and is poisonous. Did you not know the nature of the beast when you declared you could handle it? If you did, we don't want to hear your excuses. If you didn't, you found out within a day and why keep insisting that you can remove it when all can see that you have failed. That, in essence, sums up the situation in which Mr Tsvangirai finds himself. Those who want a forum to make excuses for him should go elsewhere, because making excuses will not liberate Zimbabwe from the dictatorship of Matibili.
I agree hundred percent with what you are saying here. However, allow me to say the following: I find too much focus on Tsvangirai's daily blunders a bit disconcerting, particularly against the pretext that he is the one who said he was able to remove the cobra from the house, to use your metaphor. I think the blog should - if it wants to be balanced and progressive (at least to people who need a third way) - also deal with the cobra because it is continuing to cause havoc in the house. In any case, the law of logic will tell us that since the cobra is still firmly in the house (and you do a great job here in detailing its strategy of making sure that the self-styled "saviour" does not de-capacitate it) time should be spent on either planning how to remove it from the house, or, if we are not sure how to do so, wait for it to eat all the chickens and eggs in the house and let it get out on its own terms, or die inside.... And, since the house that is being destroyed is ours, we should make plans of replenishing our house in the post-cobra era! But of course, I am just shooting from the dark because I don't know what comment(s) you are responding to.
ReplyDeleteNow, personally I am interetsed more in seeking new ways and building new foundations for Zimbabwe. A lot of things have crumbled in Zimbabwe; health, education, the culture of honest work has been eroded in a number of cases, trust - the list is endless. Just like Tsvangirai whose eyes are glued on power-sharing while Mugabe is re-positioning himself, we are also spending too much time focusing on their blunders rather than debating new strategies.
As Zimbabweans we lost the way somewhere, and we need to focus on re-directing the train back to the rails. And if we want to do so, let us criticise Mugabe for his mistakes, but also acknowledge his positive contributions; criticise Tsvangirai for his mistakes, but also acknowledge his positive contributions: this is how we can achieve the unity we desperately need in Zimbabwe. The problem of ZANU PF and MDC is that they see monsters in each other even where it is not necessary - they are both suffering from a laager mentality. This is why their document will not work, it is not founded on goodwill and Zimbabweans are slowly but surely coming to see that reality. That GNU thing is a very bad foundation.
This is what some of us will prefer to see in Mavambo: a party that will tell people that the whole issue about the rural urban divide which ZANU PF and MDC have thrived on in their different directions, is illusory - make people aware that the liberation war was faught on the basis of an alliance between the rural and the urban; so people should stop being divided along these lines. We are also looking for a party that will say to those small-scale peasant farmers who have received land, ways will be explored to give you access to markets to sell your surplus produce; a party that will say to the young adults, we will deal with your family planning and reproductive health needs; a party that will say to war veterans we salute you for liberating Zimbabwe and call upon you to have a vision for a new Zimbabwe for your grand children - and not necessarily for your own selves; a party that will say to churches you have a hand in building a new Zimbabwe, you have a hand to unite Zimbabwe, etc. In short, Mavambo should be a party that speaks to different Zimbabwean constituencies, making them aware of their contributions and mistakes so far, and their potential for the future of Zimbabwe. I am saying this because I am sure that Zimbabweans, even those from ZANU PF are not happy about the status quo, but they do not have assurance about their future - and so they stick with their guns.
I hope this is worth your publication,
Regional Diasporan
Thanks Regional Diasporan and we agree with you on all counts.
ReplyDeleteThe problem though is that matters of strategy are difficult to discuss on a public platform. You will remember that during the election run-off, the MDC basically copied our entire advertising strategy and used our words in their run-off adverts. Can you imagine us discussing our strategy on this page? Certainly, we would prefer that suggestions etc about strategising be emailed to our campaign email, that way, we can explore them more freely.
The other thing to keep in mind though, is that Dr Makoni ran for president because he believed that he was the best man for the job and that Morgan Tsvangirai had failed to remove the man. Basically, what some people would dearly like is for Dr Makoni and Mavambo to erase their identity and absorb it into Tsvangirai. They would like to Dr Makoni to support Morgan Tsvangirai blindly, right or wrong.
This is a non-starter. The MDC are also opponents of Dr Makoni. It is they who took the strategy in March to tell the electorate that Dr Makoni was sent by Mugabe to reduce Morgan's vote. It was they who misled villagers all over the country by telling that if they voted for Makoni, the Doctor would simply turn around and give their votes to Mugabe because there was an agreement between the two.
The matter at stake is simply not MDC did this. It is that they did it by misleading the people into believing that, should they be given the votes, they would be capable of them using that mandate to remove Mugabe. We all knew that Morgan did not and still does not have what it takes to do that. Hogging votes that he does not use is criminal to the people. He is failing the people. Dr Makoni is very clear in his strategy of removing Mugabe. But, as with an idea, the best man for it is the one who came up with it in the first place.
Dr Makoni can't give his strategy to Tsvangirai because, even if he did, Morgan does not have what it takes to execute it. Pane madofo anofoira nyangwe achikopa muexamination room chaimo. The man simply does nto get it and does not have wat it takes.
We believe strongly that this message should not be hidden. If we pretend it does not exist, in 5 years time, the people will vote for him again and whether it is Mugabe or anyone else in ZANU PF in power then, Morgan will still fail to deliver the goods. We do not want to mislead people into believing that Morgan is a superstar whose time in the sun is being denied by a demi-god. The assumption from most of his supporters is that there is no one better than Morgan and that he is not taking over only because, brilliant though Morgan is, he is being stymied by Mugabe's brutality. Morgan is not the first man to take on a dictator and others have taken on worse dictators than Mugabe. We are not going to play the MDc game of focusing on Mugabe without examining ALL the reasons why he is still around. This necessarily includes examining why his biggest opponent has failed in three straight elections to dislodge him.
We value your reasoned comments and would hope that you also realise that our strategy is informed by two things: telling the world the truth, teh whole truth and nothing but the truth. No sacred cows. Being popular does not make one capable. Even Hitler remained popular in Germany right down to the days bombs rained on Berlin and obliterated that city.
Understood, you are correct, matters of strategy cannot be discussed in public nekuti tine madofo anofoira kukopa zveshuwa! It's just that I am so passionate about Mavambo, but now I know what to do....
ReplyDeleteBe that as it may, I will continue to give feedback as I am among the people and I hear what they say, dream and wish for - and I am part of those who want change. Hopefully, structures will be in place soon so that we can channel our energies to build a new Zimbabwe!
Regional Diasporan