That four letter word – fear
I’m reminded of a saying that goes something like . . . politics loves a vacuum; if you don’t fill it with hope, it will be filled with fear. And this is exactly what’s happening in Zimbabwe.
The MDC’s early election victory claim has fizzled out and we’re left with witnessing a strengthening Mugabe response to the recent election. The MDC failed to capitalise on their momentum, and now it appears that its they that are on the back foot, not Mugabe.
Mugabe controls public media in Zimbabwe – both television and radio, as well as the daily newspaper. This is what people watch, listen to and read. And whilst we’re all entirely cynical of the state’s propaganda, our spirits wane as we watch Zanu PF re-grouping and using this delay in the announcement of election results to their advantage.
Of course this delay does nothing to enhance the esteem of Zanu PF in the eyes of anyone watching, nor does it give anybody any faith in the veracity of the election process, but then again Mugabe has never been one to care what anyone thinks about him or his actions.
In the light of this I’m still wondering HOW the MDC intends on communicating their side of the story to Zimbabweans who don’t get to watch or listen to international news broadcasts.
I’m wondering what the MDC is going to actually do to insist on their election victory being acknowledged as legitimate by Mugabe.
Perhaps it’s happened very occasionally but in general, a dictator doesn’t relinquish power through a democratic election. Now more than ever the MDC has to link its electoral success with people power.
There can be many forms of this.
For starters lets see the MDC’s victorious Members of Parliament and Senators gather together in a peaceful protest demanding the immediate announcement of the presidential election results. Lets see this peaceful protest strengthened by the participation of members of the legal community to draw attention to the subversion of the electoral process by Zanu PF.
Lets see Morgan Tsvangirai lead this protest.
Monday, April 7th 2008 at 3:57 pm
You are so-o-o-o right. The MDC must be careful that when one day someone decides to write their story, it is not going to be a litany of missed opportunities and chances squandered. They are in politics but they do not appear to be very politically astute. They prefer to hold press conferences where they eagerly speak to a global audience and yet they do not bother to speak to their own people. It is so frustrating to see them act.
I understand as l write, that Morgan Tsvangirai is in South Africa. I am guessing he went there for talks. Leaving their millions of supporters in the dark. He will sit there twiddling his thumbs, waiting for ZANU PF to deign to show up, or listening to Mbeki propose some “quiet solution” to the crisis. If by the MDC’s accounts, they won the election, why are they so eager to “negotiate” and form a government of national unity? Why are they not behaving like the winners they are? This reminds of the time Tsvangirai and hordes of other MDC and non MDC activists were battered by the regime in March 07. That was another pivotal moment when the MDC could have galvanised popular action against the regime, but what did they do? They retreated to Pretoria to negotiate with their batterers, cooling their heels, while waiting for the regime’s representatives to deign to show up. All the while we waited and wondered what was happening. When we finally got word of the outcome of their negotiations, we had been sold down the drain! MDC had consented to the 18th Constitutional amendment. Given that precedent, l can be forgiven for being apprehensive everytime Tsvangirai and his team head down south, what can possibly come out of South Africa and Mbeki that has not happened in the 10 years since this current crisis first manifested itself?
Just don’t hold your breath, Tsvangirai is not going to be leading this protest. Talk about leadership crisis!