Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Stalling may no longer be an option for Tsvangirai

Stalling may no longer be an option for Tsvangirai
By Khathu Mamaila
Posted to the web: 25/01/2009 22:12:11

SADC leaders will on Monday hold a pecial summit in another bid to force Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and his arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai to accept a power-sharing deal geared towards resolving the country’s political and economic crisis.

Like those of last week, and countless times in the past, these high-profile talks will achieve nothing. They only serve to raise the hopes of millions of Zimbabweans who are trapped in poverty and some who have been forced into exile.

After these talks, there will be a media statement that is likely to say the parties are committed to finding a lasting solution but they are still working out some aspects of the deal.

Then Mugabe will go back to his country, almost totally oblivious to the suffering of his people. Tsvangirai will return to his house in a leafy suburb in northern Johannesburg where he lives like a king.

Those who identify with the struggles of the Zimbabwean people will launch a scathing attack on Mugabe. They will blame him for everything that is wrong in that country, including the spread of cholera. If you didn’t know better, you might even believe that he goes around injecting people with cholera.

The radicals among them will revive their call for Mugabe to be arrested and to be taken to an international court to face charges of crimes against humanity.

In this circus the media has failed to expose the intransigence of Tsvangirai in the negotiations. In our collective obsession to paint Mugabe as the devil incarnate, we failed to ask the basic questions about the role that the MDC leader is playing to frustrate the talks.

Why is it so important for the MDC leaders to insist on getting the cabinet posts they want? Why does Tsvangirai not live in Zimbabwe any more? His people are crying for leadership but he lives in South Africa.

Why don’t we ask questions about reports of military recruits being trained in Botswana?

We have been conditioned to think that anybody who dares ask these questions is a Mugabe apologist. And of course, how can you defend the devil?

Those close to the talks are convinced that Tsvangirai’s brief from his handlers in the West is that he should not accept any power-sharing deal that includes Mugabe. But the MDC leader is clever enough to know that he cannot openly table such a demand. So, he opts for shifting the goalposts. Each time the facilitators meet to try to force Zanu PF to accede to the MDC’s demands, Tsvangirai brings a new set of demands.

The strategy is simple: Stall. Frustrate the talks as much as you can. The economy will continue to collapse because of sanctions, poor production in agriculture and the drying up of foreign currency. Then Zimbabwe will implode and Mugabe will be forced out of power.

Tsvangirai should be warned that if he does not act with urgency to arrest the total collapse of his country, he will inherit a shell.

As it is now, millions of skilled Zimbabweans have left the country and are working abroad. Because the schooling system has almost collapsed, these professionals are taking their children to South Africa, Botswana, Britain and other countries. They will settle there, with no guarantee they will return anytime soon.

How does Tsvangirai hope to rebuild the country without these professionals? But of course, I may be naive to assume that he actually cares about his country-men and women.

After Monday’s summit, which in all likelihood will fail to resolve the impasse, the usual suspects will stick to the script. They will condemn Mugabe and ask President Kgalema Motlanthe to be tougher on Zimbabwe.

Nothing will change. Zimbabweans will continue to suffer. They have no visionary leaders. What a tragedy.

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT, NEGOTIATIONS

posted by MrK @ 12:44 AM