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(TALKZIMBABWE) The real story behind Tsvangirai's booing

The real story behind Tsvangirai's booing
Nancy Nyamhunga - Opinion
Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:01:00 +0000

WHEN Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was booed at Southwark, most 'political commentators' missed the point. They blamed the wording of his speech, particularly when he appealed to exiles to go home and rebuild Zimbabwe. They tried to justify the heckling by implying that his statement was likely to go against Zimbabweans whose asylum applications were still pending. Far from it. With or without that statement, the heckling was going to happen.

PM Tsvangirai never asked anybody to leave Zimbabwe in the first place. The onus rested on the individual to decide to leave or stay in the country. In the same manner, it is the individual’s responsibility to convince their host country that their lives were indeed in danger and cannot go back home, depending on one’s circumstances.

The real threat to the Jacks and Jills in political conflicts comes from within their own communities and not from official law enforcement agents.

In any case, PM Tsvangirai is now part of the inclusive Government of Zimbabwe; therefore what he says should be taken in that context. Immigration lawyers should know this.

It is important to note that western countries, particularly the United Kingdom never supported the inclusive Government in Zimbabwe, especially one that PM Tsvangirai does not control, never mind they blessed that of Kenya. They have never made this a secret. One South African based BBC journalist had penned an article sometime last year fearing this outcome when the negotiations were going on. He actually said it would be No. 10's worst nightmare if PM Tsvangirai knocked on that door asking for Aid for the inclusive Government with President Mugabe still at the top.

When the PM's first western trip was organised, it was no coincide that the UK was close to the bottom on the itinerary. It was designed to give Whitehall enough ammunition to deal with this nightmare.

Madame Merkel did it on behalf of Whitehall – return "expropriated land" and we will give you aid, was the message to PM Tsvangirai.

More was to come at the press conference. PM Tsvangirai was asked about the accident that claimed the life of his late wife. He gave the wrong answer. “Genuine accident”, he said. No PM, the expected answer should have been that it was an assassination attempt on your life by your erstwhile enemy, Zanu PF.

The PM disappointed even further. BBC airs an interview one of its reporters had with National Healing Minister Sekai Holland some time last year during the PM's visit. This interview was recorded last year and was kept somewhere on the shelf waiting for an opportune time. Who said BBC does not create “news” for its audience?

In the interview the Hon Minister tells what she thought were NGO officials, that her own life and that of top MDC-T leaders, including the PM were in danger.

Asked to make a comment on these serious allegations, the PM presses the red X buzzer like Simon Cowell telling off one of the wannabes on Britain’s Got Talent. The PM shamed both the senior minister and the “bogus” NGO official.

All the while, Whitehall was listening and readying itself. When Whitehall falls out with their friend, usually the first action is to subject that person to humiliation and look the other way. Remember the Peter Thatchel incident in London with President Mugabe? Does the Southwark incident not bear the same hallmarks? PM gave too many wrong answers and could not be allowed to get away with it!

Let’s get real people.

Then we have Minister Biti receiving this bullet in an envelope just the same time Mrs Clinton was due in South Africa to “push” for reforms in Zimbabwe.

It was not only the Hon Minister Biti who suddenly get these assassination threats – so too was the-yet-to-be-installed Deputy Minister Bennett.

The timing of the threats, and the characters of the threatened, is what raises suspicions.

It has to be Minister Biti who played this in a Hollywood-movie style. He receives the envelope with the bullet, throws it in the bin without opening and then at some time later decided to go through the rubbish to get it back. Zimbabwean film script-writers should have a good story line on that!

Yet the truth of the matter is that reality has finally struck among Zimbabweans. The state coffers are empty. ZIDERA is not going away because PM Tsvangirai is now part of Government. It can only be lifted when Madam Merkel`s message has been fully implemented.

Simply put, sanctions in whatever shape or form will only be lifted when Zimbabwe has a government like that in Iraq or Afghanistan where a black face occupies State House but controlled by Uncle Sam!

The inclusive Government can implement all the “reforms” till the cows come home, but if those reforms ultimately fail to effect “regime change,” more unachievable benchmarks will continue to be set.

Zimbabwe’s most respected academic, Professor Ken Mufuka suggested in his latest article in the weekly Fingaz, Urgent Need for Intellectual Consensus!, that we can go the Daniel Makina way – why can’t we try that route?

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Nancy Nyamhunga is a regular contributor to The Zimbabwe Guardian. She writes from Leicester, UK.

Labels: ANGELA MERKEL, HILLARY CLINTON, LAND REFORM, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SANCTIONS

posted by MrK @ 3:24 PM