(TALKZIMBABWE) Online media or "Courts of Law"

Online media or "Courts of Law"
Francis Nyadire - Opinion
Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:27:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR - There are a lot of online publications who have become "Courts of Law" unto themselves. They always pronounce that charges brought on anyone who is from the MDC-T party are always trumped up. These are also the same people who pronounced disgraced former Archbishop Pius Ncube innocent before his embarassing admission that he fornicated.

There was a story in the news last week about the Meikles group's specification. Some ignorant online media journalists, and we have many of those in Zimbabwe, did not care to look at the facts of that case. They were quick to declare that the Government of Zimbabwe had seized Meikles assets, without looking at the facts over the reasons for the specification.

One report actually went as far as to say that while President Mugabe was luring investors at a Mining Indaba, the Government was busy looting assets. This is ridiculous. On one hand, these media outlets say they want the rule of law respected in Zimbabwe, and on the other they do not want Government to do exactly that.

It seems there are people who spend hours day-in, day-out looking for negative news about Zimbabwe. The arrest and sentencing of MDC-T legislators might have been fast-tracked, but no-one should question why they are arrested in the first place. If they commit crimes, they should pay like all other citizens. President Mugabe pardoned thousands of prisoners a few eeks ago. Where they all incarcerated on trumped up charges, and does anyone know their party affilliation? If MDC-T legislators commit crimes, they will be prosecuted and if found guilty, they will be incarcerated like any other citizen of Zimbabwe.

Another ridiculous story which came to my mind was that MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti should not have been arrested for declaring the March 2008 presidential elections won by Morgan Tsvangirai before the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission did. These online media outlets said Biti had merely said what was already in the public domain as the results were displayed on boards outside polling stations. These same people also argued that ZEC had taken too much time to release election results. If they were in the public domain, why was it so important for ZEC to release them "in time" then.

Such inconsistency is found many times in the MDC-T party as well. One remembers PM Tsvangirai dismissing Sekai Holland's claim that there were thousands of militias paid by government US$100 a day to victimise MDC-T legislators. At the 10th Anniversary of the MDC-T party, PM Tsvangirai then made the same statement that he had previously dismissed. He said MDC-T party legislators were being victimised by Zanu PF and militias were responsible for this. The PM, MDC-T party supporters and MDC-T sympathetic media should make up their mind and not peddle lies and confuse people in the process.

The media outlets were also quick to say that Meikles specification will hamper foreign direct investment into Zimbabwe. I applaud Dr. Gideon Gono for clarifying the issue to these ignorant reporters. The Meikles saga is a national, not foreign issue. Those who would like to make it a foreign issue are looking for a needle in a haystack and are concerned that the developments taking place in Zimbabwe through the inclusive Government will leave the "movement for democratic change" with no agenda.

Companies that flout Zimbabwe's foreign exchange laws should be prosecuted. This happens everywhere, not just Zimbabwe. MDC-T's Elton Mangoma, who is also the Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister even said that rules should be followed. After the Mining Indaba, Mangoma said: "We want everybody to be comfortable but there are rules to be followed."

If Mr John Moxon of the Meikles group is not guilty, why did he run away from Zimbabwe? We cannot have people who violate investment laws go scot free. It sets a bad precedent for others who might follow suit.

We hope the MDC-T party is not using such incidents to discredit Zanu PF. As the inclusive Government begins to take shape the MDC-T party is slowly realising that, as a party, it now has no agenda.

Tendai Biti, ironically, once said "If your organisation is 'constitution' something, then you are in trouble if the country has a new Constitution, if your organisation is 'crisis' something, then there is no business if there is no crisis in the country," he said.

Using the same line of argument, if your organisation is "change" something, then you are in trouble if the country achieves that change. There will be no need for the "movement" or for the "final push".