Maravi

(HERALD) Uneasy lies head that wears Western crown

Uneasy lies head that wears Western crown
Tuesday, 08 November 2011 00:00

Faced with a rebellion and plagued by guilt after killing his predecessor Richard II. King Henry IV laments how he, a royal, sleeping on the finest of linen can't afford to sleep a wink when commoners, after a day of back-breaking work, got a good night's sleep; when even fishermen being tossed around by the wind and sea waves could nod off to sleep. "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," he concludes, probably wishing he had not seized the throne from his predecessor, Richard II who had been killed on his command.

Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose;
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude,
And in the calmest and most stillest night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down!
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
King Henry IV laments (Part 2 Act 3, scene 1).

To his conclusion I would have added, ‘‘especially if the crown is borrowed or has been foisted by foreign handlers.''

I recalled King Henry IV's lament after reading reports that Libya had a new prime minister one Abdurrahim el-Keib, a US-educated engineering professor with little political experience and who had not set foot in Libya for all of 30 years. The man had just been parachuted to be premier of Libya's transitional government ahead of Mahmoud Jibril.

My thoughts went to the dour-faced interim prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, who had been passed off by Nato as the face of the new Libya. Jibril was relegated to the dustbins of history accused of not having spent much time in Libya during the time the rebels were shooting for the cameras as Nato bombs pounded Libya to rubble. The irony stuck out like a sore thumb.

Surely, how could they accuse poor Jibril of having spent ‘‘much of his time (the past eight months that is) outside Libya'' when they (Nato) were responsible for that globetrotting as they used Jibril to give an Arab face to an Anglo-Saxon invasion? The poor bloke also stood accused of having been an advisor to Gaddafi.

Surprise, surprise! What is eight months spent being shuttled from one western city to another by Nato, to deodorise the invasion as a Libyan effort to the 30 years El-Kieb without setting foot in Libya? What ties does the 61-year old El-Kieb have with the ordinary Libyan?

You be the judge.

Rewind to Afghanistan, 2001, after overthrowing Omar Mullah and his Taliban, Uncle Sam parachuted Hamid Karzai to lead Afghanistan. It soon emerged that Karzai had no authority outside Kabul, the Afghan capital.

His authority was so limited that he was derided as the "Mayor of Kabul". Despite this, Uncle Sam pressed on with his man, providing him with security, holding his hand but the conflagration did not end, infact it intensified. To this day, Afghanistan is still on fire and Karzai's authority remains in Kabul.

Rewind again to 2003, when Uncle Sam deposed Saddam Hussein. One Nuri al-Maliki, who had spent 24 years in the US, was thrust to the leadership of the Iraq transitional government. Once again his authority did not extend beyond the US fortified Green Zone.

I will not continue boring you with history serve to say Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan should be lessons for those among us fronting western regime change projects. He who pays the piper calls the tune so to speak. Uneasy lies the head wearing a borrowed crown.

The MDC, a regime change project to boot, was launched by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy that brought together the three main British parties, the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats with a view to unseating Zanu-PF to thwart land reforms.
Tsvangirai was foisted with leadership of the MDC ahead of Gibson Sibanda as it was felt a Shona leader would have national appeal. He admits as much in his William Bango-written memoirs.

Tsvangirai who has stubbornly insisted on retaining his Western placenta must learn from what has happened in Libya particularly in light of the unflattering appraisal he was given by former US ambassador, Christopher Dell.

Dell made it clear, in a leaked US diplomatic cable, that Tsvangirai is a liability to the regime change cause, and that should the West achieve its goal of effecting regime change in Zimbabwe, it might be prudent to look to the Diaspora for an MDC-T leader.

Said Dell; ‘‘Zimbabwe's opposition is far from ideal and I leave convinced that had we had different partners, we could have achieved more already. But you have to play the hand you're dealt. With that in mind, the current leadership has little executive experience and will require massive handholding and assistance should they ever come to power.

‘‘Morgan Tsvangirai is a brave, committed man and, by and large, a democrat. He is also the only player on the scene right now with real star quality and the ability to rally the masses. But, Tsvangirai is also a flawed figure, not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgement in selecting those around him.

"He is the indispensable element for opposition success, but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power. In short, he is a kind of Lech Walesa (ex Polish president) character: Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive abilities to lead the country's recovery . . .

‘‘With few exceptions - Tendai Biti, Nelson Chamisa - the talent is thin below the top ranks. The great saving grace of the opposition is likely to be found in the Diaspora. Most of Zimbabwe's best professionals, entrepreneurs, businessmen and women, etc, have fled the country. They are the opposition's natural allies and it is encouraging to see signs, particularly in South Africa and the UK, that these people are talking, sharing ideas, developing plans and thinking together about future recovery.''

So our Prime Minister need not dream big as long as he wears the western crown because in the unlikely event that he wins the national presidency, that might be the end of him. He might find himself watching from the outside, facing a fate similar to that of an earthmoving machine, that is used to clear the road but is not allowed on it once its tarred and marked.

But again, if Tsvangirai loses he also risks being thrown in the cold as his backers look for a new horse to ride. The bottom line, it's not wise to be a vassal of westerners, no matter how enticing the crown.

It's better to be a homegrown politician like the enduring Egypt Dzinemunhenzva who, no doubt, sleeps soundly at Wedza centre, at his grinding mill that doubles as the African National Party's headquarters. The crown he wears is his own. He answers to his supporters. Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have shown us that, uneasy lies the head that wears a western crown.

Labels: CHRISTOPHER DELL, LIBYA, MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI, NATO, WIKILEAKS

posted by MrK @ 10:19 AM