Zimbabwe 2008 – Amazing Shame

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Zimbabwe 2008 – Amazing Shame

Posted on August 12th 2008

12 August 2008.

Today, 12 August 2008, marks the third historic day of the inter-party negotiations in the unfolding post election Zimbabwean drama not only because the people of Zimbabwe who voted on 29 March 2008 have been condemned to a prolonged state of suspense and limbo about who will be their leader but the crisis has managed to detain the SADC appointed mediator, President Mbeki, in Harare where his presidential plane has been parked since Saturday, 9 August 2008.

Principals to the inter-party talks have still to strike an agreement between them and yet it is clear that the remaining sticking points have little to do with the future of the country but the fate of the incumbent President who still holds the view that Zimbabwe is less secure with anyone else at the helm.

On 29 March 2008, the people of Zimbabwe voted for change and the results clearly confirmed that ZANU-PF had lost the confidence of the people as a ruling party and more importantly that President Mugabe no longer enjoyed majority support. Notwithstanding, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) could not announce the presidential results on time and the people of Zimbabwe were subjected to the first suspense of the year.

When the results were finally announced, many expected that President Mugabe would bow out of the race in the interests of nation building and allow the country to turn a new leaf. President Mbeki intervened and assured the skeptical world that there was no crisis and the electoral process would proceed as provided for in the laws of the country.

The 29 March 2008 election results set in motion the end of President Mugabe's reign not because of an externally engineered conspiracy but because of the desire by the majority of Zimbabweans to take back ownership of their future. President Mugabe's election campaign had little to do with the future but the past and the people of Zimbabwe saw through it. What was not predictable was that President Mugabe could actually proceed with the run-off on the belief that he had been robbed of victory by Tsvangirai.

27 June 2008 will remain etched in Zimbabwe's history as a disgraceful, embarrassing, and dishonorable day. There is no doubt that in the quietness of his time, President Mugabe is going through a painful emotion caused by a strong sense of guilt, embarrassment, disgrace and unworthiness.

Since 29 March 2008, the people of Zimbabwe have been uniquely placed in a state of limbo while three men with the assistance of President Mbeki try to find exit points to what is increasingly turning to be the exit of one man who still refuses to see the light. The three parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 21 July 2008 providing a framework for a negotiated arrangement for power sharing. Given the attitude of ZANU-PF and its leader to the crisis, the road was never expected to be easy but even President Mbeki would agree that the country's future has now been effectively subordinated to President Mugabe's legacy.

While President Mugabe is optimistic about the outcome of the negotiations, it cannot be denied that Zimbabwe needs a new leader. There are only two men left standing and one of them has to emerge as the face of change. President Mugabe must be arguing that he alone represents not only the face of change but a reliable and dependable custodian of sovereignty and empowerment. Even yesterday, it was evident from his speech at the Heroes Acre that he has not changed his understanding of the nature, causes and risks of the Zimbabwean crisis. He still believes that a Zimbabwean solution is required and such a solution should leave him at the helm to continue to do what he has done in the past.

It must be accepted that any residual power that President Mugabe may remain with can be toxic to the agenda of change. The viability of the economy of Zimbabwe ought to be at stake not who is in or out of government. The alleged role of the West in the Zimbabwean crisis has to be dismissed with the contempt it deserves because it is not evident that the negotiators particularly ZANU-PF representatives know what time it is for Zimbabwe. It is time for change that people can believe in. The outcome must be credible and linked to the real cause of the crisis. It would be naïve to argue that the crisis began with the land reform when history shows that the structural distortions were already in existence well before the commencement of the land reform program.

In 1779, Mr. John Newton, an Englishman authored a Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, whose lyrics may have a powerful message for President Mugabe as he enters the third day of the negotiations in Harare. Newton's beliefs lacked conviction and his youth was marked by religious confusion and a lack of moral control and discipline. After a brief time in the Royal Navy, Newton began his career in slave trading and it took a violent storm for him to realize his helplessness leading him to conclude that only the grace of God could save him.

Newton's lyrics have become a favorite for Christians all over the world, largely because the hymn eloquently captures the mood of a helpless people and in the words of Tendai Biti, Zimbabweans must pray for salvation. What is more important is that people have to pray for President Mugabe to see the light and free his people. With him the exit route takes the country to a political and economic cul de sac.

Newton's song is appropriate for any supporter of freedom and human rights, both Christian and non-Christian, principally because the words capture the mood of an abused people but also it should resonate with a person like President Mugabe in the unlikely event that he is still blind to his role and culpability in causing and sustaining the avoidable crisis.

It was not surprising that Newton's hymn was quite popular on both sides in the American Civil War and there is no doubt that the three negotiating teams would find the hymn appropriate as they deliberate on what is important for Zimbabwe and its future.

President Mbeki would no doubt now agree that there is something unusual in President Mugabe's mind and it cannot be correct to argue that everything is still okay in his mind and that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe. If President Mbeki can be detained for three days in Harare, it is not difficult to imagine what lies ahead for Zimbabweans under a power sharing arrangement. Perhaps President Mbeki ought to consider another job after his term ends next year i.e. becoming the head of the Zimbabwean Transitional Authority because his diplomatic skills may be indispensable to make the arrangement work. What a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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