Does Robert Mugabe, the ZANU-PF leader, not see the naked irony in "the verbosity of his own rigmarole"? If not, then he needs to get himself examined for age-induced dementia or another ailment that seems to abound among men of his advanced years - falling victim to the prolixity of their own imaginations.
Does he honestly not realize that when he quotes, from the wisdom of ancient Shona, the proverbial equivalent of "suffering fools gladly", most Zimbabweans might turn their heads towards the person next to them and laugh, instantly recognizing the real fool amongst them: the utterer of these very same words?
It is not an exaggeration to say that this generation of Zimbabweans believes that Mugabe and his ZANU-PF have been the worst thing to happen to the country in the last three decades. Suffering fools gladly is considered a virtue in most societies, because fools are a part of the rich and varied tapestry of human diversity. However, in most post-feudal societies, suffering fools gladly is not a legal requirement. In Zimbabwe, the situation is entirely medieval, at least with respect to one man, who happens to be -Mugabe.
Zimbabwean law requires us to suffer a presidential fool gladly. He cannot be criticized in private or in public, on pain of jail or death. Citizens are required to withhold expressing their judgment of this man's performance in office, unless it is to say something positive.
If you think that he has been an unmitigated disaster for the country, which most Zimbabweans do, you will be jailed for saying so. If you think he is too old too run the country, you could be arrested for saying so. If you think he could not possibly afford a multi-million dollar mansion without looting public coffers, you had better hold that thought forever!
So broadly is the law to protect the president's reputation crafted that one could get arrested for virtually any critical comment made against him within earshot of thousands of intelligence agents and their informers.
How appropriate that this same man would teach us about suffering fools gladly!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Political Posturing
The political posturing by both sides in the so-called inclusive Zimbabwe government is approaching farcical proportions. One could swear that the surface dissonance we are witnessing must be the prelude to another episode of an epic comedy. Alas, real lives and livelihoods are at stake in this tragic-comic drama of distortions, accusations and counter-accusations, lies and outright pranks.
In the past week, we have witnessed the spectacle of prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai hitch-hiking to every SADC capital, including of all places, Kinshasa and Luanda, in the hope of salvaging what most independent observers know to be a thoroughly flawed agreement whose real purpose is subject and open to interpretation by all parties to it, including SADC.
For SADC, the agreement was an exercise in self-congratulation, demonstrating the ability of the regional body to resolve crises in member states. They may be expected to feebly resist anything that seriously detracts from that sense of being in ultimate control of regional affairs. And of course the up-coming World Cup makes it likely that South African president Jacob Zuma may have no choice but to flex his muscles.
For the Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change(MDC), it was as much forced down their throat by both SADC and Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF as it was by their own short-sighted view that it represented the proverbial "foot in the tent" opportunity without which the movement would be decimated by brutal force. It was as if the movement for once doubted the morality and legitimacy of its decade long fight against ZANU-PF.
In the case of ZANU-PF, it was clearly an opportunity to take a breather in the fight to maintain their hold on political power and its attendant benefits. By all accounts, ZANU-PF feels somewhat energized. As long as Mugabe is still around, ZANU-PF will probably be just fine but nature is constantly calling and their failure to seize the opportunity to regroup and renew the party could yet prove to be the final undoing of a party which will clearly not be able to survive its leader's inevitable demise.
Our friends in the movement do not have many options: they are where they are not because they chose to be there but because they thought they had run out of options, which left them open to the schemings of SADC and ZANU-PF. There is nowhere to run: they must stand their ground and fight, and win.
In the past week, we have witnessed the spectacle of prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai hitch-hiking to every SADC capital, including of all places, Kinshasa and Luanda, in the hope of salvaging what most independent observers know to be a thoroughly flawed agreement whose real purpose is subject and open to interpretation by all parties to it, including SADC.
For SADC, the agreement was an exercise in self-congratulation, demonstrating the ability of the regional body to resolve crises in member states. They may be expected to feebly resist anything that seriously detracts from that sense of being in ultimate control of regional affairs. And of course the up-coming World Cup makes it likely that South African president Jacob Zuma may have no choice but to flex his muscles.
For the Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change(MDC), it was as much forced down their throat by both SADC and Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF as it was by their own short-sighted view that it represented the proverbial "foot in the tent" opportunity without which the movement would be decimated by brutal force. It was as if the movement for once doubted the morality and legitimacy of its decade long fight against ZANU-PF.
In the case of ZANU-PF, it was clearly an opportunity to take a breather in the fight to maintain their hold on political power and its attendant benefits. By all accounts, ZANU-PF feels somewhat energized. As long as Mugabe is still around, ZANU-PF will probably be just fine but nature is constantly calling and their failure to seize the opportunity to regroup and renew the party could yet prove to be the final undoing of a party which will clearly not be able to survive its leader's inevitable demise.
Our friends in the movement do not have many options: they are where they are not because they chose to be there but because they thought they had run out of options, which left them open to the schemings of SADC and ZANU-PF. There is nowhere to run: they must stand their ground and fight, and win.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Blundering along!
I have neither the desire to nor any interest in, overstating the fact that our friends in the leadership of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) seem to be trying to feel the bottom of the pond with their feet while trying to wade across it.
The events of the past few days with regards to Roy Bennett seem to confirm this suspicion. It was as if they were caught completely by surprise when Bennet was indicted to the High Court and temporarily lost his freedom. Those of us who have been observing the Zimbabwean scene for three decades now surely were not be surprised that the state would opt to charge with the highest offence that the alleged facts could possibly support in a non-evidentiary hearing?
As I understand it, the switch from regional to high court occurs quite frequently in Zimbabwean prosecutions (persecutions, if you like) and if the Zimbabwe government had an opportunity to exercise "judge shopping", what sane person would be astonished at such a development?
Clearly, the outrage of the MDC leadership was an exercise in damage control because I cannot persuade myself that they were caught unawares by these developments, unless rumours that they are a bunch of rank amateurs are to be believed. At the risk of sounding cynical, it seems to me that the MDC fell "hook, line and sinker" for a ZANU-PF ruse aimed at creating the impression that the latter had made a concession by allowing Bennett to be free again pending trial. But the idea that the ordeal of one person, who happens to be white, sparks almost unprecedented outrage by the leadership, leaves them open to manipulation by the opposition.
After all, Bennett still has his life while thousands of Zimbabweans have lost theirs resisting ZANU-PF repression.
The events of the past few days with regards to Roy Bennett seem to confirm this suspicion. It was as if they were caught completely by surprise when Bennet was indicted to the High Court and temporarily lost his freedom. Those of us who have been observing the Zimbabwean scene for three decades now surely were not be surprised that the state would opt to charge with the highest offence that the alleged facts could possibly support in a non-evidentiary hearing?
As I understand it, the switch from regional to high court occurs quite frequently in Zimbabwean prosecutions (persecutions, if you like) and if the Zimbabwe government had an opportunity to exercise "judge shopping", what sane person would be astonished at such a development?
Clearly, the outrage of the MDC leadership was an exercise in damage control because I cannot persuade myself that they were caught unawares by these developments, unless rumours that they are a bunch of rank amateurs are to be believed. At the risk of sounding cynical, it seems to me that the MDC fell "hook, line and sinker" for a ZANU-PF ruse aimed at creating the impression that the latter had made a concession by allowing Bennett to be free again pending trial. But the idea that the ordeal of one person, who happens to be white, sparks almost unprecedented outrage by the leadership, leaves them open to manipulation by the opposition.
After all, Bennett still has his life while thousands of Zimbabweans have lost theirs resisting ZANU-PF repression.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Crossing a flooded river
When I was younger, much younger than today, I used to cross flooded rivers from time to time. Sometimes I would cross two flooded rivers twice the same day and a swift stream to cap it all. So I can honestly say that I know how to cross a flooded river.
The safest way was to hold on to the tail of a bull and hang on for dear life. Another was to swim diagonally across by allowing the current to take one to a point on the other side which would always be a little farther downstream than one had hoped.
The least safe was to feel the river bed with a stick while taking tiny steps at a time and hoping that your head stayed above the water, and that the current below would not sweep one's feet away, in which case one would quickly switch to the diagonal swim.
It was always advisable not to attempt to cross a flooded river alone or with your enemy, unless you were using the first method described above. If the practice of politics may be analogized to crossing a flooded river, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is crossing the river of change with a known enemy: ZANU-PF. Unfortunately, there are no bulls to haul the two enemies across the chooppy waters of Zimbabwean politics. Swimming appears to be something which neither party seems to be able or willing to do for fear of being swept away to the Indian ocean and into oblivion.
The only option is to feel the depth of the river with a stick and wade across. However, as I learned in my youth, in doing so one reaches a point of no return, where the chances of making it to the other side or drowning are equal. The MDC and ZANU-PF have reached such a point now, except that one of them appears to have run out of stick length. We do not know who, but we just have to hope that it is not the MDC!
The safest way was to hold on to the tail of a bull and hang on for dear life. Another was to swim diagonally across by allowing the current to take one to a point on the other side which would always be a little farther downstream than one had hoped.
The least safe was to feel the river bed with a stick while taking tiny steps at a time and hoping that your head stayed above the water, and that the current below would not sweep one's feet away, in which case one would quickly switch to the diagonal swim.
It was always advisable not to attempt to cross a flooded river alone or with your enemy, unless you were using the first method described above. If the practice of politics may be analogized to crossing a flooded river, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is crossing the river of change with a known enemy: ZANU-PF. Unfortunately, there are no bulls to haul the two enemies across the chooppy waters of Zimbabwean politics. Swimming appears to be something which neither party seems to be able or willing to do for fear of being swept away to the Indian ocean and into oblivion.
The only option is to feel the depth of the river with a stick and wade across. However, as I learned in my youth, in doing so one reaches a point of no return, where the chances of making it to the other side or drowning are equal. The MDC and ZANU-PF have reached such a point now, except that one of them appears to have run out of stick length. We do not know who, but we just have to hope that it is not the MDC!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Mincing words
If the Zimbabwe Independent is to be believed, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)has embraced some potentially progressive positions. I like the party's proposals with regards to citizenship, capital punishment, elections and gender equality.
However, I think that the incestuous relationship between the executive and parliament should be terminated by mandating the complete separation of the executive and the legislature.
A bicameral legislature seems like an extravagant proposition for a country reeling from decades of economic mismanagement and corruption under Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF.
I would be willing to support a senate if that legislative body is accorded actual powers, especially the responsibility to advise and consent with regards to the appointment of appointments to cabinet, ambassadorships, the judiciary and senior public servants, thus serving as a check on the tendency by politicians to build patronage bases.
Above all, I like the MDC's proposal to give women "preferences over their own bodies". It is time to acknowledge that with regards to the issue of abortion, Zimbabwe might as well be in the Middle Ages. Every single one of us knows at least one person who has had an abortion, which is illegal in Zimbabwe. Doctors make a killing performing abortions. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand. Women need to have the option and freedom to decide if they want to carry a pregnancy through to birth.
The MDC will be pilloried by religious conservatives and traditionalists over this proposal but I hope they stand their ground. Indeed, I hope they realize that they may pay a huge political price for this stance. Now, I honestly hope that every woman who gets pregnant by design or accident, gives birth to a beautiful child. I also know, somehow, that it is not for me to tell an adult woman how to handle their bodies.
As a matter of fact, I feel the same about adults of any sex deciding to marry. I may not like it, but it is none of my business. And by the way, I don't like it when babies are baptized or when parents force their children to attend Sunday school, but I stay out of harm's way by watching from the sidelines!
However, I think that the incestuous relationship between the executive and parliament should be terminated by mandating the complete separation of the executive and the legislature.
A bicameral legislature seems like an extravagant proposition for a country reeling from decades of economic mismanagement and corruption under Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF.
I would be willing to support a senate if that legislative body is accorded actual powers, especially the responsibility to advise and consent with regards to the appointment of appointments to cabinet, ambassadorships, the judiciary and senior public servants, thus serving as a check on the tendency by politicians to build patronage bases.
Above all, I like the MDC's proposal to give women "preferences over their own bodies". It is time to acknowledge that with regards to the issue of abortion, Zimbabwe might as well be in the Middle Ages. Every single one of us knows at least one person who has had an abortion, which is illegal in Zimbabwe. Doctors make a killing performing abortions. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand. Women need to have the option and freedom to decide if they want to carry a pregnancy through to birth.
The MDC will be pilloried by religious conservatives and traditionalists over this proposal but I hope they stand their ground. Indeed, I hope they realize that they may pay a huge political price for this stance. Now, I honestly hope that every woman who gets pregnant by design or accident, gives birth to a beautiful child. I also know, somehow, that it is not for me to tell an adult woman how to handle their bodies.
As a matter of fact, I feel the same about adults of any sex deciding to marry. I may not like it, but it is none of my business. And by the way, I don't like it when babies are baptized or when parents force their children to attend Sunday school, but I stay out of harm's way by watching from the sidelines!
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