Comrade Fatso weighs in, so to speak, on that four letter word . . . fear

And now we have fear. A new, complex emotion to add to our ragged shopping basket that also holds anger, hope and anxiety. We fear that the regime may begin to end the beginnging of the end by trying to end our new beginning. We fear that the last kicks of the jongwe may last more than a few seconds. It may be weeks. Or months.

One shortage our rulers don’t seem to have is a shortage of humour. Their make-believe propaganda makes you smile and shudder at the same time. They have started a new propaganda offensive. White farmers are about to invade the country and steal back their farms. The MDC rigged the election by bribing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). It would be funny if it wasn’t so morbidly real. They have allegedly started arresting ZEC officials and invading farms.

So fear is in our stomachs. We’re in a state of limbo between where we were and where we want to go. Between an old Zimbabwe and a new Zimbabwe. The waitress comes to my table, serves my food and then delivers what she really wanted to put on the table. “What are they doing now? Do they want a re-run or a re-count? We have no president. We haven’t had one for over a week now. Now they’ve started invading farms again and the riot police are on the streets. We are being calm but we are scared.” Fear. Our familiar staple diet in this hungry land. Msavaya, a comrade of mine, was in the townships yesterday when a police man announced to a group of drinkers oustide a bottle store “We may not have a president but that doesn’t mean that public drinking is now legal!” The police know it just as the waitresses do. We are in limbo. And we are in fear because we know this beast. It has started kicking and lashing out.

Those of us in the democracy movement here need to campaign for the results to be released. If ZANU claims the need for a re-run then we must push for it to be within 3 weeks of the election. Together we must give birth to a nationwide campaign that keeps hope alive, from township to growth point. Those in the international community need to push for the results to be released. We must avoid a re-run because it could be bloody. But if ZANU wants a re-run then we must give them a re-run for their money. And their dirty wealth. We are so close to that sun on the horizon. I can almost see it through the dust. We need to walk together towards the sunset. We need to be crazy enough to keep hope alive.

Read more Comrade Fatso here

So, now what is happening? He is waiting.

I mentioned, perhaps not in this forum, that in four days the mood would be lost. Four days have gone (maybe I got the time wrong) but he is waiting for attention to leave Zimbabwe, then he will steal the election. Again. And the opposition (led by the MDC, or not led as the case may be) will sit around and do nothing. Lots of talks, going to the courts, and all that excuse for inactivity, but they will do nothing.

But does he have a choice? On one level you feel sorry for him. Although in the real world it is impossible to feel sorry. He cannot step down. He is riding the tiger. And many are on that tiger with him (the military and the corrupt elite). How can he step down? He cannot trust any local persons – any more than they could trust him. He stands the very real risk of ‘next stop, the Hague’. Him and many others in power (on the tiger).

He cannot trust the neighbours. (Any more than they can trust him). Charles Taylor going to ‘exile’ in Nigeria is a glaring factor in that equation. Off goes Charlie for a nice little corruptly and bloodily earned rest in a place where he is guaranteed safety, and suddenly, he is behind bars in Europe!

So what choice does he have? Stay in power (he and his gang), where the means of violence are readily available (and they do have degrees in violence, the University of Edinburgh cannot take those degrees from him), or shuffle off defeated (even if a ‘dignified’ defeat), and wait for violence to be done to you (not that the ICC will ever sentence anyone to death)? So what choice – use power (in the rawest sense of the word) from a position of power, where you can mete it out with a limited chance it will come back and bite you, or leave, to a place where there is a good chance that it will come along and bite you? And this is not a question he is asking alone.

So a run-off.

Note the difference between the vote and the count. There is every indication that the vote will go against him. It was an apathetic turnout at the real elections. The run off will not be apathetic. And there was a large number of pro-incumbent votes out from loyalty (a term used loosely to indicate those riding the same tiger as the incumbent) at the real election. This will not be a vote that can be relied on again. Makoni has survived this long, it shows you can leave the party without being hammered into the ground.

And then the count. There is massive experience amongst those with the degrees in violence with this. The ground work is being laid. The War Vets are being called out. The ZEC is being accused of irregularities (a cover story). A recount of 16 constituencies is being called for (again, a smoke screen). And a recount of the Presidential vote is being called for (how you can have a recount before you ‘know’ what the count is???) All ground work for a ‘better’ result being warranted.

However, as I also said, a change has happened.

My Masters paper was on Banda leaving Malawi. I noticed that Banda used party secretary-generals as scapegoats. He would ‘allow’ them to do his bidding (i.e. suppress all revolt, dissent, etc) and then ‘discover’ that they were ‘mean evil people’, and, for his beloved people he would credit the Secretary-General with all the blame and have them removed. Eventually (after years and Dick Mutenje) people stopped wanting to be the party Secretary-General, and those who unfortunately were just did not seem to be able to do his bidding. So Banda lost a tool. A method. A mechanism to stay in power. But it had worked in the meantime. Banda stayed in power until he was 94 (approximately) and had a brain tumor.

I think he has done the same with Zanu PF. While he has retained power, he has now lost, or is losing, the party. The military coup that we have been subjected to (I use ‘military’ to define those who were the old ZANLA High Command) is very near the surface now. Since 1997 (or even 1996), the minister in charge of every uniformed and armed ministry (Army, Air Force, Police, Prison Services, National Parks) was a ‘retired’ soldier. Since sometime in the 2000s (possibly 2004) every single Permanent Secretary in every single ministry was a ‘retired’ soldier. And more recently (2006 or 7?) the Joint Operations Command (JOC) has been meeting regularly with our president. Who tells who what to do in these meetings? We are controlled (maybe not ruled) by a military junta.

So what is the solution?

I do not know. That is joy of being an ‘activist. You can say what is wrong, without having to say (or do) what will make it right. Having said that, at least I have had my say. Getting the ‘facts’ out into the open, and discussing them, will at least lead to an understanding of the problem. And only if we understand the problem, can we come up with a ‘correct’ (or best) solutions in power through rigging and violence many Zimbabweans will just run off.

It’s now nine days since Zimbabwe’s Harmonised Election, and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission STILL hasn’t announced the results for the presidential vote.

Given these delays and the possibliity of a run-off under violent and intimidatory conditions, MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai says “this is a time for strong action.” It’s time to make a stand, he reckons.

Which must be why, rather than staying at home addressing Zimbabweans, mobilising the MDC membership, or planning for the run-off – or the protest thereof, Tsvangirai’s gone to South Africa. Apparently he’s having private talks. By the way. They must be private – South African President Thabo Mbeki is in London . . .

At times I wonder what is really taking place in our beloved country Zimbabwe. It appears there is no one controlling one another. Who is in charge then – war vets, soldiers, ZEC, the police, the courts, Zanu PF, MDC, or Zimbabweans who participated in the presidential elections?

Surely, having voted some days if not weeks ago, whoever is said to be in-charge is delaying saying who won and who lost the race publicly. I must mention though that the race was clear to everyone on the terraces (voters), seeing who was leading who. The whole process was like standing naked in glaring sunlight against a white wall.

It was so clear and transparent that some even celebrated their victory before the official announcement by whoever is in charge.

Anyone who thinks that we’re not already living in a State of Emergency needs their head read. The vast majority of Zimbabweans keep stating that their life could hardly be worse, that something Has To Change, or they’ll die. Clear, or what?

One of our greatest tensions has been the pretense that we’re living in a democracy in Zimbabwe. We are not. We live in a country where so-called democratic elections are held but the dictatorship of Mugabe decides who wins. This has been happening for the last several years.

The police force and army are Mugabe’s; the courts are Mugabe’s; the public media is controlled by Mugabe.

We are living in a State of Emergency.

And a state of fear controls Zimbabweans.

Yes we could have enforced curfews, we could have more military and police patrolling the streets. But already people don’t have the money to move around as freely as they once did, and in the wake of the election we’ve seen an increased police presence.

So I’m not too sure how much we should let the fear of a state of emergency interrupt our legitimate right to protest the completely unacceptable delay in the announcement of the presidential election results.

I’ve just sent out the following email to a variety of political and civic leaders, and I’m hoping for a response from them:

News reports say that the MDC’s court case has been postponed until tomorrow when they will deem whether it is urgent enough to be heard.

In the face of the following:

- local, regional and global acknowledgment that the delay in the announcement of the presidential election is unacceptable

- the courts in Zimbabwe have no real authority

- the delay is allowing Zanu PF to re-group

- the delay is causing fear and despondency among Zimbabweans

surely the recently elected opposition MPs and Senators should publicly petition or peacefully protest this situation.

What a bold public and active statement it would be. It would also give the opposition forces in Zimbabwe a chance to visibly and publicly unite – inspiring confidence in Zimbabweans of a coalition in the event of a run off.

If the authorities over react we will have another March 11th for our regional brothers and sisters to condemn outright.

There is certainly more to gain than lose by a move such as this.

Zimbabweans need to see our political leaders stand up in ways other than calling press conferences and filing court applications.

Comrade Fatso’s latest blog comments on how Zimbabweans let loose their rage and I’m reminded of Amanda’s blog where she discusses how we ferociously cling on to our bag if a tsotsi tries to steal it – questioning why we don’t do similarly when our vote is stolen. Here’s some more Comrade Fatso for you:

The anger waits alongside our waiting. Today on a calm winter day, quiet and hot, there was a car crash at a market near central Harare. The car had collided with several market women and various stalls. The driver was lynched by the customers and passers-by. Beaten because he is an easy target. As we watched from my car parked across the road the crowd swelled as Harare’s waiting people gathered and joined into the nyaya, the story. Zimbabweans often give out mob justice like food at a ZANU (PF) rally. We tend to vent our life-anger onto a thief who dared to steal a bar of chocolate and a loaf of bread. We tend to leave the creators of our misery in the luxury of freedom. The anger waits alongside our waiting.

This is Comrade Fatso’s Daily Blog During the Zimbabwe Election Period. See www.comradefatso.com