Words of advice to President Robert Mugabe
Dear Gushungo, as a patriotic and peace-loving son-of-the-soil, l write to you to advise you on the pertinent issue of Presidential elections. As you know, ZEC is holding on to Presidential results (a result that indicates Tsvangirai as winner) to give you time to consult on your next move and possibly to plan a graceful exit from the now chaotic stage of Zimbabwe politics. Now many people are pushing you to remain in your seat, or to call for a runoff, let me warn you that all these people are doing it for selfish interests, and they are liars.
These people lied to you that the people of Zimbabwe were with you, and that a ZANU PF victory would be overwhelming, they lied that MDC had no support; but now you know Mr President, the people have spoken, and the message is loud and clear: your time is up. Now is the time for you to exit the political stage with a modicum of dignity, you have been embarrassed by this outcome, in a runoff you will be thoroughly humiliated.
I advise you against going into a rerun not only because it is pointless, this election was more a referendum on your leadership than anything else, l caution you against a rerun primarily because of the very much alive risk of dividing our country and the likelihood of sour losers unleashing violence in the country. We do not want war, we want to heal our nation and bring the nation together.
Be a statesman and resist a knee-jack reaction of resisting change, you have said yourself that you do not believe in second rounds, you have been knocked out in this round, take it, and let the nation move on and leave it script the next chapter in the life of Zimbabwe. For inspiration you can look to the conduct of Trudy Stevenson; she put her heart and soul into campaigning for the Mount Pleasant Parliamentary Seat, she lost dismally to Tsvangirai’s MDC, upon losing she was courageous and graceful enough to concede defeat – and to wish the winner well. That is the spirit we want in Zimbabwe, of understanding that when the people have spoken then that is the end, of acknowledging that life must go on outside political office.
I challenge you Gushungo, in the name of Zimbabwe and all its fallen heroes, to rise above personal interest and bruised ego to make your next move based on the best interest on Zimbabwe. Your last act as President, that of resigning and handing over the reins to Morgan Tsvangirai, just that single act, will avert great suffering and put Zimbabwe firmly on path to recovery.
I know that there are many who were milking the country dry because of their proximity to you and your office, and they are not prepared to see an end to their outlandish lifestyles. Also, there are those who have committed heinous and egregious violations of human rights, who have looted, plundered, raped and killed in the name of Zanu PF who now feel exposed by your imminent departure from high office and are prepared to have you humiliated just to save their skins. Do not be deceived by their sweet words, leave them to face the full measure of the law.
For the sake of our country and our people who have suffered for so long, l urge you to see reason, concede defeat and sit down with Tsvangirai and urge the winners to form a government of national unity. After renouncing the Zanu PF culture and embracing democracy and good governance values l am sure Zanu PF will be useful as opposition. We need to move forward now, to a new government and a new Zimbabwe.
However Gushungo, if you choose to ignore voice of reason, and stubbornly insist on a run-off, then know that you will have squandered the last shred of dignity left in you, and all in vain, because you will surely lose, and lose in the most humiliating way. Also rest assured that the long arm of the law will catch up with all these criminals who are lurking behind the curtains at State House shouting shrilly that Mugabe is not going anywhere. The sooner you accept this reality the better for everyone, there is no turning back in Zimbabwe, the time for change is now.
Friday, April 4th 2008 at 10:03 am
Let’s hope that the voice of reason will prevail but the delaying tactics indicate that the ruling clique has too much to lose and too much to fear from relinquishing its stranglehold on power. They still have the means to rig the rerun by unleashing an unprecedented wave of oppression and revenge on the opposition particularly in rural areas that can be turned into no-go zones for the opposition and screened off from the prying eyes of the free world. This might buy Zanu-PF a brief reprieve but at a terrible cost to the long-suffering nation. Fortunately, the laws of economics cannot be defied forever by Zanu-PF and will be their ultimate downfall.
Tuesday, April 8th 2008 at 3:08 pm
I am an advocate of nonviolence and I have always argued that when a nation uses violent means to achieve freedom the peace will be shortlived before violence continues. As a nation we used violent means to dispose of the Smith regime but the freedom fighters had learned a lifelong lesson that violence works. ZANU PF has used violence at every turn when they face a threat. The list if long, the Matabeleland Gukurahundi, political violence during elections in 2000, 2002 and 2005, Operation Murambatsvina. The current scenario is being informed by that culture of violence. The post election scenario is beginning to look like a tragic/circus/comedy as the ruling party holds on and refuses to announce election results. Let this be a lesson for Zimbabweans, violence begets violence. Peaceful means of changing the situation are sustainable.