Zimbabwe: Nothing Has Changed
Police Brutality in Zimbabwe
I have been observing the political development in Zimbabwe for the last couple of weeks. I am compelled to say, President Robert Mugabe is almost at the verge of swallowing the pride he once had; refusing to accept that no man is an island and that Zimbabwe cannot stand along and be able to meet the challenges of the times. Mugabe is now bowing down, calling to West to come help develop the country. He has literally called on the West not to allow his country to perish, but should he be trusted?
The overtures given recently by President Robert Mugabe on plans to ensure a ‘rebirth’ of good relationship with the Western world are nothing to go by and from a personal perspective, nothing has changed yet, and it would appear, Mugabe and his Zanu-PF supporters are just playing the political game to divert the attention of the world from the concentrating on the evils they continue to commit against democracy and the rule of law.
One common fact about the governance style of Mugabe is that he is a bully and has always survived through that; MDC supporters continue to suffer in the hands of a ruthless political regime, headed by a man once hailed as the ‘saviour’ of Rhodesia but later transformed himself into a mere political ‘god’ for the Zimbabwean people. And I am referring to Robert Mugabe.
When Mugabe took over the reign of power in the early 1980s, all hailed him; he became a king among kings, and even the then Reggae star, Bob Marley of blessed memories, sang songs of praise of Zimbabwe. But all of that is history today, with the country having gone down the drains politically, economically and also from the social front. Practically, Mugabe has not been able to be politically tolerant and this is against the wishes of democracy.
There appears to be no effective opposition party, not because that is the wish of the people but because, the Zanu-PF leadership has chosen that path for the country’s political sojourn and this is unfortunate.
The call for the lifting of sanctions against the country by the West could only be made possible when Mugabe meets his own side of the agreement. He should first be seen creating the enabling the political environment for that to happen in Zimbabwe where all political parties should be undertaking their activities unhindered. This has been very lacking over the years. And political tolerance must be guaranteed!!
It is also even disheartening to say the least, that even as Mugabe calls for a rethink from the West regarding its relationship with Zimbabwe, the media apparatus in the country have not been able to operate freely and independently as would be expected in a democracy.
The Zimbabwean Union of media practitioners is reported to have stated that journalists are ‘suspicious’ (courtesy BBC) of the intensions of government especially when viewed from the perspective of the creation of unnecessary political tension. This is very alarming indeed. The people of Zimbabwe should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights; they should be guaranteed with press freedom and they must be at liberty to determine the type of leadership they want for their country. And it is unfair for Mugabe to be saying one thing contrary to the expectations the people.
So far, nothing has changed in Zimbabwe and the West should not be cowed into accepting the overtures of Mugabe. The Movement for Democratic Change should keep pushing for a full implementation of what was agreed upon, leading to the coalition government.
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