Donald Kipkorir
21 June 2008
opinion
Nairobi — In Israeli folklore Samson lived as a military genius, but like most people, with a deeply flawed character. By God's choice, he was born to an elderly couple in the city of Zorah and was destined to be a Nazarite, abjuring alcohol and leaving his hair uncut.
For the 20 years of his leadership and with superhuman strength, Israeli arch-enemies, the Philistines, were subdued and conquered.
But Samson betrayed the faith of his people that led to his death together with the entire leadership of the Philistines. So much responsibility had been placed on his shoulders and so much was expected of him, but what a tragedy!
In 1980, Robert Mugabe came to the leadership of newly liberated Zimbabwe. With so much universal goodwill and with his gifted oratory and genuine intelligence, Zimbabwe was destined for the heavens.
The British rule that lasted nearly a century had bequeathed Zimbabwe a physical infrastructure and literacy rate unrivalled in Africa. Its land was rich in agriculture and minerals and the majestic Victoria Falls. All Africa wished to be like Zimbabwe.
But how disappointed we are 28 years later! Comrade Mugabe with the court-jestering and connivance of so-called liberation war veterans and Grace Marufu have literally destroyed their country.
Failed states such as Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo were destroyed by civil war. Zimbabwe was destroyed in time of peace by disastrous policies of one man. And it is for this reason that there should be a régime change - now.
On March 29, 2008, Zimbabwe held a general election that included presidential, parliamentary, senatorial and civic. The conduct of the Zimbabwe Election Commission makes that by its local counterpart, the Election Commission of Kenya, in December 2007 look like a church choir.
The presidential election run-off was announced even before the results were known. The poll, scheduled for June 27, is a joke.
The campaign of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party is shackled up by police arrests, rally disruptions, attack and killing of his supporters and trumped-up criminal indictments.
It is heroic for Tsvangirai and his party to participate in it at all.
Régime change occurs when the existing government is changed in four instances - internal revolution, military coup d etát, reconstruction of government infrastructure and institutions of a failed state, and foreign intervention.
A strong basis has to be laid for a universally acceptable régime change. Zimbabwe has sufficient reasons and any method of the four adopted will be acceptable.
Richard N. Haass, a distinguished expert on foreign policy and the president of America's Council of Foreign Relations, is a great advocate of régime change if it will replace an offensive administration with a less offensive one.
From its lofty heights in 1980, Mugabe has reduced Zimbabwe to a state of penury, hunger and collapsed systems.
At the moment, life expectancy is below 40, its inflation is the highest in the world - at a staggering 1,650,000 per cent and the third most failed state in the world.
Pensioners receive monthly cheques of Zim$1million, a sum that cannot buy even a packet of chewing gum. Recently, the country ran out of paper to print its useless money. A friend of mine who was part of the AU monitoring mission in the March elections, gave me Zim$50 million to keep as a souvenir. The situation in Zimbabwe is surreal and tragic.
Nations of the world are brought together by common beliefs as set out in charters of the United Nations, the African Union and European Community.
The charters converge in basic and irreducible minimums that include basic freedoms and rights to life, liberty and property.
Any country that claims to be a democracy - even a shade of it - has to satisfy these minimums. Democracies share common traits - periodic and legitimate elections, a fair, functioning and impartial judiciary and such freedoms as of association, assembly and the media. Zimbabwe claims to be a democracy; it must meet the test of a democracy.
In a speech delivered on May 1, 2008, to the Hoover Institution, Sen John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, espoused a new thinking on the establishment of a League of Democracies.
In this new league, which he said would not supplant the United Nations or other multilateral units, countries that meet the test of democracy and sharing common values and beliefs would band together.
He envisages this league to stand up and fight for " common defence, freedom, democracy and economic prosperity."
This League will be a bulwark against such nefarious regimes as in Zimbabwe, North Korea and Myanmar. Whether McCain or Barack Obama wins in November poll, this McCain doctrine ought to be adopted.
Africa cannot watch as Mugabe pulls down all the pillars that hold Zimbabwe together. Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, was tasked with resolving the Zimbabwe impasse, but he has failed miserably. Govan, his father, was a liberation comrade of Mugabe's and Thabo would not want the old man to turn in his grave by orchestrating régime change in Zimbabwe.
Mbeki is a son of privilege, and he is reputed to have the biggest wine, whisky and cigar collections in Africa; how can he be bothered with people who want bread when they can eat cake?
Two months ago, that eternal leader of Libya, Col Muhamar Gadaffi, had the temerity to ask in Kampala that Yoweri Museveni and Mugabe be allowed to rule forever.
Despots have never turned a country around. It is only inspired dictators like Gen Augustine Pinochet of Chile who could emasculate his people and develop his country at the same time.
But of course, we know that in his sunset years, Gen Pinochet was called to account and died a dejected man.
Mugabe played his part in removing that racist regime of Ian Smith and history will be kind to him.
But since 1992, when he killed his own people in an operation called "Clearing the Chaff before the rains" and the down-slip since, he wrote his own historical entries in ignominy.
Lord Acton, a great English historian, penned a now famous letter in April 1887 to Bishop Mandell Creighton in which he said: " power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely " Lord Acton must have well been sending his letter to Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, KBE.
As the people of Zimbabwe go to the polls on June 29, the outcome designed by Mugabe must be rejected. Their neighbours, led by courageous Levy Mwanawasa, president of Zambia and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have a date with history. They must help the people of Zimbabwe to do the badly needed régime change.
No matter what others may say, there is none who wants to live under tyranny, deprivation of liberties, unemployment and absence of democracy.
Mugabe may deceive his people that their problems were caused by Tony Blair, but they are wiser.
The Zimbabwean people, in the only way they know best, have pleaded for world intervention. The world must not turn away. Intervention and régime change ought not only to be when dictators kill their people in their thousands, but also when a whole nation is enslaved.
In removing Mugabe, a clear notice will be served on all others who think national leadership amounts to personal aggrandizement.
If Africa cannot do it on their own and history shows they will not, the US and Britain are morally bound to do it. The people of Zimbabwe need régime change now. We must help them.
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