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Zimbabwe: Talks Should Be On Who Goes to the Hague First
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
OPINION
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Tanonoka Joseph Whande
ZANU-PF and the two factions of the MDC are meeting in South Africa again.
Can anyone believe these people? For a long time now, they have held these "talks about talks" to find a way of agreeing on what to talk about while people are being killed by one group participating at these talks. I think they are all just glad to be out of Zimbabwe and being somewhere where, in addition to their stipends, everything is available. The fact that they are unable to build on what they agreed upon in previous meetings is an indication that someone is playing games and is attempting to fool the world into thinking there is a chance through negotiations.
And if there is anyone who thinks Mugabe, Chinamasa and the ZANU-PF lot are at these talks to negotiate themselves out of power then they need to have their heads examined.
"ZANU PF has manifested an incredible catalogue of acts of bad faith," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said. "They have clearly shown that they are not willing to be serious about the negotiations." We could have told the MDC of this little detail, especially since they agreed to attend these talks while violence continues to be perpetrated on innocent people. The MDC accepted discussions when they are under duress and to now make demands at the table is not going to achieve much, especially from ZANU-PF.
ZANU-PF knows exactly what they are doing and what they want while the MDC is forced to react and to complain about this and that. ZANU-PF knows how to bog down negotiations.
Meanwhile, its propaganda machinery has gone into overdrive and is trying to portray Mugabe as reasonable and conciliatory by backing the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) and releasing MDC people who should never have been arrested in the first place. If talking is to be a way out, the discussions should only be centered on the issue of the establishment of a transitional government and not on a government of national unity.
How can national unity be born when, instead of showing contrition and stopping killing innocent people, ZANU-PF keeps the pressure on by continuing to kill innocent people so that it can be said that some form of agreement will have to be reached to save lives? And that kind of agreement will most certainly favour those committing the atrocities.
The perpetrators of violence are being given leeway to dominate a GNU and to continue with their evil ways only this time it will be worse because Mugabe and his murderers will go after the GNU colleagues in much the same way they did with their erstwhile compatriots during and after the war of liberation.
Close the doors on these people for goodness sake!
If we agree that something is bad, why do we keep postponing its removal? What kind of reforms can be implemented or take root while being carried out within a violent atmosphere, when people cannot express their true wishes and when a government is on the rampage, killing, abducting and arresting members of the political group that they are supposed to be negotiating with?
I support the stand taken by the civic society of Zimbabwe which came out in support of a transitional government vis-à-vis a GNU. Mugabe and ZANU-PF must not be treated as authorities nor should they be given an advantage over those who actually won the election.
The fault with a GNU is that it elevates and keeps those who lost and those who continue to harm our citizens. A line has to be drawn and a transitional government is the only other alternative, unnecessary as it may be, because it pushes everybody back a distance and says, "On your marks..."
Let's see how Mugabe would run on a level playfield, under fair conditions and in the absence of violence.
Mugabe can only win under lopsided conditions when murder, blackmail and violence reign. This is why Zimbabweans refuse to accept Mugabe as the winner of not only this past 'election' but of several others before that.
The issue of power sharing is a non-starter. Establishing a power-sharing government is just the same as planting a ticking bomb under the nation of Zimbabwe. We cannot believe that members of a power-sharing government will be equals in any way.
Some will start as people's favourites already while others will start out as 'those people who murdered mom during the past elections'. Others will distinguish themselves well and prove that ZANU-PF has no decent, able legislators, thereby arousing deadly jealousy from the less able and less popular ZANU-PF members of the GNU.
Friends, I am talking about what I know.
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Do we not recall how violently Mugabe, Ignatius Chombo and ZANU-PF bigwigs reacted when Harare elected engineer Elias Mudzuri as the first MDC mayor several years ago? Suddenly, garbage that had piled up for decades started disappearing on Harare streets. Rapidly, potholes the size of swimming pools started disappearing. Mugabe was particularly incensed when the new MDC mayor patched up the road leading to State House before any other roads.
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Ian Smith, all the Selous scouts in Australia and general Walls have to go first to the Hague. First things first.
Yes, too bad Ian Smith died. But I wll suggest De Klerk and PW Botha (if he's still alive, I'm not sure) who got away with murder and is now smelling Roses in Cape Town there is a certain amount of hypocrisy. African (black) leaders face justice, white leaders face reconciliation.
dont be so foolishly racist. Did you not see the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic being arrested for war crimes. Pretty sure he is white and will get the death penalty too. Pretty sure saddam hussein was white too. Its funny how white people are always racist, but its ok for blacks to be racist. Take a good look at your racist self. You're as bad as every other kkk member also.
do you realise that you have stopped thinking. You are being gibberish!!!
Don't change the subject Baasi!!! Please dont. l still want to see action on those rhodie murderers populating Australian towns, eg Perth. Is the prime minister of Ozzie going to see justice done and deport the rhodies back to Gt Zim for trial???After all these murderes are sons of Gt Zim. We are waiting for the day you guys try to take our president, RGM, to the Hague. Who talks of opening a can of worms .... ???
If not Ian Smith going to the Hague, how about his "Rhodesian" associates who are out there with loud speakers on human rights. Themselves human right violaters from Ian Smith's regime. It cuts both ways! Maybe Zimbabwe should not have pursued national reconcialiation with it's 1.0% anglo white Briton population! Because they are all candidates to be sent to the Hague. Be careful what you ask for.
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