Published by the government of Zimbabwe
3 December 2008
editorial
Harare — MORGAN Tsvangirai and MDC are pushing their luck too far. In politics, one must not be too stiff-necked, too harsh and unyielding. It is sometimes necessary to yield to those moving towards us.
And yielding is legitimate and essential when the yielder is convinced that those who are striving to make him yield are in the right -- in which case, honest political leaders frankly and openly admit the mistake -- or when an irrational and harmful demand is yielded to in order to avert a greater evil.
It is also commonplace wisdom that little annoyances should not be allowed to stand in the way of a big pleasure.
And Tsvangirai should realise and accept the fact that concessions are inherent in negotiations.
When you enter negotiations, you must be prepared to compromise and accept the integrity of another man.
If one is not prepared to compromise, then they must never enter into or think about the process of negotiation at all.
It is sad that Tsvangirai and MDC could dismiss the decision taken by the Southern African Development Community Extraordinary Summit of November 9 as a "nullity".
In the first place, it was Tsvangirai himself who asked for this meeting, who asked for Sadc's intervention.
And the solution that was given by Sadc over the sharing of ministerial portfolios in the (inclusive) government was not unreasonable.
It should have been easily accepted by both parties to break the standoff, but this was rejected by Tsvangirai in total contempt of Sadc.
It's been very clear from the very beginning that Tsvangirai doesn't believe much in Africa and African solutions to problems.
From the very beginning, Tsvangirai had relied on American, British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and other European support.
Africa had never been an option for him.
For a long time, Tsvangirai and MDC had no meaningful contact with African countries, governments or political parties.
In saying this, we are not in any way trying to choose friends for them.
But we are merely wondering why countries that have never supported liberation or progressive movements in this region are today the allies and ardent supporters of Tsvangirai and MDC.
The British and Americans never supported any of our liberation struggles in this region. These are the same countries that classified our liberation movements as terrorist organisations.
The United States had even put Nelson Mandela on the list of terrorists and after his release from prison he could only visit that country on the basis of a special arrangement.
What is it that they have found more interesting, more favourable, more acceptable in Tsvangirai and MDC that they did not find in Mandela and ANC, in Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo and Zanu and Zapu?
What is it that they see in Tsvangirai and MDC that they did not see in Sam Nujoma and Swapo, in Samora Machel and Frelimo, in Dr Agostinho Neto and MPLA and so on and so forth?
Today, Tsvangirai is going round raising concern about the worsening humanitarian condition in Zimbabwe when he was the one who campaigned vigorously for sanctions against his own country, his own people.
Did he think the sanctions he was seeking, the isolation of Zimbabwe he was championing would have no effect on that country's economy and the welfare of its people?
There is no doubt that Tsvangirai sought to take over power in Zimbabwe at the back of national failure.
And he must be very frustrated today that the national failure he sought has come to his country but not with the appropriate share of power he wanted. But despite his lack of respect for Africa and fellow Africans, over the last 12 months, the political fortunes for Tsvangirai on the continent increased beyond belief.
But the way he is going about things will make him lose all that support in a very vast way.
The support that he got from Africa made it possible for him to have the status that he has in his country and the world today.
If he wants to lose all this, he should ignore what Thabo Mbeki is saying. Mbeki has raised very serious matters concerning Tsvangirai and MDC's behaviour and attitude.
"Today, I received the letter dated 19 November 2008, which was correctly communicated through the South African Embassy in Harare, written to me by your secretary-general, the Honourable Tendai Biti, MP, concerning Constitutional Amendment No. 19.
"I must confess that the contents of this letter came to me as a complete surprise, causing me grave concern.
"As you know, Mr Biti's letter describes the decisions on Zimbabwe, taken by the November 9 Sadc Extraordinary Summit meeting held in South Africa, as 'a nullity'."
The letter goes further to say: It is then difficult for any of the parties to move in any direction for fear of legitimising the Sadc summit 'ruling'.
The first point I would like to make with regard to the foregoing is that, as you know, we were appointed as facilitator of the Zimbabwe dialogue by Sadc.
"This position was later endorsed by both the African Union and the United Nations, both of which expressly rely on Sadc to facilitate the Zimbabwe dialogue, and thus contribute to the resolution of the Zimbabwe problem.
"You will, therefore, understand that it is absolutely impossible for us as the Sadc-appointed facilitator contemptuously to dismiss solemn decisions of a Sadc summit meeting as 'a nullity'.
"Indeed, and necessarily, all such decisions serve as a binding mandate on the facilitator. What Zimbabweans, the region and Africa now need is the sense of patriotism among the leaders of Zimbabwe.
"You know this, too, that the rest of Southern Africa, your neighbouring countries, has also had the unavoidable obligation to carry much of the weight of the burden of the Zimbabwe crisis, in many ways.
"You know that, among other things, various countries of our region host large numbers of economic migrants from Zimbabwe, who impose particular burdens on our countries.
"Loyal to the concept and practice of African solidarity, none of our countries and governments has spoken publicly of this burden, fearful that we might incite the xenophobia to which all of us are opposed.
"Nevertheless, the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe, including you, dear brother,
need to bear in mind that the pain your country bears is a pain that is transferred to the masses of our people, who face their own challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
"This particular burden is not carried by the countries of Western Europe and North America, which have benefited especially from the migration of skilled and professional Zimbabweans to the North.
"In the end when all is said and done, Zimbabwe would have to exist in peace and productive collaboration with its neighbours in Southern and the rest of Africa.
"Realistically, Zimbabwe will never share the same neighbourhood with the countries of Western Europe and North America and therefore, secure its success on the basis of friendship with these, and contempt for the decisions of its immediate African neighbours.
"I say this humbly to advise that it does not help Zimbabwe, nor will it help you as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, that the MDC-T contemptuously repudiates very serious decisions of our region and, therefore, our continent, describing them as 'a nullity'.
"It may be that, for whatever reason, you consider our region and continent as being of little consequence to the future of Zimbabwe, believing that others further away, in Western Europe and North America, are of greater importance.
"In this context, I have been told that because leaders in our region did not agree with you on some matters that served on the agenda of the Sadc Extraordinary Summit meeting, you have denounced them publicly as 'cowards'.
Read comments. Write your own.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Mmm...lets see if I understand this? Prior to the SADC summit zanu-pf and the Herald went to some length to let us know that whatever was the decision by SADC it only amounted to a recommendation and that the parties were not obligated to accept that recommendation. Now, all of a sudden, this decision is treated as something sacrosanct.
Subsequently,the judicial tribunal of SADC, which has the authority of a court,has ruled that the confisfaction of 78 farms from white farmers in Zimbabwe breaches the civil rights of these farmers and should be rescinded. To this ruling Zanu-pf has said… [Read Full Text]
Unfortunately many of the people who post these comments are fanatical loyalists who either worship Mugabe or Tsvangirayi and see nothing wrong in their hero or anything good in their opponent. In the process the silent majority remains voiceless. The truth is that both Mugabe and Tsvangirayi have let the people down - Mugabe by betraying the people's revolution through greed and incompetence and Tsvangirayi through abuse of the change mandate he is refusing to use for the people's good. Mercifully history is on the side of the ordinary people - they shall govern as the ANC's famous slogan goes… [Read Full Text]
The truth is, neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirayi can stop the decline and coming fall of Zimbabwe. The "liberation heroes," including but not limited to merely Mugabe, engineered it, and even if Mugabe himself repudiated every single action he took on national TV tomorrow, and even swore to give back all the farms to the Rhodesians, the other "liberation heroes" would just kill him and continue destroying Zimbabwe without hesitation. If Tsvangirayi was made god-king of Zimbabwe tomorrow, he could not stop it either, because the infrastructure that once supported Zimbabwe and is now being ripped apart by the "liberation heroes"… [Read Full Text]
Mugabe and his other idiots never cease to amaze me.They want Tsvangirayi to accept what they would not accept shame on them Zimbabwe shall be free whether Didimus Mutasa likes it or not he will go with his old man all the way enough is enough.
In my opinion mr Mbeki wants to use his position as the leader of the SADC commission to solve the Zimbabwian crisis to pay a moral debt to Mugabe! Liberation mouvements and progressive groups did not have any legitimate mandate to represent their people otherwise they would not have faced oposition from within the same people,as such whether who suported them it does not matter!By trying to choose the MDC party's friends,you are clearly showing your camp! I do not think being the president of Zimbabwe today is a lucky deal for a real patriotic… [Read Full Text]
Zimbabweans in neighbouring countries are not mere economic migrants they are refugees running away from oppression and destitution. People are running away from a country where people are killed for voting for or being in the opposition, a country where your journalisim is supervised by the barrel of the gun. So dont write trash.
When you last in Zimbabwe? I have spent the last four weeks in the Midlands and MatesNorth ....Nkai, Silobela, Shurugwi etc. After my visit,l am seriously wondering why the MDC-T bother enter into negotiations or even let their members become MPs. WHY? The MDC dont care about the ordinary Zim but are only interested in the one thing they have always focused on....handing the country back to the Rhodesians and their European (white) backers....SHAME ON YOU, sons of the soil. Nyika iri kuparara takatarisa
See all comments (35).
The herald is trumpeting the issue of acceptance by MDC with respect to the SADC decision.Would ZANU-PF had accepted the same decision if it was against them?I guess not becoz even before the meeting was held, Mugabe and his hench men were saying any decision from SADC is not a mandate but a mere recommendation which might or might not be implemented.It is this same people that are now giving this decision the kind of strength they had earlier on questioned.Go to hell ZANU-PF!!! It is not MDC who are pushing their luck but you.Morgan will stand to his gun… [Read Full Text]