via Mugabe’s health info important – DailyNews Live by Stanley Gama 19 MAY 2014
Genuine concern is once again being expressed about President Robert Mugabe’s state of health, after he embarked on yet another visit to Singapore last week for a “routine” eye check-up.
Mugabe’s visit to the South-East Asian city state, is his third this year alone — all of them for the said “routine” eye check-ups.
Frankly, this belies logic.
This has been said before and I feel it is important to say it again: the state of health of the leader of our country is an issue of national importance.
This means that both the management of the president’s health and the communication of his health ought to strike the admittedly difficult balance of sensitivity and the appropriate degree of transparency — bearing in mind that Mugabe is not just a husband and a father, but also the country’s leader.
Let’s deal with the bugbear that irritates senior government and Zanu PF officials, and which appears to contribute to the unwillingness by authorities to be a little bit more open about the president’s real state of health — malicious rumours.
Without any doubt, continuing loose and unfounded gossip about Mugabe’s health is in very bad taste. It really is regrettable that this slew of unfortunate speculation around the president’s health continues to flare from time to time — to the obvious pain of his family and detriment of the country.
It is true that like most mortals, our long-ruling leader is neither a saint nor a universally-liked man.
Indeed, the mere mention of the name of the only man to have ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 elicits mixed reaction.
On one hand, his followers adore him to bits and swear by his liberation credentials and deemed principles.
On the other, his many detractors only identify him with pain and misrule, and want him out of office.
Still, this is no reason why anyone, anywhere should wish him, or any other person under the sun, ill or dead. To do so is not just unacceptable, it is both uncouth and unconscionable.
I say this without any fear of contradiction for a newspaper that is often very critical of Mugabe and his party’s poor record in government.
And neither is this standpoint on the matter driven by expediency to curry favour with him and his cohorts, nor is it out of fear that not doing so would elicit the kind of malicious action against us that we suffered as a media house more than a decade ago when we were unjustly shut down by his government. No!
We do so out of a deep conviction that all life is sacred, irrespective of whether it is Mugabe, Barack Obama, Morgan Tsvangirai or some other lesser known mortal involved.
Back to the nub of piece, the fact that the state of health of the leader of our country is an important national issue, necessitates that government be as transparent as possible about his health, obviously balancing this against his rights as well as the interests of his family.
After all, the incontrovertible fact is that the First Citizen is now a mature 90, and at this age, it is a given that the elderly develop a number of health challenges — meaning that there is no good reason at all to try and run away from this reality.
The kind of responsible and useful information management about the president’s well-being that we are advocating here is, indeed, not rocket science.
It has been done successfully in other countries, including recently in South Africa, in the case of the late and founding leader of that country, Nelson Mandela.
Surely, such course of action and diligent information management around when Mugabe travels, to where, and when he is being attended to by medical doctors, for what, can only work in the best interests of the president, his family, the government and the country in the long run — without jeopardising his security and his privacy.
Of course, that necessarily means that government communicators must not hide behind “routine eye check-ups” as that in fact ends up feeding into the unnecessary speculation frenzy around Mugabe’s health, as people would want to understand why a “routine” check-up requires such long, demanding and expensive trips to East Asia several times a year.
But at the same time, the ministry of Information, at least now issues statements to all media houses on the President’s travels to Singapore but we need more.
Are Zanu PF and government heavies listening, and if they are, do they care enough about the President and this country?
COMMENTS
At the ripe age of 90, ailements associated with aging are not uncommon. It is only common sense for the govt/presidential communications officials to strike a balance between public interest and the doctor-patient confindentiality. The public is weary of the tired bite “routine eye check” hence the feeling that the trips are costly.
Msizeni Silwelani
As long as you choose to be a public person and you use tax payers money for your medical condition – you automatically forgo the so-called “docto-patient” confidentiality!!
Even people in his own party wish him dead. Its very sad . Bit he is such a blood sucking zombie he does not feel shame. Looters
The people of zimbabwe resemble the people of the united states in one respect: They are both stupid. They both enjoy being treated as mushrooms, in that they are kept in the dark and fed horse-sh*t by their exalted leader.
LOL
We do have experienced eye Docs in Zim , the like of Guramatunhu and professor Masanganise- any reason of going to Singapore? ????
safe banking practices in Singapore
tsuro
Yes, you can continue believeing his problem is only his eyes!!
Mugabe is the most unselfish leader in the world. These trips to Singapore cost a fortune in travel costs, accommodation, medical bills, allowances for huge entourages etc.
Now look at the state of hospitals at Mpilo, Harare and Parirenyatwa and imagine what would happen if the money from just one trip could be channeled to just one of these hospitals. They would be able to replace dilapidated equipment that no other hospitals in the world still use.
But no, Mugabe spends all the money on himself and his family. If he wasn’t a president was he going to be going on these frequent trips? No wonder why the guy will do everything he can to remain president as long as he lives so he can sustain himself whilst the rest of us perish.
Wensil, I think you mean selfish??
Unselfish to and for the Singaporean community/economy
Yes, Jan thanks. I meant the most selfish leader in the world.
wensil
You mean, “the most selfish leader…?”
Why do you confuse “unselfish” and “selfish” or could it be that you cant tell the difference between the two words?
Understand very much the many supelatives used in the article to describe the act of wishing someone dead but Our President and those close to him have demonstrated time and time again their low or absence of regard for the welfare of the Zimbabwean Population. Tell me when was the last time he paid a visit to any hospital just to see the state of them? Does he even know the diet patients are fed on or the many constraints faced by staff in executing their duties?
Our Government is selfish. It is only normal to feel disgruntled and express this frustration by wishing RMG dead. An abused wife or child will wish their abuser the worst kind of death. None is listening .No one cares. He makes little diffence to the lives of the majority anyway.So maybe he really shouldn’t be here i.e dead.
LUCY
“OUR PRESIDENT…..?”
Please exclude me, he is not my President. That is precisely the reason I live outside the country. To me he is a gukurahundi who deserves nothing but death by a shooting squard; if not hanging!!
yes-a sad situation permitted by an anomaly in the Constitution, it seems.
Any country with a ‘President’ hanging around at 90 and 34 years is more ‘dictator’ than anything else and his enablers are the thousands below him in the power chain, trying to keep him right there-so they can keep helping themselves to Zim’s wealth.
Been that way since the Romans, but they called theirs ‘Caesar’.
Surprising that none in gvt can stand up and say some sense on this issue.
They are all busy licking his backside to complain about anything. Of course the cash spent on one trip would go a long way in renovating re equipping and providing drugs for Harare Hospital. All the posh cars they keep buying for our President and all governments chefs could be sold off and pay for the staff in hospitals. Blame the rot on sanctions is what they tell us….im at a loss for words.
Since Mugabe will not do the right thing and hold an honest election it is logical and reasonable to think of his departure by other means
Lets all be truthfull as well as “uncouth” and say with one voice “WE WANT HIM DEAD” and as soon as possible.
Health is no longer the issue. He is too old … whatever his health condition.
All true… no information then we speculate… check to see if there is a deep freeze on the plane when it returns!!!!!
He should fly MAS!
who ever took the flight MH370 shuld take also this chartered plane on its way from kusingapore. Boko Haran Can u take Mugabe please
Stanely Gama
Unless you are a beneficiary of the gukurahundi’s legasse; what do you mean by this:
“Still, this is no reason why anyone, anywhere should wish him, or any other person under the sun, ill or dead. To do so is not just unacceptable, it is both uncouth and unconscionable.”
What about the twenty thousand gukurahundi victims for which he has never apologised nor paid any compensation? Where is his conscience?
This is a man who claims to a Catholic, a Christian – why is it that the killing of thousands innocent villagers means nothing to him.
Please give us a break – I wish him ill for sure and I make no apologies for saying so. Had he not been surrounded by so much tight security and one could get close to him – I would blow out his gukurahundi thick skull to smitherens, with no regrets whatsoever.
Do you remember he once said he doesn’t believe in giving the other cheek to his enemies? He said he believes in “an eye for an eye” and because he felt he as a blackman has been abused for long by the white world, he only has two cheeks to give. He doesnt have a third cheek. For that reason, revenge is his stock in trade!!
He and his government are just a bunch of thieves and murderers, they have destroyed the country and it will take many many years of competent government to repair
Gleneagles hospital at $10000 a pop for ordinary out patient day surgery visit and well 5 days? $60000 a go? plus all the rest so we are looking at $100,000 for a visit for surgery that could be done in South Africa for about $3000 total, wow no wonder he asks for the $500,000 each time he flies.
That’s just spending money.
Airplane and graceless’s costs another $600,000. So each visit costs the tax payer well in excess of $1.5 million. For a so called visit down the road for Rand 30,000.
go to http://www.newzimbabwe.com you will see a video of Bob entering the Geneagles Hospital in Singapore it is one of the worlds top 10 hospitals for TOURISTS and in this video DISGRACE AND a BODYGUARD ARE TRYING TO STOP THE CAMERAMAN FROM FILMING she says something like no no you cannot take photos where the hell does she think she is – she thinks she can make her own laws abroad?? selfish thieving scum bags and the ordinary people cannot get basic health care like the orphans take it up people of zimbabwe this can no longer happen
This Gleneagles hospital is renowned for eye and cancer specialist treatment
New zimbabwe.com should keep this video as evidence of him getting treatment abroad whilst the ordinary people suffer