The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
Waiting for change in
Zimbabwe | ||||||||
At a mass birthday party in Harare, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai told thousands of supporters: "We are on the winning track. Zimbabwe is on the verge of massive and decisive change." But others are not so sure. "By now, I was sure we would be in power," one MDC activist told BBC News Online. "We were complacent, we though it would be easy," he said. 'Nothing tangible' Just six months after the MDC's launch on 11 September 1999, President Robert Mugabe suffered his first - and still only - national election defeat in a referendum on a new constitution. But that set-back only stirred him into action and the MDC has been unable to loosen his grip on power.
"The MDC has succeeded in maintaining the hopes of Zimbabweans that change is possible, said Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, which is pressing for a new constitution. "But it has achieved nothing tangible. There has been no change of government, oppression has got worse and the economy has collapsed." He says there has been a lack of strategy in the MDC leadership, which has been outsmarted - and literally outfought - by Mr Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party. 'Final push' A woman in Harare, who says she wants a change of government, admits: "Zanu-PF is better at long-term planning than the MDC. "The MDC just react and by then, Zanu-PF is already far ahead." But Mr Mugabe has certainly done everything in his power to make life difficult for the opposition to operate.
New security and media laws have also made life much more difficult for the opposition. All political meetings now require police approval, which is rarely given to the MDC. All foreign correspondents have been expelled and the only privately-run daily newspaper closed down, so the MDC has trouble getting its message out to the electorate. They tried to organise a "final push" - mass street protests to bring down Mr Mugabe - last year but the security services succeeded in stamping these out. Waiting game In such circumstances, it is certainly not easy to see how to defeat Mr Mugabe, except for hanging on and waiting for the economy to deteriorate to such an extent that he is unable to remain in office. This has always been Mr Tsvangirai's back-up plan but living standards for Zimbabweans have got worse and worse and this has not yet led to a change of government.
He said that water-rationing has now been introduced in the capital, Harare. There is no water from 0830 until 1730 in residential areas. The MDC website publishes shocking statistics showing the rampant inflation which has eroded the buying power of the Zimbabwe dollar since 2000. The cost of a bag of sugar has shot up from $40 to $5,303 in four years. Mr Madhuku is one of those calling for popular protests to bring about change. He says the MDC abandoned mass action too quickly after the failure of the "final push." "If people are not prepared to suffer, they won't get change. More oppression is the only alternative." Regional hopes Mr Madhuku is certainly willing to put his words to the test and was arrested last week for the umpteenth time for organising an illegal demonstration. But others are intimidated. The MDC activist says: "It is difficult to organise marches now. People are afraid."
It is hoping that this boycott will stop Mr Mugabe from being able to argue that he has a democratic mandate to govern Zimbabwe and so regional leaders will put pressure on him to introduce electoral reforms before next March, as part of a new promise by Southern African leaders to raise the standard of democracy in the region. But Zimbabwe's neighbours have always been the most reluctant to criticise Mr Mugabe, who they see as a hero of the fight against colonialism. If the election boycott does not succeed, the MDC will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan - once again. |
M
ZIMBABWEANS CELEBRATE
M
On September 11, the
M
We are now firmly established as a
truly national party that transcends the ethnic and rural/urban divisions in our
society that have been deliberately sown by the Zanu
PF government.
With vibrant party offices in all 12
provinces, and vibrant party structures in each of the country’s 120 districts,
we have ensured that we have the capacity to continue our impressive growth as a
political party and sustain our formidable challenge to the existing status quo.
Last weekend, thousands of
Zimbabweans, in towns and villages across the country, defied government
intimidation to celebrate the M
The message from last weekend’s
celebrations is clear: Zimbabweans desire a new beginning and will not be cowed
in their struggle for a restoration of their basic rights. They have no desire
to participate in another fraudulent election which denies them their hard
earned right to freely elect a government of their
choice.
They know that the economic recovery
necessary to create jobs and provide food will remain stunted until democracy
has been restored. This acknowledgment serves to strengthen the collective
resolve for change.
It is time the government listened
to the people and acted in accordance with their wishes; it therefore needs to
act in accordance with the spirit and letter of the
SA
Paul T Nyathi
Secretary For Information and Publicity