Jonathan Moyo – saviour of ZANU-PF? Fooled at our peril

via Jonathan Moyo – saviour of ZANU-PF? Fooled at our peril May 9, 2014 By Oliver Mukome

From helping to expose corruption to stretching his hands over to anti-ZANU pf media houses and rebuking the police for arresting journalists. It seems there is, after all, a bright light in ZANU PF concerned with extending the freedoms of the people of Zimbabwe. He is claiming the position of the man of the people. In the heart of the establishment but also anti-establishment. All this giving hope to those who have lost faith in the possibility of an MDC government that change will be possible from within ZANU PF itself.

There is something very funny about human nature. When one is oppressed for long enough, every little scrap of acknowledgement becomes very precious and we hold onto it with all we have. We quickly forget how we came to the dire positions we are in and are ripe to take whatever is handed to us. I’ve known plenty of people in abusive relationships who end up in hospital but you see them holding hand with their partner a week later. Dear Zimbabweans, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY MOYO! Professor Moyo is a cunning strategist at heart. This time round the stakes are high.

Let there be no doubt that Moyo’s moves are all because of the succession battle being masked by the rather silly Biti-Tsvangirai battle whose end we already know. He knew that despite being the author of Zim-Asset and an integral part in the election of this government, he was never going to be considered for the Presidency. The Tsholotsho plot, his rebellion from Zanu PF, his close ties and admiration of the West as seen in Wiki-leaks made him an untrustworthy man. The only reason he was brought back is because he could get the election job done. Now that a Zanu PF government is in place, his position is very insecure.

This is where his problems arise. He could be fired at Mugabe’s whim and be retired to the history books of Zimbabwe. He will fight hard to remain relevant! Moyo’s strategy is to raise his popular support and make himself indispensable. I’m sure he asks himself why the Tsholotsho seat was not rigged in his favour when he was so loyal in to the election campaign. He had worked very hard, so why did they not reward him with a seat in parliament.

The corruption revelations are multidimensional in purpose. Firstly, it assures the international community that we are doing something about corruption in the country. This will be positive for Foreign Direct Investment. It also gives a platform for easing of sanctions by demonstrating media freedom. Most importantly, it gives a civil, gentler face to the Mnangagwa faction that he is known to support. If he succeeds, we could be looking at the next Vice President of Zimbabwe. After all, he has the most important credential for it, he’s Ndebele!

In the mean time however, it is a warning shot to the heart of the opponents of their faction. ‘If you attempt to mess our plans, we will expose you!’ And as we all know, there is ALOT to expose! His presence at the ministry of media will mean we shall not hear negative stories of the Mnangagwa faction. The success of this scheme will warrant a promotion if ever Mnangagwa becomes President, by will or by force. Effectively, this could be Moyo’s job application. Moyo is on manoeuvres! If his popularity rises, it may serve to mask Mnangagwa’s unpopularity and the fear that they have such that awarded him the nickname ‘crocodile’!

The people of Zimbabwe dare not forget who this person is and what this person, given the reigns of the ministry he is in, is capable of. Today we read he is trying to divert funding from western donors to the civic society to go to the government instead. Why? They are credible critics. He writes a letter to the police taking them to task as to why the media freedom walk was banned when he was the chief architect of POSA and AIPPA. Laws he said were not going to be changed upon getting into government. The corruption stories that were exposed have predictably not born any fruits whatsoever. And that was because they are the small fish with no credible case to answer to!

There is no worse evil than that which pretends to be good. Gone are the days of overt oppression. No killings and abductions! Why? Because people already know what Zanu PF is capable of and according to Machiavelli that is all that is needed to keep a population in line. To those who think since he is speaking as a reformer of late, Moyo should belong to the Mujuru camp, Moyo is cleverer than that! He had put his eggs in the basket with the most power in terms of getting things done; militarily and economically. In the case a civil war breaks out he will be protected.

The new era we are entering with this is going to be more shadowy. Moyo’s form of suppression is all the more dangerous. His form is covert in nature, long term in its view and involves the changing of people’s ideology into one of accepting the status quo. As education standards decrease all the more and poverty is seen as normal, it will create a new Zimbabwean. An ultra-nationalist, more willing to accept dictatorship, more intolerant of alternative ideas, grateful for the little that he has, undemanding of good governance, with a mind that is easily shaped and a bootlicker to the will of those in power. Look at North Korea and see where we are headed.

In the past, we could run away from machetes but this is a whole new different dynamic which Moyo is advocating. Beware of this man. The man detests Zimbabwe, worse still a free Zimbabwe. We are fooled at our own peril.