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Comrade Mugabe – hero and a tragic spectacle in his own
right
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Ghanadot
A resolution, titled RS H. RES. 1270, was passed by the US
House of Congress on June 12, 2008 that put political events
in Zimbabwe today in context.
The resolution was spearheaded by a group of House
Representatives, among whom was Mr. Donald M. Payne, an
African American representing the Congressional District of
Newark, NJ. Kudos to Mr. Payne for not kowtowing to the
usual orthodoxy of black unity that required opposition to
imperialism at all cost, even when your own was culpable.
The desire of the resolution was to commend the effort of
South African dock workers of the port of Durban, and
members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers
Union, who blocked the attempt to transfer arms from China
to Zimbabwe, through South African ports.
In the process, the resolution lacerated to pieces, and
justifiably so, Comrade Mugabe’s reputation.
Immediately after the March 29, 2008 failed presidential
elections in Zimbabwe, Mugabe sought arms from China to
fortify his chances of remaining in power. And China, bent
on her own brand of imperialism, consented.
Obvious to all but Mugabe and China, the incumbent
president, had lost the March 2008 contest. But Mugabe
remains in power today because of events he and his cronies
unleashed on the opposition immediately after the elections.
For close to five weeks the results of the elections went
undeclared. Then, after much international pressure and
protests from within, Mugabe and his cronies consented
finally to the release. However, the opposition party,
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Morgan
Tsvangirai, found to its chagrin that it had won but could
not assume power because of a constitutional requirement –
it lacked the majority needed for governance.
By accounts of many within civil society, the “lack of
majority” excuse given by the Mugabe machine was just that.
Old Mugabe simply did not want to cede power. His cronies
had either low counted or stolen the votes to leave the
opposition party with less than was required
constitutionally. Thus a run-off was set for June 27, 2008.
Evidently, and in plain sight, the people of Zimbabwe have
once again been robbed of the chance to rid themselves of
the aging autocrat Mugabe. And since the run-off was
announced, his government has “unleashed a campaign of
terror and intimidation against opposition members,
supporters, and other civilians in a desperate attempt to
cling to power…” Resolution H. RES. 1270 declared.
The resolution went on to describe Robert Mugabe as
Zimbabwe's liberator-turned-despot. The description could
not be more apt.
Mugabe is a despot because his acts say so. He is an
autocrat who thinks there can be no Zimbabwe without him.
There are those who still seek to romanticize him. But it
is absurd not think that his own actions have not wiped away
his exploits as a hero.
Nothing is half as tragic as a hero
who diminishes himself. By so doing he diminishes all of
us, in this case Africa.
Since independence some 28 years ago, Mugabe has been the
only leader Zimbabwe has known. He did away with Ian
Smith. He also pushed into exile his erstwhile comrade in
arms, Joshua Nkomo and destroyed his tribal based ZAPU party
in a military style operation that caused thousands to be
killed. Today, he has brought on Zimbabwe a misery quotient
that Ian Smith, for all his diabolic reasons, could not have
done.
As it stands now, Mugabe’s gloomy administration of the
fortunes of Zimbabwe may be the only lesson future African
leaders need to know. The lesson will be for others not to
be like him. Those who will seek to idolize him risk
suffering from a sentimentality of the diseased kind.
The revolution in Zimbabwe was for the people, not Mugabe.
The people of Zimbabwe rose against imperialism. Mugabe is
bringing imperialism back in the form of the Chinese.
China’s incursion into Africa is motivated by the same
reason that brought Europe to scramble up Africa in the 19th
century. Yet, Comrade Mugabe sees a distinction and a
difference between the Europeans and the Chinese: The
Chinese are needed to prop up his failing regime.
Political violence in post colonial Zimbabwe now is entirely
Mugabe’s creation. Human rights groups have spoken of
sponsored violence and political terror that ranks with the
worse in world history. There has been violence in every
election since 1980 and the run-off for June 27, 2008 will
be no exception.
In 2007, the US Department of State, in its Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices, issued the following
statements: That the Mugabe regime `is engaged in the
pervasive and systematic abuse of human rights,” and that
`state-sanctioned use of excessive force increased, and
security forces tortured members of the opposition, student
leaders, and civil society activists.’
You may not want to listen to the U.S. After all they are
the much loathed imperialist. But how about former UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan who “ described the situation
in Zimbabwe as intolerable and criticized African leaders
who cling to power” ” according to Herald Tribune?
Or the Congress of Southern African Trade Unions that called
for a global boycott of arms to Zimbabwe because “there’s no
prospect of there being a sudden external invasion of
Zimbabwe. And so it is very difficult for anyone to conclude
that this ammunition is likely to be used for anything other
than to take action against opposition groups.”
Countries in the region, Mozambique and South Africa
included, have spoken. They do not want more arms to be
shipped to Zimbabwe. According to Zambian President
and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairman
Levy Mwanawasa, `I hope this will be the case with all the
countries because we do not want a situation which will
escalate the situation in Zimbabwe more than what it is.”
The US has also spoken with its Resolution in Congress. Now
will the Chinese tell Mugabe it is over?
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Publisher
www.ghanadot.com,
Washington, DC, June 19, 2008
Permission to publish: Please feel free to publish or
reproduce, with credits, unedited. If posted at a website,
email a copy of the web page to
publisher@ghanadot.com . Or don't publish at all.
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