It is not yet in Zimbabwe’s interest to remove sanctions against ZANU-PF

It really is time that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai came clean and told the Zimbabwean people what he is up to.

He is throwing away all advantages to strengthen ZANU-PF while weakening his own party.

His call for sanctions to be lifted is totally ill-advised and can only be made by someone who sees personal benefits coming his way at the expense of the people.

Even as Tsvangirai made the call for the lifting of sanctions, Mugabe and His ZANU-PF went out in full force and denied Tsvangirai a negotiated settlement of the outstanding issues through dialogue.

Now, those troublesome yet useless talks between Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change and the “opposition” ZANU-PF find themselves suspended once again.

While it was Tsvangirai who set the pace last year by pulling out of both the talks and the government, this time it is Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF who are pulling out of the talks, accusing Tsvangirai and the MDC of treachery.

We knew this would happen because the talks were not necessary in the first place.

They were forcing matters in that there really was nothing to discuss except to tell the loser, Mugabe, to vacate State House.

Yes, the talks were all about treachery, robbing the Zimbabwean people of their electoral imperative.

There is not and never was any desire on Mugabe’s part to see a peaceful resolution of the outstanding issues.

Over the years, the talks were abandoned several times as the MDC accused ZANU-PF of negotiating in bad faith.

And Tsvangirai wants sanctions against ZANU-PF lifted.

Towards the end of last year, the MDC partially pulled out of government for a few weeks but embarrassingly came back on their own, less than a month after walking out.

The talks are just meant to enable Mugabe to stall any kind of progress at will and when it suits him.

The talks have been halted numerous times, suspended and suffered from a curious recurring of the principal negotiators’ absences. And they always give frivolous excuses for their absence.

ZANU-PF was ecstatic when they read comments made in Parliament by British Foreign Secretary David Milliband last Tuesday. It is the kind of talk ZANU-PF had waited for for a long time and this time the British gave ZANU-PF what they wanted.

Milliband said that, above all, the British government would be guided by what the MDC says to them about the conditions under which it is working and leading the country.

ZANU-PF wasted no time and pounced on the MDC.

ZANU PF’s Politburo said there would be no more Global Political Agreement concessions until the sanctions had been lifted.

In short, the outstanding issues remain outstanding just like they have been since before the government of national unity was conceived.

And Tsvangirai wants the sanctions lifted.

ZANU PF Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, Ephraim Masawi, said that remarks by the British Foreign Secretary to the effect that, ‘London would remove sanctions at MDC’s request’ exposed MDC-Tsvangirai’s “treacherous role in the initiation and drafting of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabweans”.

Milliband’s remarks were unfortunate to say the least. While the sanctions imposed on Mugabe somewhat “assisted” the MDC, the sanctions were a reaction to the abuse of Zimbabweans and the merciless raids on the fiscus.

Tsvangirai has no power over the lifting of sanctions yet he behaves as if he does.

In a reaction that will please the ZANU-PF corner, Tsvangirai last Friday called on the west “to ease sanctions on ZANU-PF”.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tsvangirai defended the unity government and called for the West “to ease travel and financial restrictions targeting President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle”, saying progress in the country should be “rewarded”.

This is a scandal; maybe it is time to heap Tsvangirai with Mugabe and ZANU-PF zealots.

Tsvangirai is trying to accept responsibility for something he did not create and this convinces Mugabe that, indeed, Tsvangirai had something to do with the imposition of these sanctions.

Tsvangirai is beginning to feel too euphoric with the diplomatic passport he carries and his blunders will now become more pronounced as he tries to fit into being a statesman.

A few weeks ago, he snubbed South African President Jacob Zuma who, like Botswana, had called for fresh elections in Zimbabwe. It was Tsvangirai who responded on behalf of the unity government and the choice of words and tone he used exposed a diplomatic amateur consumed by ecstasy at being a Prime Minister.

Towards the end of last year, Tsvangirai accepted ZANU-PF’s demand to put on the agenda of their endless talks the issue of radio stations broadcasting from outside the borders of Zimbabwe.

ZANU-PF was pushing Tsvangirai to stop the “malicious broadcasts into Zimbabwe from pirate radio stations abroad”.

As if Tsvangirai had any control over these radio stations, he agreed to put the item of so-called “pirate radio stations” on the agenda, once again creating the impression that those radio stations, manned by exiled Zimbabwean broadcasters, were within his sphere of influence.

It is a shame that he does not think deeper than what he should. He should calm down and learn to be realistic before the people of Zimbabwe react against him.

Tsvangirai is taking the people too much for granted.

When the west imposed sanctions on Mugabe and his cronies, Tsvangirai conveniently thought the sanctions had been imposed for his benefit, not the people’s benefit.

Likewise when exiled former Zimbabwean broadcasters set up radio stations outside Zimbabwe to supply information to the rank and file, Tsvangirai misguidedly believed the former Zimbabwean broadcasters were his people.

It is such a shame to be so unable to read simple situations like these.

It is a typical George W Bush mentality of “you are either with us or you are with them”.

Criticising Mugabe does not mean support for Tsvangirai and vice versa.

Needless to say, Tsvangirai has now become very comfortable with the situation he finds himself in and finds the courage to defend the unity government while his party members and officials remain locked up as new ones are arrested for no reason at all.

The fact is that Tsvangirai cannot call for the removal of sanctions because the reasons why those sanctions were imposed are still in effect.

The sanctions must remain until Mugabe and his goons start implementing serious human rights reforms. There is no evidence that this government of national unity is guided by any of the agreed points in the Global political Agreement.

Sanctions must not be lifted until there is rule of law. The escalating farm invasions are an indication of the absence of both human and property rights; and Tsvangirai is calling for the lifting of sanctions?

If western and European countries listen to Tsvangirai, they will in effect be reinforcing the ongoing repression and impunity in Zimbabwe.

The heart of the matter is that if Tsvangirai now feels comfortable seeing his followers being beaten up, arrested and made to disappear; if he feels okay with the army’s abuse of people in Makoni and elsewhere; if he feels fine with the continuing farm invasions and if he is pleased with ZANU-PF’s continuing non-compliance with the Global Political Agreement then it might also be time for western and European countries to slap travel bans and sanctions on Tsvangirai and his top leadership because the reasons those sanctions were imposed have not changed.

We want sanity in politicians as Tsvangirai slowly starts to forget.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai are partners in this government and if Tsvangirai believes he is Mugabe’s equal and thinks he has an obligation to defend him, fine, but then he too should be blamed for what is going on.

I admit that when Tsvangirai, as the new political bull in Zimbabwe, jumped into bed with the enemy, I did not expect the conception of any normal off spring but this now is ridiculous.

Tsvangirai has been shielding his wedding night political bride for too long yet this bride of his wonders away from their bed to murder Tsvangirai’s kin, to steal and to abuse the nation. And, yet, at every turn, as citizens gather at his home to complain and register their concerns, at the way they are being treated and abused, Tsvangirai, of course, forgets the villagers who molded him and denounces them while singing praises of his murderous partner.

We have been sold out again.

What do you say?

Send me your comments on tano@swradioafrica.com

Because of Tsvangira’s request, the EU is considering easing sanctions on Mugabe and ZANU-PF. It will be interesting to see how Tsvangirai proceeds from there.

On my part, I maintain that sanctions must remain in place or even be tightened until our liberties are restored unconditionally, whether Tsvangirai is there or not.

If Tsvangirai now feels that he and Mugabe deserve to be rewarded for their continued bickering, then he has totally lost the script and has become as dangerous as Mugabe.

Tsvangirai wants sanctions lifted when Mugabe is instructing his people in government not to listen or take orders from Tsvangirai.

Very soon, we will find ourselves canvassing for the MDC’s top leadership to be included on the sanctions list.

I am Tanonoka Joseph Whande and that my fellow Zimbabweans is the way it is today, Thursday, February 4th, 2010.