America's 'friend' Biti must come clean

There has been outrage over last week's posturing by officials in the United States of America as they sought to force Zimbabwe to drop charges against a single opposition MDC-Alliance member, Mr Tendai Biti, as a precondition for mending relations between a whole two sovereign States.

Mr Biti is facing charges of inciting post-election violence that took place on August 1 as well as violating of the electoral laws by prematurely and illegally announcing results of the July 30 harmonised elections. Senator Jeff Flake, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations sub-committee on Africa, and Mr Matthew Harrington, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, made identical calls as the former conducted a hearing on Zimbabwe. However, Senator Flake's remarks were more pointed, suggesting there could be more to Mr Biti's involvement with the US than meets the eye.

Senator Flake said: "Tendai Biti has been raised a couple of times here. I can say and I hope that you will take back to the Zimbabwe Government, if they're not listening now to this, that it would be difficult to move forward with any type of relationship with Zimbabwe and move forward and progress on some of these issues while charges are still levelled against him and he is not allowed to travel freely, his passport has been revoked, I believe.

"He is a friend of this committee and he's been here a number of times, and I was pleased to see that you had that among your list of things they could do. That would be a pretty visible, outward sign that they're ready to move forward beyond the past." A number of questions flow from this. Senator Flake is one of the people behind the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act passed a few months ago.

The legislation has been previously criticised for its undue interest in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe and indeed reading like a script from the opposition MDC-Alliance itself. This is not to mention that the original Zidera signed by former president George W Bush was long said to have been authored in Harare. And we are being told of Biti's frequent trips to meet the sanctions group. It is like we have been here before.

That Senator Flake, while championing the revised sanctions, openly makes a political demand on behalf of Mr Biti is telling. It is astounding, actually. Has the United States policy on Zimbabwe been reduced to this crappy, personal level?

We do not know what Mr Biti has done or promised the Americans in return for their favour. However, this relationship sounds as fishy as can ever be. Mr Biti is America's Trojan horse, nay, he is the House Nigger. He is a willing tool in the destruction of Zimbabwe through sanctions and other hostile acts.

Biti, it therefore follows, is the traitor in our midst. He is the angel of dark forces and his benefactors are happy. And these people want to be part of the Government of Zimbabwe where they can sell Cabinet secrets on their lavish trips to Washington! The happiness of the likes of America depends on the misery of other peoples.

We have seen the likes of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria being destroyed to the satisfaction of Americans. Mr Biti wants to precipitate this role for himself — the role of traitor-in-chief. The irony is obviously lost on Mr Biti and his American friends.

If another power were to boast that they had an American friend working against American interests, one can imagine the kind of furore that would follow. We have not forgotten Americans Danny Davis and Bobby Rush of Chicago who were charged for trying to campaign for the removal of Zidera and faced 20 years imprisonment in the USA. The issue of alleged Russian meddling in the US elections shows us the kind of national sentiment against subverting American processes by outsiders.

However, it would seem Americans have one set of rules for themselves and another for others. But we know that, don't we? As for Mr Biti, it would be interesting to hear what he thinks of his treasonable role as America continues to punish poor Zimbabweans in pursuit of regime change in which he is a central character. A good guess is that he loves the limelight that comes with it, but for how long will he enjoy it?