MDC-T must look itself in mirror

SECURITY sector reforms are not the solution to Zimbabwe's political problems. All these reports that are being released week in and week out by a plethora of paid hacks are nothing more than propaganda meant to further the regime change agenda.

Taking a closer look at this strategy reveals that it is the same tired tactic that Western sponsored groups have used in their attempt to push President Mugabe out of power since the inception of the land reform programme by the Zanu-PF Government.

There is nothing remotely democratic about the real force behind the push for Security Sector Reforms in Zimbabwe. One would really have to be a fool to fall for what is a clear attack on Zimbabwe's Security Sector by individuals who have proved that they do not care for the citizens of this country but, for how much power and money they can get from dancing to the tune of Western regime change sponsors.

In theory the concept of security sector reforms aims to provide effective state and human security through democratic governance, respect for the rule of law and human rights.

The unfortunate thing is that while academics can publish and theorise as much as the want, the reality is that in as much as a country and its citizens aspire for peace, justice and security within their borders, there is always an enemy waiting for an opportune time to pounce and there are always those who will seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the nation.

The debate for security sector reform in Zimbabwe is being pushed not by citizens but individuals who have ties to the colonial regime and those whose organisations depend on Western donor funds.

The majority of Zimbabweans have no problem with their security forces. Security sector reforms are an attempt to limit and control the threat that security forces of developing nations pose to their interests in those nations.

Traditionally, the American establishment used to declare to its citizenry that a specific government or individual was "a threat to the American way of life" as a means to justify its illegal operations against anyone who stood in their way, in the quest for cheap labour and raw materials.

With the advent of globalisation, the US and its allies have a new phrase "a threat to global peace and stability" and behind them are all these organisations which claim to be researchers, analysts, commentators whose sole purpose is to spread propaganda for the United States and her allies, while claiming to be impartial observers.

This concept of security sector reform was introduced in the 1990s in Eastern Europe as a way to open the door for the US and its allies into what was once a closed domain during the Cold War era.

Through their foreign ministries and defence establishments, those within the security services sector viewed as threats were carefully phased out.

The strategy was the use of financial institutions whose experts often advised governments through structural adjustment programmes to reduce their military expenditure and one way to do this was by retiring and retrenching soldiers.

At the back of these financial experts were military advisors who would assure the governments that their countries would still be militarily strong.

The military advisors would now carry out a purging in the security services, those identified as potential threats are retired and junior officers are trained to replace them and, material resources are heaped in order to ensure that this new army is well equipped and ready to do the donor country's bidding.

Zimbabwe's security services have the mandate to ensure the protection and security of Zimbabwe's territorial integrity, independence and national interest.

To put it in a simpler manner it is the duty of our security forces to protect the citizens of Zimbabwe. Our security services have proved time and again that they are more than capable to ensure that Zimbabwe is secure.

Many communities can testify that it's not just about peace, security and order when it comes to Zimbabwe's security forces, but they have carried out operations to assist in the building of schools, hospitals and provided other services that citizens of a developing nation require in their quest to living a comfortable life.

It is with this background that our security forces have come under attack.

With each report on security sector reforms come new accusations more ludicrous than the previous and at times contradicting previous accusations.

The sources of these accusations and those who seek to introduce solutions to what has been called the interference of the security services in Zimbabwe's political arena are the former Rhodesian military officers, journalists who have declared that they support the regime change agenda in Zimbabwe, the MDC and its numerous appendages and the bogus groups who masquerade as Zimbabwe's civil society.

The one thing all these have in common is that they have one paymaster.

Michelle D Gavin is the Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council and Senior Advisor to the President of the United States of America. Gavin is also a Fellow on Africa for the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on US foreign policy, Sub-Saharan Africa and human rights.

She spent six years as the primary foreign policy adviser to Senator Russ Feingold (Democrat-Wisconsin), where her work included the creation of the Special Inspector General for Iraq reconstruction and the crafting of Zidera.

Currently, Gavin is active in issues related to Zimbabwe and is sought out for policy advice. She wrote the Council Special Report, "Planning for Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe."

It is this report that introduced an alternative to plans to invade Zimbabwe that were being mooted by other US allies in the regime change agenda.

Gavin instead suggested that for Uncle Sam and her cohorts to have control over Zimbabwe, they must introduce the debate on security sector reform which will then see to the purging of security services who are of a nationalistic persuasion, while engaging middle level officers who would be bought through pay increments and other goodies from donors.

She expresses frustration that Zimbabwe's senior officer corps, many of whose members are ideologically committed to national independence, remain loyal to President Mugabe and his nationalist goals.

The story of the creation of the MDC in Zimbabwe reads like a capitalist fairy tale. President Mugabe begins introducing policies that challenge neo-colonial practices within Zimbabwe and questioning policies of international institutions whose policies are short charging the developing world at the expense of Western countries.

The British and Americans, through several of their dirty work groups including the National Endowment for Democracy, and the US State Department, through its United States Agency for International Development, then begin to recruit and help set up groups that will oppose President Mugabe's policies.

The culmination to all this was the formation of the MDC. So, the Americans and British set up shop in Zimbabwe through these groups and their newly formed political party and, to add insult to injury they sought to fool Zimbabweans into believing that all this was homegrown.

What they failed to take into account was that those who warmed seats in their pet project had no real knowledge on what governance was all about. Take the MDC leadership for example. It failed to have a real connection with the people.

All their attempts at mass actions and stayaways flopped, and then there is that final push that never was.

It cavorted with enemies of the state openly (those who imposed sanctions), and then goes on to deny the existence of these sanctions.

Even a blind man can see that the MDC was born out of a foreign force - its philosophy, its outlook - are foreign in nature and this is a threat to Zimbabwe's security. The MDC is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was born out of an aggressive force that is merciless to those who oppose and stand up to its quest for global dominance.

The violence witnessed in the MDC is a result of its parentage. There is serious in-fighting within the party that is never about policies but about power, positions, and money.

This violence in the party is not isolated, but systematic. The roll call of casualties within the MDC says a lot about the greed of its leaders.

And of course, when its leaders are not fighting among themselves, they turn towards ordinary citizens.

Their continued haggling over nonsensical issues while throwing accusations at state institutions is a tactic to see the continued suffering of the people of Zimbabwe until they are totally separated from President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.

Morgan Tsvangirai's ego has caused him to huff and puff, and to throw theatrics and tantrums over how the service chiefs refuse to salute him.

For him, it is all about personal glory, but his sponsors recognise the importance of Zimbabwe's security services in respect of Zimbabweans accepting Tsvangirai as a homegrown alternative to President Mugabe.

The service chiefs represent the essence of what it means to be Zimbabwean; they carry the fire of liberation. Zimbabweans see them not just as mere men in uniform but the protectors of the freedom that they enjoy today, and these men have proved time and again that come what may, national interest comes before personal glory.

Saluting Tsvangirai would send a signal that he is not only acceptable as a leader of the nation, but that he has the nation's interest at heart.

Zimbabwe's severing of ties with its colonial master was heaven sent.

It has meant that the country's security services adopted a culture, tradition and identity that was nationalistic and not framed by Western financial experts and military advisors.

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Dambudzo Mapuranga can be contacted on mapurangad@yahoo.com