Opinion / Columnist
Those denying Tsvangirai sold-out are being pedantic as asking Judas Iscariot be a saint!
28 Apr 2015 at 19:44hrs | Views
Richard Morgan Tsvangirai has been rightly criticized with people like music legend, Thomas Mapfumo, rightly calling him a "sell-out" for his failure to implement even one democratic reform throughout the five years of the GNU. A number of people have jumped to Tsvangirai's defence but; as expected with those defending the indefensible; they have only helped to showed just how shallow minded they are. Stephen Jakes is one example of our confused and shallow minded Tsvangirai defender.
"But a social commentator said Tsvangirai must be honoured for showing the world that Mugabe can be defeated as he did so in 2008 when he defeated him though with votes which did not qualify him to assume the helm," wrote Stephen Jakes in his Bulawayo 24 Opinion piece "Tsvangirai the only leader who has defeated Mugabe since independence".
The commentator completely missed the point; no one criticized or disputed Tsvangirai's past electoral record. It is our commentator who is bringing this up out of the blue. Why? To confuse and muddy the waters and silence the critics!
The country is in a political and economic mess, millions of our people are living in total abject poverty and millions other have been force to leave the country to escape the economic chaos and brutal political oppression. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered with millions beaten and/or raped to establish and maintain this Zanu PF dictatorship. But each time one brings about the economic and political mess Mugabe and Zanu PF are quick to remind us all he is a liberation hero and that Zanu PF is the party of liberation.
We are in this mess because for 35 years the nation has been denied the opportunity to address the problems behind the mess because Mugabe's heroic record got in the way. Mugabe has brought up his heroic past not just to confuse and muddy the waters and silence his critics but to justify his use of brute force to achieve this singular goal.
The people of Zimbabwe are today, and have been doing so for the last 20 years at least, demanding democratic change because they reject the false argument that since Mugabe was a liberation war hero he cannot be anything else but a great national hero. He has changed; they know and can see with their own eyes that he has changed. To exclusively dwell on heroic pre-independence record and totally disregard the post-independence reality is to delude oneself.
Indeed most of the people who want Tsvangirai's dismal GNU record airbrushed out of the nation's collective memory are the same people who for decades want Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs' corruption and tyranny swept under the carpet. It would have been foolish to have listened to them back then as it is to listen to them today.
Zimbabweans must never allow the historic fact that Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out and betrayed the nation during the GNU be swept under the carpet. They did not fail to implement even one democratic reform during the GNU not because they forgot (SADC leaders amongst many others reminded them umpteen times) or did not have time (they had five years, for Pete's sake). They did not implement even one reform because Mugabe bribed them with all-your-heart-desired gravy train lifestyles and a $4 million Highlands mansion bonus for Tsvangirai. No they knowingly sold-out and pocketed the bribes!
In the same way Mugabe has bribed Zanu PF leaders with the same all-your-heart-desired gravy train lifestyle in return for them helping him build the Zanu PF dictatorship. Whatever freedoms and rights Mugabe had promised before independence, making a big song and dance about it, it was a cheque he and his ruling elite have since cashed whilst for millions of us we have yet to get one penny. We refuse to join in their endless big song and dance to celebrate a dream that has long since turned into nightmare!
"Taruvinga Fuwani said people must stop attacking Tsvangirai as he still has a large following who believe in his principles," continued Stephen.
Does that "large following" know that Tsvangirai sold-out? They clearly do not know; and it is imperative that every Zimbabwean in every city, town, growth point and village knows that Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are sell-out. The truth must not be swept under the carpet but broadcast from the every hilltop! They are the voters, they have a right to know the men and women they trusted to deliver democratic change sold them for thirty pieces of silver. "Peter Khumalo said those who think they can do better than Tsvangirai; the political field is open for them …. they must stop complaining about the MDC-T leader," Stephen argued. To follow this ignoramus Peter Khumalo's logic to its conclusion, if we the public are displeased at being sold-out then we should get ourselves elected so that we can sell-out, pocket the bribe and no questioned asked. The argument would suit Zanu PF even better; they are the liberation party and therefore they have the divine right to rule.
Of course what Khumalo is saying nonsense since it runs against the very essence of those holding public service being there to service public good and not selfish individual interests.
I know that millions of Zimbabweans are keen to see democratic change in Zimbabwe so they can end this economic and political nightmare and per se they would have never voted for Tsvangirai if they had known he would never deliver any democratic change and that he is a sell-out.
"No-one in Zimbabwe who can compete with Mugabe's thugs, Joshua Nkomo himself surrendered, Edgar Tekere surrendered, Dumiso Dabengwa is left with a wish to defeat Mugabe, but Tsvangirai is taking Mugabe to task each and every day," said our amateur philosopher Fuwani.
Like all amateur with no clue what they are talking about Fuwani managed to contradict himself in the same sentence. First he claims that no one can compete with Mugabe's thugs and then says Tsvangirai is taking Mugabe to task every day! The same Tsvangirai who failed to implement even one reform in five years was taking Mugabe head-on and winning every time!
With such a sorry crop of wanabe political scientists, philosophers and political sell-outs it is little wonder the nation is in this political and economic mess!
During the GNU Tsvangirai's task was not to take-on Mugabe's thugs, it was to implement the democratic reforms. He did not get even one reform implemented not because some Zanu PF thug hit him with a brick on the head. Mugabe paid him a bribe to kick all the reforms into the tall grass and Tsvangirai took the bribe and kicked the reforms into the tall grass.
Because not even one reform was implemented, Mugabe was able to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections. We are stuck today with the same Zanu PF dictatorship because Tsvangirai and MDC sold-out. We cannot consider Tsvangirai a hero just because he defeated Mugabe in the 2008 elections and disregard his failure to delivery any of the primary tasks because he sold-out. Those who are saying we should are being as pedantic and nonsensical as asking that Judas Iscariot be declared a saint because he was one of the Twelve Disciples regardless of the fact that he is the mother of all the sell-outs!
"But a social commentator said Tsvangirai must be honoured for showing the world that Mugabe can be defeated as he did so in 2008 when he defeated him though with votes which did not qualify him to assume the helm," wrote Stephen Jakes in his Bulawayo 24 Opinion piece "Tsvangirai the only leader who has defeated Mugabe since independence".
The commentator completely missed the point; no one criticized or disputed Tsvangirai's past electoral record. It is our commentator who is bringing this up out of the blue. Why? To confuse and muddy the waters and silence the critics!
The country is in a political and economic mess, millions of our people are living in total abject poverty and millions other have been force to leave the country to escape the economic chaos and brutal political oppression. Over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans have been murdered with millions beaten and/or raped to establish and maintain this Zanu PF dictatorship. But each time one brings about the economic and political mess Mugabe and Zanu PF are quick to remind us all he is a liberation hero and that Zanu PF is the party of liberation.
We are in this mess because for 35 years the nation has been denied the opportunity to address the problems behind the mess because Mugabe's heroic record got in the way. Mugabe has brought up his heroic past not just to confuse and muddy the waters and silence his critics but to justify his use of brute force to achieve this singular goal.
The people of Zimbabwe are today, and have been doing so for the last 20 years at least, demanding democratic change because they reject the false argument that since Mugabe was a liberation war hero he cannot be anything else but a great national hero. He has changed; they know and can see with their own eyes that he has changed. To exclusively dwell on heroic pre-independence record and totally disregard the post-independence reality is to delude oneself.
Indeed most of the people who want Tsvangirai's dismal GNU record airbrushed out of the nation's collective memory are the same people who for decades want Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs' corruption and tyranny swept under the carpet. It would have been foolish to have listened to them back then as it is to listen to them today.
Zimbabweans must never allow the historic fact that Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out and betrayed the nation during the GNU be swept under the carpet. They did not fail to implement even one democratic reform during the GNU not because they forgot (SADC leaders amongst many others reminded them umpteen times) or did not have time (they had five years, for Pete's sake). They did not implement even one reform because Mugabe bribed them with all-your-heart-desired gravy train lifestyles and a $4 million Highlands mansion bonus for Tsvangirai. No they knowingly sold-out and pocketed the bribes!
In the same way Mugabe has bribed Zanu PF leaders with the same all-your-heart-desired gravy train lifestyle in return for them helping him build the Zanu PF dictatorship. Whatever freedoms and rights Mugabe had promised before independence, making a big song and dance about it, it was a cheque he and his ruling elite have since cashed whilst for millions of us we have yet to get one penny. We refuse to join in their endless big song and dance to celebrate a dream that has long since turned into nightmare!
Does that "large following" know that Tsvangirai sold-out? They clearly do not know; and it is imperative that every Zimbabwean in every city, town, growth point and village knows that Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are sell-out. The truth must not be swept under the carpet but broadcast from the every hilltop! They are the voters, they have a right to know the men and women they trusted to deliver democratic change sold them for thirty pieces of silver. "Peter Khumalo said those who think they can do better than Tsvangirai; the political field is open for them …. they must stop complaining about the MDC-T leader," Stephen argued. To follow this ignoramus Peter Khumalo's logic to its conclusion, if we the public are displeased at being sold-out then we should get ourselves elected so that we can sell-out, pocket the bribe and no questioned asked. The argument would suit Zanu PF even better; they are the liberation party and therefore they have the divine right to rule.
Of course what Khumalo is saying nonsense since it runs against the very essence of those holding public service being there to service public good and not selfish individual interests.
I know that millions of Zimbabweans are keen to see democratic change in Zimbabwe so they can end this economic and political nightmare and per se they would have never voted for Tsvangirai if they had known he would never deliver any democratic change and that he is a sell-out.
"No-one in Zimbabwe who can compete with Mugabe's thugs, Joshua Nkomo himself surrendered, Edgar Tekere surrendered, Dumiso Dabengwa is left with a wish to defeat Mugabe, but Tsvangirai is taking Mugabe to task each and every day," said our amateur philosopher Fuwani.
Like all amateur with no clue what they are talking about Fuwani managed to contradict himself in the same sentence. First he claims that no one can compete with Mugabe's thugs and then says Tsvangirai is taking Mugabe to task every day! The same Tsvangirai who failed to implement even one reform in five years was taking Mugabe head-on and winning every time!
With such a sorry crop of wanabe political scientists, philosophers and political sell-outs it is little wonder the nation is in this political and economic mess!
During the GNU Tsvangirai's task was not to take-on Mugabe's thugs, it was to implement the democratic reforms. He did not get even one reform implemented not because some Zanu PF thug hit him with a brick on the head. Mugabe paid him a bribe to kick all the reforms into the tall grass and Tsvangirai took the bribe and kicked the reforms into the tall grass.
Because not even one reform was implemented, Mugabe was able to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections. We are stuck today with the same Zanu PF dictatorship because Tsvangirai and MDC sold-out. We cannot consider Tsvangirai a hero just because he defeated Mugabe in the 2008 elections and disregard his failure to delivery any of the primary tasks because he sold-out. Those who are saying we should are being as pedantic and nonsensical as asking that Judas Iscariot be declared a saint because he was one of the Twelve Disciples regardless of the fact that he is the mother of all the sell-outs!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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