Opinion / Columnist
Zanu-PF should learn from the Libyan experience
22 Oct 2011 at 18:17hrs | Views
Zimbabwe's dictator Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party should draw lessons from the demise of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya who met his brutal death in a dramatic way in Sitre on Thursday 20 October 2011.
There are many people in Libya and abroad who would have liked Gaddafi to stand trial for his abuse of power. But there were others too who felt otherwise. The rest is now history.
Nobody ever thought that Libyans would be celebrating the death of their leader as a climax to a revolution which started in February after Gaddafi's 42 years in power.
Even before Gaddafi is buried, Libyans are already preparing a roadmap for free and fair elections. Libyans now have the opportunity to taste democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
It just goes to show how intransigence and arrogance by dictators help galvanise public outrage and courage to take retributive justice whenever the chance avails itself.
It is ironic that Zanu-PF is now saying who should be included in the National Transitional Government of Libya when at home is refusing to implement the Global Political Agreement at least by reforming the security sector in order to build confidence.
The lesson Zanu-PF should draw from Libya is that there is nothing that can get in the way of peoples power, even with the most well paid army, secret service agents and billions of dollars to spare.
The time for political, constitutional, legal, media and democratic reforms is now. The ideal starting point is opening up the airwaves in a transparent way and declaring the end to a culture of intolerance and impunity.
Zanu-PF must disband Chipangano and allow for free and fair elections by all at home and those in exile when there is still a chance for a peaceful solution to the Zimbabwe crisis.
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Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
There are many people in Libya and abroad who would have liked Gaddafi to stand trial for his abuse of power. But there were others too who felt otherwise. The rest is now history.
Nobody ever thought that Libyans would be celebrating the death of their leader as a climax to a revolution which started in February after Gaddafi's 42 years in power.
Even before Gaddafi is buried, Libyans are already preparing a roadmap for free and fair elections. Libyans now have the opportunity to taste democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
It just goes to show how intransigence and arrogance by dictators help galvanise public outrage and courage to take retributive justice whenever the chance avails itself.
It is ironic that Zanu-PF is now saying who should be included in the National Transitional Government of Libya when at home is refusing to implement the Global Political Agreement at least by reforming the security sector in order to build confidence.
The lesson Zanu-PF should draw from Libya is that there is nothing that can get in the way of peoples power, even with the most well paid army, secret service agents and billions of dollars to spare.
The time for political, constitutional, legal, media and democratic reforms is now. The ideal starting point is opening up the airwaves in a transparent way and declaring the end to a culture of intolerance and impunity.
Zanu-PF must disband Chipangano and allow for free and fair elections by all at home and those in exile when there is still a chance for a peaceful solution to the Zimbabwe crisis.
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Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
Source - Clifford Chitupa Mashiri
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