French medal, worthless Morgan

It is interesting that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was conferred with a French Commander of the Legion of Honour right on the heels of a similar conferment of honour to outstanding military officers by President Robert Mugabe during the just ended Defence Forces' commemorations at the National Sports Stadium.

Of the 140 retired and serving members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) who received medals, 23 of them were conferred with the Grand Officer of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit while 117 were awarded the Zimbabwe Order of Merit.

In his citation, the Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said the officers have proven that they were loyal and dedicated military leaders in their service to Zimbabwe in leading liberation forces as well as guiding the ZDF into a professional force.

Minister Mnangagwa said, "They stood firm to jealously guard our beloved country against external and internal threats to our sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, national security, the national interests and the peace and freedom we are enjoying today."

Other than honouring its military officers, Zimbabwe had among other foreigners conferred former Zambian leader Dr Kenneth Kaunda with an Order of the Great Zimbabwe Award for his contribution to the liberation struggle of the Southern African country. Reading between the lines, it could be discerned that the conferment of these awards was hinged on acknowledging the vital contribution made by the selected individuals towards the attainment of Zimbabwe's independence and, in some cases, their sterling contributions towards safeguarding of this freedom after independence.

Awards of this kind are conferred to individuals, local and foreign, who are perceived to be promoting and expanding the interests of the concerned country. Similar with the French honour accorded to Tsvangirai. It was founded by Napoleon to honour French citizens and foreigners who contributed towards the expansion of the French empire or promoting French interests.

Among other instructive cases, the French Commander of the Legion of Honour was conferred to military personnel who assisted in the expansion of the French empire into Africa through the World War II North African campaign. Napoleon was quoted saying that conferring soldiers with these medals was a way of rewarding them for their contributions towards the expansion of the French hegemony, which by then has extended over the rest of Europe.

So a question arises. Why is Tsvangirai being rewarded by the French? Which French interests has he promoted? In handing over the medal to Tsvangirai, the French Ambassador to Zimbabwe Francois Ponge said, "At the forefront of many struggles you have been imprisoned and you also orgnised the first mass "stay away in this country." Could it be that Tsvangirai was being rewarded for causing chaos and despondency associated with his "mass stay aways?" These "stay aways" saw the stoning and burning of buses and cars as Tsvangirai's supporters tried to violently intimidate other law abiding citizens from going to work. How did the French benefit from these violent disturbances?

Other than the French award, Tsvangirai previously received a myriad of other awards from other Western countries. Besides the awards, he was vainly nominated twice by the West for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently showered Tsvangirai with praises saying that he was a hero in the mould of Nelson Mandela. Heroes, like the ones interred at the National Heroes Acre and in other places around the country, are those who have sacrificed themselves for the cause of Zimbabwe. So as an Australian hero, what has Tsvangirai sacrificed for the Australians? Cumulatively, which Western interests is Tsvangirai promoting? The MDC-T leader has definitely endeared himself to the Europeans and other neo-colonialist for opposing Zanu-PF's land reform programme, which in their view has robbed their kith and kin of their ill-gotten land. More so, his uncompromising opposition to the indigenisation and empowerment programme plays well into the neo-imperial bid to safeguard its sprawling capital interest in Zimbabwe.

In addition, the Western world views President Robert Mugabe's nationalist policies as a cancerous malady that could spread to the rest of the continent and threaten its capitalist establishments, so by challenging President Mugabe, Tsvangirai becomes a hero of the capitalist world.

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Tendai Moyo is a researcher and social commentator.