Opinion / Columnist
Mutasa going astray
25 Jun 2015 at 13:28hrs | Views
The private media is at it again as it tries its level best to make sure that its readers have something to be occupied with as it recently wasted no time in rushing to Didymus Mutasa who has of late become their source of news articles which they regard as scoop items.
Reading what Mutasa could have given to the private media leaves a lot to be desired. Some private media houses have perfected an art of rushing to Mutasa for anything which he waffles and print thinking that they have obtained what they call "juice" news articles.
Close analysis of different articles from some various media houses makes one wonder why Didymus Mutasa has now become the newsmaker yet he was part and parcel to what he is now claiming to be dirty. The Daily News had this headline on 22 June 2015, "ZANU PF cheated in 2008 - Mutasa" while the Zimeye.com and the Newsday on 23 June 2015 respectively came up with these headlines, "Mutasa to expose all secret NIKUV files to Tsvangirai, and Mutasa ready to spill rigging in court"
At a first glance of such headlines, one is tempted to think that he would read some very telling stories which one has never come across. Such headlines are misleading the public because they have nothing new as they are just recycled news appearing to be issues unheard of. There was nothing which Mutasa said which sounded news here. His claim that ZANU PF cheated in 2008 is not news but only an attempt to put himself in the spotlight.
Actually, the rush by the private media to Mutasa for stale news shows that the private media has lost touch with reality; hence, the story by the Daily News carries no merit. Mutasa's claim that ZANU PF cheated in 2008 cannot be taken seriously because Mutasa was really confirming that the MDC won the harmonized election in 2008 but failed to elaborate what was supposed to be done thereafter. In fact, he failed to tell those who bothered to listen to him that the MDC did not score the required percentage that could have taken Tsvangirai to State house.
ZANU PF did not cheat; in 2008 the MDC-T won those elections beating ZANU PF for the first time since independence both in parliamentary and presidential elections in the first round. The results were clear that the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC won hundred (100) seats while ZANU PF had ninety-nine (99) seats. In the presidential elections MDC came up with forty-seven point nine percent (47,9%) of the votes cast while ZANU PF got forty-three point two percent (43,2%) of the total vote.
As such there was no need for the private media to take what Mutasa was telling them as a scoop because there was nothing new here. It was clear to everyone in 2008 that the MDC won the presidential elections but the results were not adequate for that party to take over power as it failed to get fifty percent plus one(50%+1) of the votes which the new constitution was calling for. The 27 June 2008, presidential run-off elections were held because both the MDC and ZANU failed to get the required percentage that was enough for either party to form a new government. For that reason the private media should not mislead the public by writing what Mutasa waffles to them as they risk losing relevance to their reading fraternity.
Actually, the MDC tasted its own medicine and Mutasa should be aware of that. Had the MDC not spearheaded the electoral reforms when they were first in parliament as an opposition party, they could have made it into government without problems as the forty-seven point nine percent (47, 9%) which Tsvangirai got was enough for him to form the next government before the amendment of the old constitution.
On the other hand, even the claim by Mutasa that he would either spill the secret of NIKUV files to Tsvangirai or in court, as the Newsday claims, has no substance at all. Mutasa knows quite well that there is nothing he can spill either in court or to Tsvangirai but he has discovered that the private media is gullible to whatever he says. As someone who wants to remain being talked about and in the public domain, Mutasa goes on to say whatever he thinks so that he remains on people's lips.
Mutasa's claim that he used to read many reports while he was a State Security Minister and found out that many of them were useless is something to laugh at. The State Security Ministry could have discovered that he was a useless minister; hence, it was necessary to give him useless reports. So the private media should not rely on such a person because whatever Mutasa says are just issues meant to draw attention from the public. That alone shows that Mutasa was a useless minister and still remains a useless politician seeking political relevance.
It is surprising that the private media fails to analyse what they are being told by Mutasa but only rush to publicize misleading articles. Why would the media fail to educate its readers about what really transpired in 2008 harmonized elections? The media has a duty to inform and educate the public some true facts of life not the other way round.
There is also need for the private media to question Mutasa's sincerity yet during his time in government he was in the forefront of snubbing whatever the opposition elements were putting forward to the government. For that reason the private media should be wary of the person of Mutasa who always changes his colours like a chameleon to suit the environment where he would be at that particular time and day.
Source - John Mukumbo
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