In the story, the newspaper alleged that the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, intends to give control of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to German agents for up to one year in the event that he becomes State President.
The newspaper also claimed that Tsvangirai plans to change commanders of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Commissioner-General of Police, Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation, the Chief Justice and Permanent Secretary for Finance, among other high-ranking officials.
As a sign of desperation of the incumbent RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono, he has been funding the State-owned media, using loan funds meant for intervention on the supply side of basic commodities. He is literally running the public media together with George Charamba, the Presidential Spokesman and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Publicity, as reckless propaganda outfits. The Herald has failed to subject many of its political stories using journalistic standards of truthfulness, accuracy, balance and fairness.
The newspaper went on to allege that the MDC’s transitional plan includes a restructuring of the RBZ that will see at least two agents from Germany’s central bank playing key roles at the institution. The delivery of the central bank to the Germans will be among Tsvangirai’s first directives in the event that he becomes President. Under the scheme, Tsvangirai will first relieve present Governor Dr Gideon Gono of his duties, appoint one of his deputies as acting boss and rope in the Germans to advise’ him.
As we wait for the High Court to make a ruling on the release of presidential and local authority election results, readers must be careful. We will be seeing a lot more of this rabid lying by people trying to protect themselves from the looming political changes.
One wonders why those who said they cannot salute Morgan Tsvangirai should not retire or resign on assumption of duty by a new government.
What about one who had been running the only factory in Zimbabwe, printing money round-the-clock to sponsor a partisan electoral venture? Core business of a central business has been abandoned. Why would a sane government allow such a person with distorted understanding of the central bank’s role in an economy remain in office? This is the same person who has reduced the central bank to a department in the President’s office.
Lying went up a gear on Tuesday, 8 April 2008, when the same newspaper alleged that Tsvangirai has failed to secure the support of the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC for an opposition bloc that would have simple majority in the House of Assembly.
This allegation defies reason. Let us look at it from another angle. Between the two parties, Zanu (PF) and MDC (Tsvangirai), who can receive votes from the voters who voted for Mutambara-led MDC? The majority of the votes for the two MDCs and Simba Makoni have been derived from as long it’s not Zanu (PF because of the economic conditions.
If Mutambara had wanted to work with Zanu (PF) from the outset, he would not have supported Makoni’s candidature against Zanu (PF).
The Zimbabweans’ fate is Africa’s fate
BY SUZANE K. MUHEREZA
Steve Biko in his call on the Black man in South Africa to break all false political alliance with the Whites and claim his freedom on his own, repeated the valiant cry of SASO: Black man, you are on your own!
This cry was a clear reminder that the Black South African had been abandoned in his own land and had to fight for a freedom that had been ripped from him by apartheid. Today, every Zimbabwean can use this same cry with the same passion and truth as Biko did.
Africans in general have failed and abandoned the people of Zimbabwe, to the extent that we still remain silent over a week after Zimbabweans went to the poll and allowed an insane power-blinded old man to blatantly ignore the democratic process.
This is a violation of all sense of brotherhood and certain death to the democratic future of Africa as a whole. Forget the European Union and the Anglo-Americans; they are riding the wave of sensationalism that bad news from Africa usually brings.
Where are the African leaders that condemned the post-election violence in Kenya? Where are the civil society organisations that called for Charles Taylor to be hanged?
Where are the parading impassioned students that called for an end to apartheid and genocide? Where is the African Union? Where is the SADC?
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa says the time is not yet right to intervene. This may be true, but there is no time like the present for Mbeki to lead a coalition of African leaders in demanding strongly the release of the election results so that Zimbabweans and the rest of Africa can face the decision of the people, whatever that may be. It is time for Africans to realise that the fate of Zimbabweans today is the fate of all Africans tomorrow, for each of us is the same as all of us.
By keeping silent and allowing the will of the people of Zimbabwe to be eroded and dictated unto by a demented party and its insane leader, we are setting our own leaders a clear example of how we should be treated the next time we go to the polls.
Post published in: Opinions