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| Mugabe Installs more Thugs in Cabinet for coming crackdown | |
| 2004-02-19 | |
| EFL CONTRARY to the official hype that the recent Cabinet reshuffle by President Robert Mugabe, aims to address the country’s myriad problems, analysts are convinced the inclusion of former military personnel into the recycled Zanu-PF old guard, is designed to tighten screws of repression ahead of the 2005 general election. Of the new appointments Mugabe made last Monday, most of the debutantes have a military background or are former freedom fighters with no track-record or experience in handling economic development and democratic governance issues. "This is basically militarising the Cabinet. This shows that we are moving towards a more repressive era, in which Mugabe would control every bit of society," said Gordon Chavunduka, a former University of Zimbabwe vice-chancellor. Since the 2000 parliamentary elections, in which Zanu PF narrowly scraped through against a formidable challenge from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the governing party has increasingly become reliant on the use of violence to "win" elections. During both the parliamentary and presidential polls, several opposition party members were tortured, maimed or murdered for campaigning for the MDC. Hey, a win is a win. Mugabe, who turns 80 this month, has also brought back some of his trusted "old guard" in the Cabinet to spearhead his traditional onslaught against dissenting voices ahead of next year’s general election. A surprise inclusion is long forgotten former minister and Speaker of Parliament, Didymus Mutasa, dusted off from the political scrap-heap to the newly created post of Minister of Special Affairs in the President’s Office in charge of the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Monopolies Programme. Mutasa, MP for Makoni North, is accused of having intimidated and caused the torture of opponents in his constituency forcing them to vote for Mugabe during the 2002 presidential poll. Mutasa, however, denies the allegations. Mines Minister Edward Chindori-Chininga was the only one booted out of the enlarged cabinet. He was the cause of all the economic chaos. Political commentator Brain Raftopolous described the reshuffle as a "rotation" of Mugabe’s loyalists, who are basically in the Cabinet to protect the President’s interests. "It is a consolidation of politics of the last few years designed to perpetuate Zanu PF’s repressive rule," said Raftopolous. Since coming to power 23 years ago, some analysts noted, Mugabe had consistently appointed trusted loyalists with liberation war credentials to his Cabinet. An attempt to enlist so called ’technocrats’ such as former finance minister Simba Makoni and banker Nkosana Moyo flopped after the duo fell foul of Mugabe’s self-saving policies. After swearing in the the new ministers, Mugabe last week said the new Cabinet would focus on fighting corruption and enhancing the country’s capacity to be economically self-sufficient."It is now an internal war to fight corruption and tendencies to access wealth through illegal means," said Mugabe. However, most analysts were unconvinced saying there was nothing in the new appointments to enhance the capacity of Mugabe’s Cabinet to fight corruption in the country. They noted that graft is also deep-rooted in the ruling party itself. Former Governor of Matabeleland South, Welshman Mabhena, said last week’s Cabinet reshuffle is characteristic of Mugabe when he is trouble."Mugabe has never run a civilian government. Zanu PF itself is a guerrilla party and when Mugabe is in trouble he falls back on his old friends, otherwise how do you explain Mutasa’s appointment. He is a known failure," said Mabhena. This seems to be a chronic problem throughout out revolutionary governments. Mugabe retained most of the combative ministers, who spearheaded controversial policies that are widely viewed as responsible for the current political and economic chaos in the country. Some of those who survived the chop include the increasingly unpopular trio of Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Joseph Made, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. "These are the same people responsible for our current problems and yet, somehow, they are expected to find solutions for problems they have themselves created," said Wilfred Mhanda, the president of the Zimbabwe Liberators’Platform (ZLP). He said the reshuffle was the cornerstone of Mugabe’s campaigning strategy this year. "Things are getting more difficult for Mugabe each passing year and to survive he needs his ’Yes men’ who will do anything to ensure his survival because their own survival depends on him,’ said Mhanda.
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| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #2 Yep. :) |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-19 3:59:16 PM |
| #1 "It is now an internal war to fight corruption and tendencies to access wealth through illegal means," said Mugabe. I hope it happens big-time for him. (My mean- streak showing again, Ship. ;) |
| Posted by: Rhodesiafever 2004-2-19 2:27:27 PM |