New Information Minister Tichaona Jokonya was a breath of fresh air after his “clever but shrill and vitriolic predecessor” Jonathan Moyo, United States embassy officials said.
They said they had already seen modestly positive shifts in government media policy since his appointment.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s castigation of Operation Restore Order, for example, was given airtime by the national broadcaster and an extended critique of government economic policies by the private sector, including commercial farmers, was also aired.
The officials concluded: “Jokonya is, however, unlikely to stand up to Mugabe or the party hierarchy on critical issues but, as a diplomat and elder statesman, he may be an effective conduit of information and we intend to take him up on his offer to engage more closely with his ministry and through it the country’s official media.”
Jokonya told United States ambassador Christopher Dell that after a long career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was a diplomat, not a politician.
He spoke fondly of his four years in the United States as Zimbabwe’s permanent representative to the United Nations and said that he was proud to be a “free citizen” of Louisiana.
“He half-jokingly asked if this citizenship would spare him inclusion on our sanctions list,” Dell said.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 05HARARE801, INFORMATION MINISTER ON BILATERAL RELATIONS, MEDIA
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000801
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. NEULING
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2010
SUBJECT: INFORMATION MINISTER ON BILATERAL RELATIONS, MEDIA
POLICY, CRACKDOWN
Classified By: Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Eric T. Schultz under Section 1
.5 b/d
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During a courtesy call by the Ambassador at
the Ministry on June 2, new Minister of Information Tichaona
Jokonya defended the GOZ’s media policy and its Operation
“Restore Order”. He said he wanted better relations with the
independent media and with the USG. The Ambassador condemned
the GOZ’s crackdown in urban areas and stressed that concrete
measures by the GOZ to improve governance would have to
precede any improvement in bilateral relations. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) Jokonya opened the meeting by telling the Ambassador
that, after a long career with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, he was a diplomat, not a politician. However, the
ruling party was pushing him as a recently elected MP to
spend considerable time in his district (Chikomba in Masvingo
Province) cultivating relations with his constituents. He
spoke fondly of his four years in the United States as
PermRep and said that he was proud to be a “free citizen” of
Louisiana. He half-jokingly asked if this citizenship would
spare him inclusion on our sanctions list.
—————–
Minister Defends GOZ Media Policy, Seeks Rapprochement With
Independent Media
—————–
¶3. (C) Conceding that he was still learning the ropes at the
Ministry, the Minister launched into a familiar rehearsal of
historical sketches on land reform and Tony Blair’s purported
personal vendetta against the GOZ. Jokonya then moved to
defenses of various aspect of the GOZ’s media policy. He
asserted that the much-criticized Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) was not as draconian as
portrayed by the western media. The GOZ had not arbitrarily
banned The Daily News (TDN, an independent newspaper closed
in 2003), which he maintained was closed after it refused to
obey the law by registering. He noted that TDN’s new
application remained before the Media and Information
Commission, and he urged that we reserve further judgment on
the GOZ’s media policy pending the adjudication of the TDN
application.
¶4. (C) Jokonya emphasized his interest in repairing the
Ministry’s relationship with the independent media. He had
initiated a dialogue with its representatives and was trying
to address their complaints and suggestions. For example, he
was examining the composition of the Media and Information
Commission, which journalists complained inadequately
represented the perspective of journalists. He asserted that
when pinned down about AIPPA, media representatives’
complaints boiled down to certain aspects of registration
requirements and purported selective application of its
provisions. He was sure something could be worked out on
both issues.
———————————-
Seeks Better Relationship With USG
———————————-
¶5. (C) The Minister encouraged the USG to work more closely
with his ministry. He noted that we worked well with other
GOZ ministries, such as the Ministry of Public Health, and
emphasized that he was open to American suggestions on how to
improve operations at his Ministry. He said he had been
enormously impressed with the current and preceding
Secretaries of State, and complimented the First Lady on
SIPDIS
comments she made in Egypt regarding U.S. tolerance for
different paths to democracy. If the USG could talk to North
Korea, he concluded, it should be able to collaborate more
closely with Zimbabwe, a country with which it had much more
in common. He said that he wanted his Ministry to be where
diplomats came when they wanted something done; he emphasized
that he would relay our views to “the highest level” when we
came to him.
—————————–
Ambassador Condemns “Restore Order”, Urges Concrete GOZ
Measures to Enhance Relations
—————————–
¶6. (C) The Ambassador said that the USG would welcome
different approaches and an improvement in bilateral
relations. He reiterated his message to President Mugabe
that shrill public rhetoric did nothing to advance either
country’s interest and that the governments should engage
more meaningfully with each other face to face. However,
dialogue would only go so far as long as we were divided by
fundamental principles that could not be papered over or
finessed through image management.
¶7. (C) The Ambassador told the Minister that the Embassy
watched closely for signals that would justify a return to
our formerly constructive relations but discerned few. In
particular, the USG was appalled at the unconscionable abuses
associated with the GOZ’s Operation “Restore Order”, which
had deprived tens of thousands of their homes and
livelihoods. Limitations on freedom of expression and
continued gross economic mismanagement represented additional
constraints. We welcomed indications of positive shifts in
GOZ media policy and hoped to see them bear fruit. The key
to prospects for improved bilateral relations would continue
to be concrete measures for improved governance on the GOZ’s
part.
¶8. (C) Jonkoya briefly defended “Restore Order”, casting it
as a legitimate exercise to stem “criminal elements”, but
noted its “inconsistency” with other national objectives and
expressed appreciation for the Ambassador’s comments.
———————
VOA; Public Diplomacy
———————
¶9. (C) The Ambassador welcomed the Minister’s offer to work
more closely together and encouraged more contact between the
official media and the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section. He
noted that he had offered to do his first in-country
interview with the state-controlled Herald, which had not
taken him up. Jonkoya responded that he would work to
facilitate the Ambassador,s access to Zimbabwe,s official
media.
¶10. (C) The Ambassador added that the Voice of America was
charged with projecting balanced views on the Zimbabwean
situation and welcomed engagement with GOZ ministers and
representatives; few had exploited the opportunity. Jokonya
criticized VOA for broadcasting sensationalist, often
misleading or untrue stories about Zimbabwe, and asserted
that it maintained an anachronistic “Cold War” view of
Zimbabwe. Nonetheless, he undertook to listen to it more
often and said he would look into the possibility of greater
GOZ engagement with VOA.
——-
Comment
——-
¶11. (C) Jokonya is a relative breath of fresh air in
comparison to his clever but shrill and vitriolic predecessor
Jonathan Moyo. We have already seen modestly positive shifts
in GOZ media policy. Opposition MDC President Morgan
Tsvangirai’s castigation of “Restore Order”, for example, was
SIPDIS
given airtime by the national broadcaster this past week, and
an extended critique of GOZ economic policies by the private
sector, including commercial farmers, was aired June 8.
Jokonya is unlikely to stand up to Mugabe or the party
hierarchy on critical issues but, as a diplomat and elder
statesman, he may be an effective conduit of information and
we intend to take him up on his offer to engage more closely
with his ministry and through it the country,s official
media.
SCHULTZ
(77 VIEWS)
