The Financial Gazette urged Zimbabwean voters in the 2002 presidential elections to stand up with one voice and tell President Robert Mugabe to go.
“Shock the old man of Zimbabwean politics into his long-delayed retirement. Whether he retires to his home village of Zvimba or Malaysia or Thailand is not an issue.
“Shock him by voting overwhelmingly for a new era that is firmly anchored in palpable peace, justice and prosperity – and not in the murder, rape, torture and starvation of so many innocents in the land,” the paper said in an editorial two days before the poll.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE599, MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE VOTES; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLASSIFIED PTO8494
PAGE 01 HARARE 00599 071034Z
ACTION INR-00
INFO LOG-00 AF-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00
EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 IO-00 L-00
AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00
TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00
SAS-00 /007W
——————70C750 071034Z /40
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1122
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 000599
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI
FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE VOTES; HARARE
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 HARARE 00599 071034Z
¶1. THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE”
PUBLISHED A STRONGLY WORDED FRONT-PAGE EDITORIAL IN ITS
MARCH 7 EDITION. UNDER THE HEADLINE “SHOCK MUGABE” THE
NEWSPAPER URGES VOTERS TO TELL PRESIDENT MUGABE TO GO.
EXCERPTS FOLLOW:
“MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR, THE SLAIN AMERICAN CIVIL
RIGHTS ICON, HAD THIS TO SAY IN 1963, THE HEIGHT OF THE
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM BY UNITED STATES CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS: ‘WE KNOW THROUGH PAINFUL EXPERIENCE THAT
FREEDOM IS NEVER VOLUNTARILY GIVEN BY THE OPPRESSOR; IT
MUST BE DEMANDED BY THE OPPRESSED.’ ZIMBABWE’S LONG-
PROMISED MOMENT OF RECKONING HAS FINALLY COME. IT
BECKONS ALL PATRIOTIC AND VALIANT CITIZENS TO STAND UP
WITH ONE VOICE TO TELL ONE ROBERT MUGABE: MR.
PRESIDENT, PLEASE GO AND GO NOW.
“.SHOCK THE OLD MAN OF ZIMBABWEAN POLITICS INTO HIS
LONG-DELAYED RETIREMENT. WHETHER HE RETIRES TO HIS
HOME VILLAGE OF ZVIMBA OR MALAYSIA OR THAILAND IS NOT
AN ISSUE. SHOCK HIM BY VOTING OVERWHELMINGLY FOR A NEW
ERA THAT IS FIRMLY ANCHORED IN PALPABLE PEACE, JUSTICE
AND PROSPERITY – AND NOT IN THE MURDER, RAPE, TORTURE
AND STARVATION OF SO MANY INNOCENTS IN THE LAND. SHOCK
HIM BY MASSIVELY REJECTING THE POVERTY AND SQUALOR THAT
HAVE BECOME YOUR DAILY LIVES IN THIS BRAVE 21ST CENTURY
AND IN A COUNTRY SO RICH WITH BOTH MAN-MADE AND GOD’S
RESOURCES. SHOCK HIM BY DEMONSTRATING THAT ZANU PF’S
DEATH THREATS TO FORCE YOU TO ATTEND HIS MANY RALLIES
IN THE PAST MONTH CANNOT AND WILL NOT ALTER YOUR VOTE.
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 00599 071034Z
“.NO ONE ELSE – NO MATTER WHAT ZANU PF AND ITS WAR
VETERANS AND MILITIA TELL YOU – WILL EVER KNOW HOW YOU
VOTED. YOUR VOTE IS TOTALLY SECRET AND IS YOUR BIGGEST
WEAPON TO USHER IN A NEW AND PEACEFUL REVOLUTION IN THE
MOTHERLAND, WHICH HAS YEARNED FOR YEARS TO JOIN THE
REST OF THE WORLD IN HUMANITY’S HURRIED MARCH TOWARDS A
BETTER LIFE FOR ALL.
“.DON’T BE AFRAID, DON’T BE INTIMIDATED AND DON’T LOSE
HEART. YOUR VOTE, ALL OF YOU ZIMBABWEANS, WILL SINK
MUGABE FOREVER AND THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO ABOUT
THIS.”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
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