Fingaz says Jonathan Moyo will not succeed in silencing media

The Financial Gazette said Information Minister Jonathan Moyo would not succeed in his quest to silence divergent voices especially the independent media.

“Moyo has come to symbolise through his high-handedness and irresponsible utterances all that is bad with a government that has utterly failed its citizens,” the paper said.

“Moyo’s attempts to gag the media and to prevent it from doing its national duty of highlighting Zimbabwe’s glaring injustices, lawlessness and violence, corruption and other ills will fail simply because they have no basis in law. But more importantly, the entrenched rights (that) he wants to trample upon are God-given and will always remain so.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE2395, MEDIA REACTION RAMSEY CLARK AND ZIMBABWE- 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.

140915Z Aug 01

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO6654

PAGE 01       HARARE 02395 140918Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   AF-00   AID-00   AMAD-00 A-00     CIAE-00 INL-00

DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 H-01     TEDE-00

IO-00   LAB-01   L-00     NSAE-00 OIC-02   OPIC-01 PA-00

PRS-00   P-00     SP-00   SS-00   STR-00   TEST-00 TRSE-00

USIE-00 R-00     IIP-00   PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00

/008W

——————11EA8B 140930Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9455

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 002395

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR,

NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION RAMSEY CLARK AND ZIMBABWE- HARARE

¶1. THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE” DEDICATED

ITS AUGU EDITORIAL TO SPEAK AGAINST THE PROPOSED FREEDOM OF

INFORMATION   AN   PROTECTION   OF   PRIVACY   BILL.   THE

CONTROVERSIAL BILL COULD BECOME B THE END OF THE YEAR.

UNDER HEADLINE “MOYOL FUTILE WAR,” THE PAPER COMMENTS:

S

“PERHAPS RAMSEY CLARK, A FORMER AMERICAN ATTORNEY-GENERAL,

CAPTURED T ESSENCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS MORE

THA

N MOST OF TODAY SCHOLARS WHEN, IN 1977, HE STATED: ‘A RIGHT

IS NOT WHAT SOMEONE GIVES IT IS WHAT NO ONE CAN TAKE FROM YOU-‘

AS ZIMBABWE FACES UP TO ITS MOS DEFINING MOMENT POLITICALLY,

CLARK’S WORDS MUST SURELY TROUBLE ALL GO AND WOMEN IN THE LAND

AS

RIGHTS JUST TO CLING TO POWER. JONATHAN MOYO, ONCE THE

GOVERNMENT’S CHIEF FOE AND NOW ITS MOST LOYAL PROPAGANDIST, IS

LEADIN HAS BECOME THE MOST

¶3.

VICIOUS  CAMPAIGN EVER TO SILENCE ALL DIVERGENT   VOICES,

CRUCIALLY   ZIMB INDEPENDENT MEDIA, AHEAD OF   A   LANDMARK

PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT THAT THREA TO BURY HIM AND HIS AGEING (SIC)

MASTERS   .   .   . MOYO HAS COME TO SYMBO   THROUGH   HIS

HIGH-HANDEDNESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE UTTERANCES ALL THAT IS AND

BAD WITH A GOVERNMENT THAT HAS UTTERLY FAILED ITS CITIZENS . .

. AFTER WHIPPING UP A FRENZY OF EMOTIONS AGAINST ALL WHO WISH

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 02395 140918Z

AND WANT ZIMBABWE PROSPER AND BECOME PART OF THE CIVILIZED

WORLD, HE IS RACING ENACT A LAW AGAINST THE MEDIA WHICH HE

KNOWS RUNS COUNTER TO THE NATI

BASIC FREEDOMS . . . LET IT BE KNOWN THAT AN INDIVIDUAL’S UNFETTERED

TO RECEIVE AND IMPART INFORMATION, WHICH HE IS SEEKING TO CURTAIL,

IS CARDINAL PLANK OF ANY DEMOCRACY AND CIVILIZED GOVERNANCE AND THAT

ZIMBABWEANS DESERVE NO LESS AND NO MORE.

“MOYOLS ATTEMPT TO GAG THE MEDIA AND TO PREVENT IT FROM DOING ITS

NAT DUTY OF HIGHLIGHTING ZIMBABWE’S GLARING INJUSTICES, LAWLESSNESS

AND VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION AND OTHER ILLS WILL FAIL SIMPLY BECAUSE

THEY HAV BASIS IN LAW. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ENTRENCHED RIGHTS

(THAT) HE W TO TRAMPLE UPON ARE GOD-GIVEN AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SO.

THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION . . . WILL BE FATALLY FLAWED IF

THE NEW ANTI-DEMOCRACY LEGISLATION IS APPROVED . . . AS AMERICA’S

INCOMING AMBASSADOR TO ZIMBABWE, JOSEPH SULLIVAN, BLUNTLY TOLD THE

GOVERNMENT WEEK: I . . . WE CANNOT HAVE GOOD RELATIONS (WITH

ZIMBABWE) UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT ACTS TO END VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION

AND RESTORES THE RUL LAW AND RESPECTS THE FREEDOM TO OPERATE OF

POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMO INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING AN INDEPENDENT

MEDIA, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZAT AND THE JUDICIARY . . . I THERE YOU

ARE MOYO. ALL ZIMBABWEANS AND THE TRUE FRIENDS AROUND THE GLOBE WANT

THE SIMPLE BUT CRUCIAL THINGS TO B BUT YOUR GOVERNMENT COULD CARE

LESS.”

HOOKS

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04       HARARE 02395 140918Z

POSSIBLY CLASSIFIED

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