Paper urges voters to tell President Robert Mugabe to go

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

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

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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