Under the headline Martial Law Looms, the August 9 edition of the independent weekly The Financial Gazette carried the following lead article by the paper’s political editor, Sydney Masamvu:
Viewing cable 01HARARE2389, MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; 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.
101228Z Aug 01
UNCLASSIFIED PTQ6643
PAGE 01 HARARE 02389 101231Z
ACTION INR-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 LAB-01
VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 IRM-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00
DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /005W
——————108A22 101231Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9451
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 002389
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/PD, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR
JENDAYI FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; HARARE
¶1. CONTRIBUTING TO DEBATE ON PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE’S ADDRESS TO
PARLIAMENT, FORMER CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION (CIO)
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 HARARE 02389 101231Z
DIRECTOR-GENERAL AND GOVERNING ZANU PF PARTY BACKBENCHER MR.
SHADRECK CHIPANGA CALLED, ON AUGUST 8, FOR THE DECLARATION OF
“MARTIAL LAW” IN ZIMBABWE. THE AUGUST 9 EDITIONS OF THE
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY ‘THE HERALD’ AND THE INDEPENDENT DAILY
‘THE DAILY NEWS’ COVERED THE LEGISLATOR’S STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT
WHICH COMES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE APPROVAL OF THE ZIMBABWE
DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL BY THE U. S. SENATE. THE LEAD
STORY IN TODAY’S EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY ‘THE FINANCIAL
GAZETTE’ CENTERS ON THE SAME ISSUE. ARTICLE EXCERPTS FOLLOW:
¶2. UNDER HEADLINE “DECLARE STATE OF EMERGENCY IF U. S. CONGRESS
PASSES BILL – CHIPANGA,” THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED DAILY ‘THE
HERALD’ REPORTS:
“A ZANU-PF BACKBENCHER YESTERDAY (AUGUST 8) CALLED UPON PARLIAMENT
TO SUPPORT THE DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN THE COUNTRY
IF THE U. S. CONGRESS PASSES THE CONTROVERSIAL ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY
(AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY) BILL. MAKONI EAST MP (MEMBER OF
PARLIAMENT) SHADRECK CHIPANGA SAID THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY THE
COUNTRY WOULD PROTECT ITSELF. ‘I WANT TO APPEAL TO THIS HOUSE
THAT IF AND WHEN THIS BILL IS PASSED, WE SHOULD AS A NATION MAKE
SURE THAT A STATE OF EMERGENCY IS DECLARED. THE STATE OF
EMERGENCY IS THE ONLY WEAPON IN OUR KIT. THIS WOULD ENSURE THAT
NO BY-ELECTION AND NO ELECTION IS HELD IN THIS COUNTRY AND THAT NO
ONE, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ARE IN THE HABIT OF GLOBETROTTING
ADVOCATING FOR SANCTIONS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
. .HOWEVER, BULIMAMANGWE SOUTH MP MR. EDWARD MKHOSI (MOVEMENT FOR
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) SAID A STATE OF EMERGENCY WOULD ‘DEVOUR’
THE COUNTRY. . .’THE STATE OF EMERGENCY THAT IS BEING ADVOCATED
FOR IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT. THAT WAS THE MOST
DANGEROUS THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO THIS COUNTRY. YOU HAVE
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 02389 101231Z
BROTHER KILLING BROTHER AND IT WAS A HORRENDOUS SITUATION.’ HE
SAID THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD RUN ELECTIONS AND WORK WITH THE
OPPOSITION ‘IN A PROPER WAY. . . .'”
¶3. UNDER HEADLINE “EX-CIO BOSS URGES GOVERNMENT TO IMPOSE STATE OF
EMERGENCY,” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY ‘THE DAILY NEWS’ REPORTS:
“SHADRECK CHIPANGA, THE ZANU PF MP FOR MAKONI EAST, SAID YESTERDAY
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD IMPOSE A STATE OF EMERGENCY ONCE THE UNITED
STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND
ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL. BUT AN MDC MP FROM MATABELELAND SAID THE
CONSEQUENCES OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY WOULD BE AS HORRENDOUS AS
THEY WERE IN THE 1983-87 PERIOD. CHIPANGA, A FORMER CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAID A STATE OF
EMERGENCY SHOULD BE DECLARED ONCE THE BILL PASSES THROUGH THE U.
¶S. CONGRESS AND EVENTUALLY SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W.
BUSH. . . .”
¶4. UNDER HEADLINE “MARTIAL LAW LOOMS,” THE AUGUST 9 EDITION OF THE
INDEPENDENT WEEKLY ‘THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE’ CARRIED THE FOLLOWING
LEAD ARTICLE BY THE PAPER’S POLITICAL EDITOR, SYDNEY MASAMVU:
“PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE’S CABINET IS ACTIVELY CONSIDERING
DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY IF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY GOES
AHEAD TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST HIM AND HIS SENIOR GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS, AUTHORITATIVE OFFICIAL SOURCES SAID THIS WEEK. THEY
SAID THE APPROVAL BY THE U. S. SENATE LAST WEEK OF THE ZIMBABWE
DEMOCRACY (AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY) BILL, WHICH STILL HAS TO BE
ENDORSED BY CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE, HAD RE-IGNITED INTENSE
DEBATE WITHIN CABINET ON WHETHER HARARE SHOULD IMPOSE EMERGENCY
RULE. . .OFFICIALS IN BOTH THE HARARE GOVERNMENT AND ITS GOVERNING
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 04 HARARE 02389 101231Z
ZANU PF PARTY THIS WEEK SAID THE ‘LAW OF SURVIVAL’ WOULD TAKE OVER
IF SANCTIONS ARE IMPOSED ON ZIMBABWE. ‘WE WILL BE LEFT WITH NO
CHOICE BUT TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY IF WE ARE UNDER
SANCTIONS . . .WITH THE WAY THE SITUATION IS DEVELOPING, THAT
CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE LAW OF SURVIVAL WILL TAKE OVER,’ THE
MINISTER SAID, PREFERRING NOT TO BE NAMED. . . .'”
WHITEHEAD
UNCLASSIFIED
>
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