We do not need a surrogate president

The Bulawayo daily, Chronicle, declared that Zimbabwe did not need a surrogate president who would always remind the nation, when he had sold everything including his soul, that the people voted for him.

The paper was commenting on the presidential elections of 2002 that were just a few days away.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE570, MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; 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.

050947Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO0651

PAGE 01       HARARE 00570 051502Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00 EUR-00   UTED-00 TEDE-00 INR-00

NSAE-00 PA-00   PRS-00   SP-00   TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00

DRL-02   SAS-00     /002W

——————6FBC97 051502Z /45

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1094

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000570

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 ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

¶1.   IN THE FINAL WEEK OF ZIMBABWE’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,

MAINSTREAM NEWSPAPERS CONTINUE TO DEVOTE THEIR EDITORIALS,

AND MUCH OF THEIR NEWS COVERAGE, TO THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02       HARARE 00570 051502Z

EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

¶2.   UNDER THE HEADLINE “MESSAGE THAT MUST REACH ALL

VILLAGERS,” THE INDEPENDENT “DAILY NEWS” ON MARCH 5

EXPRESSED ITS DISPLEASURE THAT THE COMMONWEALTH FAILED TO

SUSPEND THE MUGABE REGIME “FOR ITS BLATANT DISREGARD FOR

INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED NORMS OF CIVILIZED GOVERNANCE.”

EXCERPTS:

“IT CAN BE PLAUSIBLY ARGUED THAT, EVEN IF IT HAD

SUCCEEDED, THE FAILED ATTEMPT TO SUSPEND ZIMBABWE FROM

THE COMMONWEALTH WAS UNLIKELY TO ACHIEVE MUCH IN

PERSUADING PRESIDENT MUGABE TO STOP THE VIOLENCE HIS

PARTY IS USING COUNTRYWIDE TO FORCE PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR

HIM THIS COMING WEEKEND ANYWAY. NEVERTHELESS, WE CANNOT

PRETEND THAT THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE DO NOT FEEL TERRIBLY

LET DOWN BY THE COMMONWEALTH. . .EFFORTS BY THE EUROPEAN

UNION AND THE UNITED STATES TO REIN IN OUR ROGUE

GOVERNMENT ARE CERTAINLY COMMENDABLE. BUT THEY CAN ONLY

ACHIEVE SO MUCH AND NO MORE. IT IS NOW LEFT TO

ZIMBABWEANS THEMSELVES TO DELIVER THEMSELVES FROM EVIL.

AND THEIR ONLY WEAPON IS THEIR VOTE. . . .”

¶3.   UNDER HEADLINE “WE DO NOT NEED A SURROGATE PRESIDENT,

“THE BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED DAILY “CHRONICLE”

DECLARED IN ITS MARCH 5 EDITORIAL THAT ZIMBABWE DOES NOT

NEED “WHITE MAN” TO RUN THE COUNTRY. EXCERPTS:

“. . .VOTING FOR THE OPPOSITION ON 9 AND 10 MARCH WILL

CONDEMN US TO CARRYING (WHITE MAN) ACROSS THE RIVER TO

SELL OUR DIAMONDS AND GOLD. . .THEREFORE WE DO NOT NEED

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03      HARARE 00570 051502Z

THEM FOR AN IMPORTANT JOB AS RUNNING THE COUNTRY. EVEN

MORE IMPORTANT, WE DO NOT NEED A SURROGATE PRESIDENT WHO

WILL ALWAYS REMIND US, WHEN HE HAS SOLD EVERYTHING

INCLUDING HIS SOUL, THAT ‘BUT YOU VOTED FOR ME.'”

¶4.   UNDER THE HEADLINE “SAY NO TO WESTERN MANIPULATION,”

THE

BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “SUNDAY NEWS”

ENCOURAGED ZIMBABWEANS, IN ITS MARCH 3 EDITORIAL TO VOTE

FOR PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE IN ORDER TO “REASSERT”

ZIMBABWE AS “AFRICA’S LEADING VOICE AGAINST WESTERN

MANIPULATION.”   EXCERPTS:

“ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, ZIMBABWEANS WILL VOTE IN AN

EPOCH-MAKING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. PAN-AFRICANISTS AND

OTHER PROGRESSIVE FORCES WORLDWIDE AGREE THAT THIS

ELECTION IS REALLY A TIME TO DECIDE WHETHER ZIMBABWE

SHOULD REASSERT ITSELF AS AFRICA’S LEADING VOICE AGAINST

WESTERN MANIPULATION OR RETURN TO THE DARK DAYS OF

COLONIAL SERVITUDE.”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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