Why Tsvangirai cannot be trusted to run the country

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai could not be trusted to run the country because he had vigorously campaigned for sanctions and power blackouts, something that directly affected the ordinary man in the street, the Bulawayo daily, Chronicle, said on the eve of the presidential elections in 2002.

“When Zimbabwe was taken away by whites, it is the open hand that gave it away. Now the fist should take it back. By voting for our sovereignty we are showing the world that we are truly and really independent. Let’s bury Mr. Tsvangirai and his Movement for Destructive Criminals before they destroy us all,” the paper said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE629, MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE: TIME TO DECIDE;

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

091155Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO6583

PAGE 01       HARARE 00629 091350Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   AID-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00   EUR-00

UTED-00 VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00 INR-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 SNIS-00 NISC-00 PMB-00   PRM-00

DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00     /007W

——————71EC80 091350Z /03

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1155

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000629

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: TIME TO DECIDE;

¶1.   ON THE FIRST DAY OF ZIMBABWE’S TWO-DAY

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN ZIMBABWE, THE BULAWAYO-BASED

GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “CHRONICLE” CARRIED TWO

EDITORIALS URGING VOTERS NOT TO VOTE FOR OPPOSITION MDC

LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI. EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

¶2.   UNDER HEADLINE “VOTE AGAINST NEO-COLONIALISM,” THE

PAPER COMMENTS:

“. . .IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL SONS AND DAUGHTERS

OF THE SOIL STAND UP AND WITH ONE VOICE TELL

BRITAIN’S TONY BLAIR AND GEORGE W. BUSH OF AMERICA

TO MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS BY VOTING FOR THE RULING

PARTY CANDIDATE, ROBERT MUGABE. ANYTHING SHORT OF

THIS WILL BE A SURRENDER OF OUR HARD-WON

INDEPENDENCE AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY TO OUR

FORMER COLONIAL MASTER BRITAIN, WHICH HAS FIELDED

MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI. OUR EMPHATIC VOTE

SHOULD SEND AN EFFECTIVE MESSAGE TO THE BRITISH AND

THE AMERICANS THAT ZIMBABWE IS NOT FOR SALE. . .

IF WE MESS UP BY VOTING FOR NEO-COLONIALISM, THEN

WE WOULD HAVE COMMITTED THE MAJORITY OF ZIMBABWEANS

WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE TO DECADES OF

DENIGRATION. GIVING AWAY OUR SOVEREIGNTY WILL BE

DERELICTION OF DUTY AND A BETRAYAL OF THE TRUST

BESTOWED ON US BY OUR CHILDREN AND FUTURE

GENERATIONS. . . WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW POLITICS OF

THE STOMACH OR PROTESTS BASED ON SOME HISTORICAL

INCIDENTS TO GUIDE OUR DECISION TO VOTE FOR

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00629 091350Z

SERVITUDE. . . LET US DEFEND OUR INDEPENDENCE BY

VOTING FOR LAND, UNITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.”

¶3.   UNDER HEADLINE “LET’S BURY TSVANGIRAI,” THE SECOND

EDITORIAL READS:

“. . .THE FACT THAT MR. TSVANGIRAI VIGOROUSLY

CAMPAIGNED FOR SANCTIONS AND POWER BLACKOUTS,

SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE ORDINARY MAN IN

THE STREET AT A TIME WHEN THE ELECTORATE IS

BATTLING WITH ARTIFICIAL SHORTAGES, SHOWS HOW SUCH

A MAN SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED TO RUN THE COUNTRY. . .

WHEN ZIMBABWE WAS TAKEN AWAY BY WHITES, IT IS THE

OPEN HAND THAT GAVE IT AWAY. NOW THE FIST SHOULD

TAKE IT BACK. BY VOTING FOR OUR SOVEREIGNTY WE ARE

SHOWING THE WORLD THAT WE ARE TRULY AND REALLY

INDEPENDENT. LET’S BURY MR. TSVANGIRAI AND HIS

MOVEMENT FOR DESTRUCTIVE CRIMINALS BEFORE THEY

DESTROY US ALL.”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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(69 VIEWS)