Writer on why the West hates Mugabe

Former film producer Olley Maruma said the West hated President Robert Mugabe because he had broken out of the straight jacket of kowtowing to American and British interests.

“He has changed the balance of power in Southern Africa towards the blacks by making them masters of their own land,” he wrote.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE292, MEDIA REPORT “WEST BIASED AGAINST ZIMBABWE”;

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

010755Z Feb 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO2502

PAGE 01       HARARE 00292 012228Z

ACTION AF-00

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

NSAE-00 PRS-00   SP-00   USIE-00 SAS-00     /000W

——————60EBF7 012228Z /21

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0850

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000292

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, SCHLACHTER, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P,

INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT “WEST BIASED AGAINST ZIMBABWE”;

HARARE

¶1.   UNDER HEADLINE “WEST BIASED AGAINST ZIMBABWE: SOME

LOCAL SCRIBES HAVE BECOME MASCOTS OF NEO-COLONIALISM,” THE

JANUARY 31 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “THE

HERALD” CARRIED AN OPINION PIECE BY OLLEY MARUMA THAT IS

CRITICAL OF THE U. S. FOREIGN POLICY. ARTICLE EXCERPTS

FOLLOW:

¶2.   “. . .WHAT IS BAFFLING IS WHY THE AMERICANS ARE

PREPARED TO TAKE PUNITIVE MEASURES AGAINST THE ZIMBABWE

ARMY, WHEN THEY ARE QUITE PREPARED TO CO-OPERATE WITH PEREZ

MUSHARAF. . .A MAN WHO USURPED POWER THROUGH A MILITARY

COUP? IS IT BECAUSE ZIMBABWE IS A SMALL AFRICAN STATE THAT

SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE A

VASSAL. . . ? ALTHOUGH MUSHARAF’S GOVERNMENT USES A

WIDE RANGE OF LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS TO CURB

PRESS FREEDOM, THE AMERICAN CONGRESS STILL HAS NOT COME

UP WITH A PAKISTANI DEMOCRACY BILL. IN PAKISTAN, THE

AUTHORITIES HAVE FREQUENTLY DETAINED AND THREATENED

JOURNALISTS, INTERFERED WITH NEWSPAPER DISTRIBUTION. .

.BUT THE ONLY WORDS WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT MUSHARAF FROM

AMERICAN OFFICIALS ARE GLOWING TRIBUTES ABOUT HIS

COURAGE IN FIGHTING TERRORISM. . .IN SEPTEMBER 2001,

PAKISTAN BANNED CABLE OPERATIONS FROM AIRING INDIAN

CABLE AND SATELLITE TV CHANNELS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE

INDIAN MEDIA WAS PROMOTING ‘ANTI-PAKISTAN PROPAGANDA.’

BUT WHEN ZIMBABWE AUTHORITIES CLOSE DOWN A PIRATE RADIO

STATION BECAUSE IT IS OPERATING WITHOUT A LICENSE,

THEIR ACTIONS ARE VILIFIED ALL OVER THE WEST AND THEY

ARE ACCUSED OF ‘SUPPRESSING THE MEDIA. . .’ ANOTHER

LEADER WHO HAS ESCAPED CENSURE FOR HER DUBIOUS

USURPATION OF POWER IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE

PHILIPPINES, GLORIA ARROYO. . .THE REASON BOTH MRS.

ARROYO AND GENERAL MUSHARAF HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY

CENSURE FROM AMERICAN OFFICIALS FOR THEIR USURPATION OF

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00292 012228Z

POWER IS THAT THEY ARE BOTH SERVING AMERICAN SECURITY,

ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC INTERESTS. BOTH. . .HAVE

ALLOWED THEIR TERRITORIES TO BE USED BY AMERICAN TROOPS

TO FIGHT THE ABU SAYYAF AND THE TALIBAN RESPECTIVELY.

SO WHY THE DEMONIZATION OF PRESIDENT MUGABE AND HIS

GOVERNMENT? HE HAS BROKEN OUT OF THE STRAIGHTJACKET OF

KOWTOWING TO AMERICAN AND BRITISH INTERESTS. HE HAS

CHANGED THE BALANCE OF POWER IN SOUTHERN AFRICA TOWARDS

THE BLACKS BY MAKING THEM MASTERS OF THEIR OWN

LAND. . . .”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

>

(45 VIEWS)