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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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
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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