In a way the signing of the agreement was history repeating itself as Mugabe went through the same thing on April 18 1980 when he became Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. During his speech, Tsvangirai quoted Mugabe’s speech from 1980 and said, “Let us turn our swords into ploughshares. If you were my enemy yesterday, today we are bound by the same patriotic duty and destiny.” Quoting that up left me feeling more unsure about having Tsvangirai in the position he now sits in. His speech may have gotten louder cheers than Mugabe’s but what he had to say did not seem like something that was from within and something that he meant. It seemed like something that was put together to please whoever was willing to pay serious attention to it or that person who has lost all hope and needed to hear someone say “I will make things better.” Is he going to be the person to rebuild the infrastructure and bring in international support?
Mugabe’s speech was entertaining and I enjoyed it more than Tsvangirai’s even though he is a man gone mad. He went up to the podium with no notes and spoke his mind. He stated that there were parts of the agreement that he does not like and that the formation of a unity government would not be smooth sailing. Staying true to form, Mugabe took the opportunity to attack the British and American’s and blamed the problems of today on our former colonial power.
During Mugabe’s speech the camera focused on Tsvangirai now and then and it looked as if he deliberately had his hand over his face with closed eyes as if to show that he could care less about what his new political partner had to say. The other leaders on stage such as Thabo Mbeki and King Mswati looked like they were paying attention to what Mugabe had to say. Tsvangirai’s posture and mannerisms showed a lack of etiquette, the kind of behaviour I would expect from a rebellious boy.
One thing that Mugabe brought up that caught my attention was ‘democracy’ where he said: “Democracy in Africa. Its a difficult proposition, because always the opposition will want much more than what it deserves. The opposition will want to be ruling party and it will devise ways and means of getting there. Including violence. I’m not just refering to the system as we see it in Africa.” He later said that he was committed to the agreement but I find that hard to believe because of his stance on democracy. With that frame of mind how can someone be confident that the union will be fruitful?
As far as Mutamabara goes, I was not too impressed by his speech. He sounded unsure of himself and what he had to say. I will leave it at that.
Power is addictive and once someone gets a taste of it they want more and more. For most if not all this leads to a shift in their purpose and the reason why they wanted to be in the position they are in. All politicians are liars and they will say what they need to in order to be elected. It is up to us to choose whoever we think will work towards our best interests. Mugabe has failed the nation and needs to go but I do not see Tsvangirai as the one will bring the nation back to its former glory and I am not at all optimistic about this agreement. Tsvangirai mentioned that he was praying to God for wisdom, I am praying to God and continue to have faith that Zimbabwe will be delivered from the abyss soon.
I am lost for words………………….
Here are some documents that may be of interest:
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