Another Mugabe meltdown

Just when we thought Zimbabwe would get past the worst of their troubles & find someone who could unseat Robert Mugabe for good, fate had other plans in store.


The first & foremost plan naturally came about courtesy of the man himself: Mugabe like all the other times before got the upper hand on his opposition in the election & his gang of spooks (otherwise known as the ZANU-PF party) in some way or other saw to it that the old man wouldn't go down so easily. Now his most formidable opponent, Morgan Tsangivarai, is in hiding & a whole nation is up in arms over the new direction (as if there was anything new to it) this latest turn of events has taken them.


The UN said it best: getting a fair presidential vote in Zimbabwe is impossible. It's not a stretch, it's not difficult. It's impossible - but then again, it was impossible to get a fair, worthwhile vote of any kind in previous elections. And Mugabe's stiff-arm tactics of cowering the political opposition & those who have bones to pick with him via violence aren't helping matters one iota.


Politically, the whole situation is unstable & equally unpredictable as well. Just when we thought the opposition would finally dethrone the biggest dinosaur ruler on the block, we're greeted with nothing but false hopes & one of the most feared dictators around, with an arrogant, contemptuous mug, saying, "I'm not going away anytime soon so deal with it." Add to the fact that his gang of spooks are using violence & threats to cow those folks who are anti-Mugabe back into place & we've got an environment where winner takes all.


But how does the winner take all when you can't get off a fair vote?


In Zimbabwe, & in Mugabe's personal philosophy, the answer is deceptively simple: use the aforementioned violence & intimidation as a vehicle to make people know that you are the man & whether you stay in power or not depends on them voting on you & you alone. For Mugabe, who has sensed his enemies have been laying in wait for his downfall for quite some time, the worst of his fears is forfeiting his autocratic position over the very nation he was supposed to lead to brighter & better days. At the same time, another of his fears is having to explain himself to the UN for a variety of reasons: human rights abuses & violations, wanton mismanagement & mishandling of the nation's economy, & if that's not enough, not giving the opposition parties a fair & just say in the direction they want to take Zimbabwe. So what does he do in a situation like this? Rig the votes, target his worst critics & also those who have an issue with the way he's running the show in hopes that he can stay in power for another few years - if he's fortunate enough to live that long.

A short while ago, we felt that Robert Mugabe would be on his way out & a more competent successor would step in, realizing that any righting of his predecessor's past wrongs would be a daunting task & a very daunting one indeed. The elections gave us a sense of hope & reassurance of that in spades. After seeing this man totally obliterate the economic & political framework of his own country for almost three decades, we deserved to be hopeful & confident that the tables would turn in the opposition's favor for once.

The tables have turned, rightly said. But now things are in Mugabe's favor & who knows how many Zimbabweans are seething with discontent & rage - as well as those countless others who care wholeheartedly about the affairs of this southern African nation - at this latest development which could best be summarized in two sentences:
In the world of Bobby Mugabe, all isn't fair. Not even a vote.