US embassy cable - 02HARARE583

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000583 
 
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, ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE 
 
 
1.   WITH ONLY THREE DAYS REMAINING BEFORE ZIMBABWEANS 
   GO TO THE POLLS TO ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT, EDITORIALS IN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  00583  01 OF 02  061343Z 
   THE MAINSTREAM NEWSPAPERS CONTINUE TO CONCENTRATE ON 
   THE ELECTION.  EDITORIAL EXCERPTS FOLLOW: 
 
2.   UNDER HEADLINE "UK PUT FIRMLY IN ITS PLACE," THE 
   GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE HERALD" DEDICATED 
   ITS MARCH 6 EDITORIAL TO THE CHOGM DECISION TO 
   POSTPONE ACTION ON ZIMBABWE. EXCERPTS: 
 
   "THE OUTCOME OF THE COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF 
GOVERNMENT MEETING IN AUSTRALIA IS A SLAP IN THE FACE 
FOR THE PRO-SANCTIONS LOBBY THAT DID NOT GO TO COOLUM 
TO COMPROMISE BUT TO IMPOSE ITS WILL.  LED BY BRITAIN, 
AN IRRESPONSIBLE FORMER COLONIAL POWER, THE GROUP 
PLANNED TO RAILROAD THE SUMMIT INTO SUSPENDING ZIMBABWE 
FROM THE 54-MEMBER BODY OR IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THE 
COUNTRY. . .  BUT BRITAIN AND ITS ALLIES' PLAN QUICKLY 
CRUMPLED WITH THE MAJORITY OF MEMBERS REFUSING TO 
RUBBER STAMP SELF-SERVING PROPOSALS.  THE SANCTIONS 
LOBBY WAS NOT ONLY BRUSHED ASIDE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY 
THE COMMONWEALTH, FOR THE FIRST TIME ACKNOWLEDGED, THAT 
THE LAND ISSUE WAS AT THE CORE OF ZIMBABWE'S PROBLEMS. 
. .  ZIMBABWEANS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DEMOCRATICALLY 
ELECT THEIR PRESIDENT WITHOUT INTERFERENCE. . .  THERE 
IS NO NEED TO PRE-JUDGE THE OUTCOME. . .  ONLY 
FOREIGNERS, SCARED THAT THE OUTCOME WILL NOT GO THE WAY 
THEY WANT, WILL RUSH TO PRE-DETERMINE THE ELECTION AND 
SEEK TO HAVE THE COUNTRY PUNISHED. . .  AS THINGS 
STAND, BRITAIN AND ITS SANCTIONS LOBBY WILL HAVE TO 
THINK OF OTHER WAYS OF PUNISHING ZIMBABWE BECAUSE THE 
COMMONWEALTH IS UNLIKELY TO DO ITS DIRTY WORK." 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  00583  01 OF 02  061343Z 
3.   UNDER HEADLINE "THE KEY WORD IS CONSISTENCY," THE 
   BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY 
   "CHRONICLE" DEDICATED ITS MARCH 6 EDITORIAL TO 
   URGING ZIMBABWEANS TO VOTE FOR A LEADER WITH SOLID 
   EXECUTIVE QUALITIES IN THE MARCH 9 AND 10 
   PRESIDENTIAL POLL.  EXCERPTS: 
 
   ". . .AS PEOPLE PREPARE TO VOTE ON MARCH 9 AND 10, 
THE WORD CONSISTENCE SHOULD BE UPPER MOST IN THEIR 
MINDS.  AMONG THE PEOPLE ASKING THEM FOR THEIR VOTE, 
WHO HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN ACTION, WORD OR DEED?  WHO 
HAS DISPLAYED AN UNWAVERING STANCE ON ANY SUBJECT OF 
NATIONAL IMPORTANCE?  WHO HAS SPOKEN ELOQUENTLY ON ANY 
MATTER THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE ORDINARY MAN?  WHO HAS 
PROMISED AND TO SOME EXTENT SHOWN EVIDENCE THAT HE HAS 
THE PEOPLE AT HEART?  THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS IS 
RATHER OBVIOUS FOR BETWEEN THE SO-CALLED FRONT RUNNERS 
IN THE POLL - PRESIDENT MUGABE AND MR. TSVANGIRAI - 
MUGABE HAS EMERGED AS CONSISTENT AS EVER. . .   EVEN 
THE IMMENSE PRESSURE FROM POWERFUL ANGLO-AMERICAN 
FORCES, AND THREATS OF SANCTIONS HAVE NOT CHANGED HIS 
CONSISTENT ARTICULATION OF ISSUES.  NOT SO WITH MR. 
TSVANGIRAI. . .  CAN SOMEONE WHO IS SO INCONSISTENT 
 
SIPDIS 
THEREFORE BE TRUSTED TO CARRY THE JOB OF CEO OF THE 
COUNTRY?  UNLIKE IN A COMPANY WHERE YOU CAN EXPERIMENT 
AND MAYBE FIRE THE INCUMBENT A YEAR OR TWO AFTER HE HAS 
FAILED, WITH A COUNTRY IT WILL BE DISASTROUS TO ALLOW 
OURSELVES THE FOLLY OF 'TRYING.'  THE INCONSISTENCY 
DISPLAYED BY SOME OF THE POTENTIAL LEADERS MIGHT 
BACKFIRE, IN A WAY THAT IS BIGGER THAN THE ARTIFICIAL 
SHORTAGES THAT WE HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH ON A DAILY 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  00583  01 OF 02  061343Z 
BASIS." 
 
4.   UNDER HEADLINE "ZIMBABWE'S FAILURE COULD DOOM THE 
   COMMONWEALTH" THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY 
   NEWS" MARCH 6 EDITORIAL IS CRITICAL OF ALLEGED SADC 
   COLLUSION WITH THE MUGABE ADMINISTRATION IN 
   DISENFRANCHISING ZIMBABWEANS DURING THE MARCH 9 AND 
   10 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.  EXCERPTS: 
 
   ". . .THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
(SADC) IS TAKING AFTER THE OAU OVER THE CRISIS IN 
ZIMBABWE.  LARGELY THROUGH ITS INFLUENCE, THE 
COMMONWEALTH FAILED TO COME UP WITH A BOLD, DECISIVE 
AND UNEQUIVOCAL POSITION ON THE TERROR UNLEASHED BY 
PRESIDENT MUGABE'S REGIME ON THE OPPOSITION AHEAD OF 
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.  THE IDEAL WOULD HAVE BEEN 
TO ENSURE THAT THE PLAYING FIELD WAS LEVEL BEFORE THE 
ELECTION.  TO WAIT UNTIL THE VERDICT OF AN ELECTION IN 
WHICH THOUSANDS OF VOTERS HAVE BEEN DISENFRANCHISED BY 
MUGABE'S CUNNING DEVICES IS A COWARD'S WAY.  THE FUTURE 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ8816 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  00583  02 OF 02  061343Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  EUR-00   UTED-00  TEDE-00  INR-00 
      NSAE-00  PA-00    PRS-00   SP-00    TEST-00  USIE-00  IIP-00 
      DRL-02   SAS-00     /002W 
                  ------------------704A1A  061343Z /45 
P 061053Z MAR 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1110 
INFO NSC WASHDC 
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 
AMEMBASSY GABORONE 
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000583 
 
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: OCII, ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE 
 
OF THE COMMONWEALTH COULD BE IN GREAT DANGER IF THE 54- 
NATION GROUP PANDERS TO THE WHIMS OF AN AFRICAN BLOC SO 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  00583  02 OF 02  061343Z 
AMBIVALENT ABOUT DEMOCRACY THEY BLAME THE MEDIA FOR 
WHAT IS CLEARLY THE WORK OF MUGABE'S YOUNG THUGS 
(MILITIAS) . . .  THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE HAVE, SINCE 
THE REFERENDUM IN 2000, DISPLAYED A RESILIENCE OF 
SPIRIT WHICH SHOCKED MUGABE AND HIS PARTY OF VIOLENCE. 
THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT EVEN WITH THE VIOLENCE 
AGAINST THEM AND THE SERIES OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC LAWS 
RUSHED THROUGH PARLIAMENT WITH THE INDECENT HASTE OF A 
BANANA REPUBLIC, THE PEOPLE WILL MAKE THEIR CHOICE 
KNOWN EMPHATICALLY ON 9-10 MARCH. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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