US embassy cable - 02HARARE955

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000955 
 
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, PHUM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT ZIM TURNS 22; HARARE 
 
 
1.   Editorials published in the April 18 and 19 editions 
   of 
   the mainstream newspapers concentrate on Zimbabwe's 22nd 
   anniversary.  Editorial excerpts: 
 
2.   Under headline "Spirit of togetherness is heartening," 
   the government-controlled daily "The Herald" (04/19) 
   comments: 
 
   "The turnout at yesterday's independence celebrations 
   throughout the country is a clear affirmation of 
   President Mugabe's leadership.  Thousands of Zimbabweans 
   from both the ruling ZANU PF and opposition MDC turned 
   out to hear President Mugabe's independence message. 
   For the first time in over two years, the MDC joined 
   hands with other Zimbabweans to commemorate the 
   country's 22 years of independence. . .This show of 
   unity was in keeping with President Mugabe's call for 
   all Zimbabweans to cast their political, religious, 
   ethnic or cultural differences aside and concentrate on 
   nation building.  Zimbabweans have been waiting for a 
   long time to see this kind of political maturity 
   displayed as it sends the right signals to the outside 
   world that, despite our political differences, we are 
   one nation.  The celebration of this Independence Day by 
   all nationals should signify a new thinking and unity of 
   purpose.  It is an affirmation of the country's 
   sovereignty and will send an unambiguous message to the 
   country's detractors that were bent on dividing the 
   nation and re-colonizing us.  We expect the entire 
   country to rally behind its leaders in charting a new 
   course for the revival of the economy. . .The 
   independence celebrations have started the ball rolling 
   and political leaders should now tone down inflammatory 
   statements that don't build the nation but distract 
   attention from the real development needs of the people. 
   . .We also commend the leader of the MDC, Mr. Morgan 
   Tsvangirai, for urging his supporters to attend the 
   independence celebrations. . .This gesture is a good 
   sign for the future and will mean that the opposition 
   can now be part and parcel of the various national 
   processes of the country. . .A new chapter was opened. . 
   .and hopefully there will be no one to spoil this new 
   spirit of togetherness as we join hands to build a new, 
   revitalized Zimbabwe." 
 
3.   Under headline "Journey without maps," the independent 
   weekly "The Financial Gazette" (04/18) comments: 
 
   ". . .But for all the seemingly business-as-usual 
   attitude adopted by Zimbabwe's leaders in the face of 
   widening international condemnation and isolation, it is 
   clear that the sanctions are beginning to have a telling 
   and that Mugabe and his officials are deeply worried 
   about the road ahead.  Nothing bears out the 
   government's worry more than its rabid response to the 
   sanctions because, if they were of no effect at all, 
   none of its members would bother even to respond.  And 
   yet despite this realization, Harare somehow seems to 
   think that it has the wherewithal to ride over the storm 
   of its isolation, in the same manner as former Rhodesian 
   premier Ian Smith hoped he would do in the turbulent 
   1960s and 1970s.  As Smith now knows only too well, a 
   vain attempt to defy the world over a clear injustice 
   has its price, and Rhodesia and Smith himself eventually 
   learnt this lesson to their grief.  It won't be 
   different now for Mugabe. . .As Zimbabwe today marks its 
   22 years of independence, is it not an irony that the 
   country is once again under international sanctions for 
   government-sponsored anarchy, as it was for several 
   years up to 1980?  Instead of withdrawing into a cul-de- 
   sac and hoping that normalcy will eventually return to 
   Zimbabwe, Mugabe and his advisers must get real and do 
   so quickly.  They need to acknowledge the deep-seated 
   grievances that their actions have caused and correct 
   these before it is too late.  Not even the half-backed 
   economic reforms led by agriculture, which the 
   government is toying around with, will ever work in a 
   climate of mayhem and international sanctions.  The 
   alternative to doing the right thing now is clear: 
   Mugabe and his government will face the same ignominious 
   exit as Smith did.  It could even be worse." 
 
4.   Under headline "Marking final victory over the 
   colonial 
   yoke," the government-controlled daily "The Herald" 
   (04/18) ran the following comment on page one: 
 
   "Although battered and bruised, Zimbabweans today 
   celebrate the final victory against the yoke of 
   colonialism and can now stand proud and tall as a truly 
   independent African nation. . .Despite 22 years of 
   independence, the ghost of colonialism was still 
   haunting the country and this spook was finally 
   exorcised in the March 9-11 presidential poll.  The 
   country has now truly come of age and will have to learn 
   to stand on its own feet.  The sanctions that are being 
   applied against Zimbabwe by mostly European countries 
   and the U. S. remove the safety guards the country 
   needed in its early years of independence.  While most 
   urbanites are reasonably concerned and scared at the 
   prospect of going it alone, we need to assure them that 
   this is the perfect opportunity for the country to dig 
   deep within itself and develop a truly Zimbabwean 
   economy that is owned and driven by its own people.  The 
   sanctions are indeed a blessing in disguise as they 
   serve as a test among ourselves to see whether we 
   qualify to be independent or not.  We have had 22 years 
   to learn the ropes of governance and business, it is now 
   time we started fending for ourselves. . . ." 
 
5.   Under headline "Little cause for cheer on Independence 
   Day," the independent daily "The Daily News" (04/18) 
   comments: 
 
   "Today, the government will reflect on its 22-year rule. 
   It would like everyone to believe that its achievements 
   are unparalleled, but that is not entirely true.  Its 
   gains were during the first decade of independence and 
   were in the areas of education and health.  However, 
   since the 1990s, there was a rapid erosion of those 
   gains that the losses now seem to outweigh the 
   achievements. . .Lest the people are bamboozled, those 
   attending the Independence celebrations today need to 
   see beyond the rhetoric and identify who is to blame for 
   the sorry state Zimbabwe finds itself in." 
 
WHITEHEAD