US embassy cable - 03HARARE1113

UNCLAS HARARE 001113 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS AND AF/S RAYNOR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION MASS ACTION IN ZIM; HARARE 
 
  1.   Editorials in the mainstream media remain sharply 
      divided over the implications of the week-long 
      national protests organized by the opposition 
      Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) to pressure 
      Robert Mugabe to the negotiating table.  While the 
      independent media is hailing the five-day strike, 
      which began on June 2 by completely shutting down 
      all commercial and industrial activity in Harare and 
      other major cities, as a welcome move to show the 
      country's displeasure at Robert Mugabe's leadership, 
      the government-controlled press continues to clamor 
      for the incarceration of MDC leader Morgan 
      Tsvangirai.  Editorial excerpts follow: 
 
  2.   Under headline "The people's loud and clear voice" the 
      independent daily "The Daily News" (06/03) comments: 
 
      ". . .But the stunning shutdown of the entire 
      nation, with the capital Harare eerily deserted and 
      resembling a ghost town, dramatically and 
      graphically underlined who now calls the shots in 
      the power stakes in Zimbabwe.  The overwhelming 
      response of Zimbabweans to stay put at home after 
      dire threats from the government that it would crush 
      the protests showed that, while the administration 
      had possibly won this phase of the battle, it had 
      significantly lost the war.  The nationwide shutdown 
      dramatized in no uncertain terms. . .that the people 
      will no longer be cowed and that people power is now 
      on the ascendancy. . .All signals point to one 
      certainty: freedom is coming tomorrow." 
 
  3.   Under headline "Tsvangirai must face full wrath of 
      law" the government-controlled daily "The Herald" (06/03) 
      comments: 
 
       "It is Julius Caesar who is famed for saying, `If 
       you must break the law do it once to seize power. 
       Otherwise you must obey it.'  The MDC leader, Morgan 
       Tsvangirai, and his supporters followed Caesar's 
       advice and broke the law yesterday but failed to 
       seize power.  They now face the full wrath of the 
       law. . .According to the MDC, this was a make-or- 
       break demonstration and its gamble has fallen flat 
       on its face as the ZANU-PF government has clearly 
       shown that it has both the might and the will to 
       resist such silly machinations. . .As we have stated 
       before, no amount of force will stop a genuine 
       uprising by the majority of the people against any 
       government if there was a real 
       cause. . .It is, therefore, important for Tsvangirai 
       to note that he cannot manufacture an uprising and 
       no amount of money can buy him the people's support. 
       This is why his paid demonstrators could not stand- 
       up to their convictions when confronted by the law 
       enforcement agents. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN