IF there is one story that has been continuously told but without fully unravelling the real issues, it is the ever intrusive hand of the US in the affairs of strong nations like Zimbabwe.
The whole American, and indeed the rest of the Western world’s, narrative has revolved around the perpetually embattled opposition MDC-T being the focal point of the regime change agenda — but the issue goes deeper than that.
There is a blueprint of what Zimbabwe and Africa should be.
There is a system of governance that Zimbabwe should follow and for Uncle Sam it no longer matters who constitutes that Government.
It is about entrenched American interests and the first one to sell his/her soul whether from ZANU PF or MDC-T is what the self-proclaimed global superpower would embrace.
In order for the regime change project to gain traction among Zimbabweans, America has been utilising ‘re-engagement’ as an entry point to their infiltration exercise.
Last week, and evidently disappointed by the slow pace of infiltration, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Carol O’Connel, publicly made her country’s anger known when she demanded a raft of political and economic reforms ahead of next year’s general elections.
“The relationship with the Zimbabwean Government is part of the reason I am here,” she said.
“We are not trying to vet specific individuals from Zimbabwe, but we are looking to the Zimbabwean leadership and government to make certain political and economic changes so that we can work robustly.”
The said political and economic changes mantra is a prime example of the hypocrisy of US policy vis-a-vis Zimbabwe, touting it as a victory for democracy while concealing the obvious fact that it wants the creation of a puppet regime in this country.
The elections which will be won by ZANU PF do not provide that easy avenue to the establishment of a puppet regime for the US.
What the US wants in Zimbabwe is a divided nation, a country devoid of its historical narrative.
If the purpose of democracy is to create forms of governance accountable to the citizenry and to establish a Government truly representative of the people’s desires, then it would be an outright lie to claim that there is no democracy and respect for human rights in the country.
We have, since 1980, practised democracy through elections which are underpinned by the Government’s economic empowerment programmes.
These are the programmes that have created a solid economic base of well over
400 000 families and many more indigenous players.
Despite these compelling facts, the economy is battered by a raft of punitive measures.
ZANU PF is accused of ‘stealing’ elections when it has a huge support base.
The Americans have long realised that elections can never bring to power their preferred Government hence their decision to cut ties with the opposition.
That leaves infiltration of ZANU PF as the only viable option for them.
“We have been meeting with Government and other leaders, but I must say we are not looking at stopping Zimbabweans from travelling to the US,” said O’Connel.
“We are not happy with the political and human rights situation, but hope there will be changes. We have hope that there will be a peaceful environment in the pre and post-election period.”
Come elections next year, the Americans will wail louder than the bereaved MDC-T.
Successive American governments have failed in their mission to oust President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF Party because of miscalculations.
The problem with the US, the West and those who support them is that they underestimate Zimbabweans.
Former US Ambassador to Harare, Christopher Dell, made the same mistake during his stay in Harare in July 2007.
“Robert Mugabe has survived for so long because he is more clever and more ruthless than any other politician in Zimbabwe,” Dell wrote in a leaked cable.
“To give the devil his due, he is a brilliant tactician and has long thrived on his ability to abruptly change the rules of the game, radicalise the political dynamic and force everyone else to react to his agenda.”
Entitled ‘The End is Nigh’, Dell’s cable was wrong in predicting that President Mugabe would soon lose power because of the country’s economic collapse, Zimbabweans simply knew the cause of their economic malaise and were not about to surrender their heritage because of the West’s madness.
Yet Zimbabwe was in the middle of a calamitous economic challenges that many observers thought would bring about President Mugabe’s downfall.
Even now as O’Connel, the MDC-T, the media and everyone who hates Zimbabwe try to draw parallels between the 2008 crisis and the current cash shortages, the people of this country know the truth and the truth is what has led and guided them thus far.
The US can harp about human rights and democracy or any other sweet sounding epithet but we all know that they have nothing to do with promoting democratic principles — it is about imposing on us alien politics.
Let those with ears listen.