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Take Wikileaks Revelations On Political Violence SeriouslyOct 08, 2011 (The Herald/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- WHILE the WikiLeaks cables have implicated personalities across the political divide, one notable distinction is that on one hand there were people who held conspiratorial conversations with US envoys debating what they thought were forbidden topics in their parties; these are mainly from Zanu-PF, while on the other hand there were cables that exposed criminal or even treasonous activities, mainly from the MDC side. We urge our security agencies, especially the police to take these cables seriously as they may prove invaluable in unlocking some of the unsolved cases of violence visited on the innocent over the past 10 years. On Tuesday, we carried a revealing story based on leaked US diplomatic cables that revealed that the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC planned attacks that rocked Harare and other urban centres ahead of the 2008 harmonised elections. The bomb attacks, which led to the arrest of MDC functionaries, targeted police stations, military bases, shops and fuel stations owned by Zanu-PF members. According to the leaked diplomatic cables, an MDC-T regional co-ordinator for security told the US Embassy in Harare that the attacks were meant to force Government into an early election. Among the targets that were petrol-bombed were police stations in Unit N, Chitungwiza, Nehanda in Gweru, Marimba in Harare and Sakubva in Mutare. The attacks also targeted a house in Seke, a supermarket and night club in Warren Park D, the Zanu-PF Mbare district office and a Bulawayo-bound passenger train carrying 750 people. All in all, according to the cables, MDC-T saboteurs intended to hit 41 police stations and businesses owned by Zanu-PF members and/or supporters. The cables could not have come at a better time given the MDC-T leadership's attempt to try to blame their Zanu-PF counterparts for all cases of political violence when it takes two to tango. In fact, in the GPA that paved way for the inclusive Government the leadership of the three main political parties admitted culpability in the 2008 pre- and post-election violence. That is, they admitted that it takes two to tango and pledged to work to foster an environment of political tolerance in their parties' rank and file. On his part President Mugabe has been preaching the gospel of peace at every opportunity though his MDC-T opposite has been found wanting. We are reminded of Mr Tsvangirai's infamous outburst during the MDC's first anniversary celebrations at Rufaro Stadium in September 2000 when he threatened to violently unseat President Mugabe, and many other instances over the years. Not surprisingly, Mr Tsvangirai's party has been rocked by internecine violence that has implicated Mr Tsvangirai himself on a number of occasions, culminating in the split of October 12 2005. We challenge the MDC-T leader to take up President Mugabe's gospel of peace and preach it to his supporters, many of whom have been implicated in acts of violence throughout the country. President Mugabe, as we report elsewhere in this issue, is on record calling on fellow principals to the Global Political Agreement to organise high-level seating of the leadership of their parties to send a message to the grassroots that it is possible to differ amicably. We are, however, under no illusion that what the MDC-T was planning were not skirmishes with rival party supporters but systematic terror attacks aimed at destroying livelihoods and taking lives. These are seriously revelations that bid our security forces to investigate all those named in the cables and to re-open files on some unsolved cases. And as we countdown to national elections likely to be held in the first quarter of next year, we urge vigilance on the part of our security forces. The same misfits that planned the 2008 terror campaign may still be hell-bent on creating self-fulfilling prophecies to discredit the poll in the event they lose, as they are most likely to. Meanwhile, we urge all those who swallowed the MDC-T's rhetoric of peaceful engagement to see the party for what it really is - a regime change outfit determined to grab power at any cost even if it means bombing and killing innocent people. We hope the party walks its mantra of change, change to peaceful co-existence. |