Commentary

Mugabe Wins Again

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president and thug-in-chief, signed
what is being billed as a historic power-sharing agreement with
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mugabe has been ruling his impoverished nation since 1980, with
one hand smashing all opposition, and the other busy looting the
citizenry. Mugabe has blamed meddling by the UK, its former
colonial master, Europe and the United States for the misery he
and his criminal Zanu-PF party inflicted on Zimbabwe.

Morgan Tsvangirai heads the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), the main opposition party and the only real thorn in
Mugabe’s side. Tsvangari and his followers have been repeatedly
beaten and jailed for having the audacity to run against the
Zanu-PF machine.

Tsvangirai actually defeated Mugabe in the first round of presidential
elections in March, gaining more votes, but, according to officials, he
did not cross the 50 percent threshold. Tsvangirai’s supporters in the
MDC were mercilessly harassed, assaulted and imprisoned preceding
the runoff election, forcing him to withdraw his name from the ballot.
Mugabe ran unopposed and has held on to power despite international
outrage and continued sanctions.

But, he was losing friends fast. Even the African Union (AU)
was getting tired of his act. The end was getting near for the
aging tyrant, and he knew that he would have to cut a deal with
Tsvangirai sooner rather than later. Power-sharing talks started in
July, and according to the BBC, a breakthrough came late last week
with the help of South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Supposedly, this is an equal division of power. The BBC explained
that Mugabe will remain head of state and in charge of the cabinet, and
Tsvangirai will run the day-to-day affairs as head of the council of
ministers.

In my opinion, Mugabe pulled another fast one on the opposition,
his neighbors, and the international community, managing to
cling to power and avoid justice one last time. After almost thirty
years of violent misrule, he and his Zanu-PF cronies have left a once
prosperous nation starving and on the verge of complete ruin. The only
thing he should share is a prison cell for his countless crimes against
humanity.

© 2008 Splendid Marbles.