Is Morgan Tsvangirai an idiot?

Ok before you flame me for calling Tsvangirai an idiot, hear me out.

How many chances will this guy give Mugabe?

Here's the latest news regarding Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe's opposition leader said he is due to hold talks with President Robert Mugabe "within this coming week" to try to resolve the political crisis. Morgan Tsvangirai said he was returning to Zimbabwe for the first time in two months, and said he was still committed to an "inclusive" government.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Here's a bit of a time line for reference:

In 1999 Tsvangirai founded and organised the Movement for Democratic Change, an opposition party opposed to President Robert Mugabe and the ZANU-PF ruling party. He helped to defeat the February 2000 constitutional referendum, successfully campaigning against it along with the National Constitutional Assembly. Tsvangirai lost the March 2002 presidential election to Mugabe. The election provoked widespread allegations that Mugabe had rigged the election through the use of violence, media bias, and manipulation of the voters' roll leading to abnormally high pro-Mugabe turnout in some areas.

October 2000 arrest

Tsvangirai was arrested after the government alleged that he had threatened President Robert Mugabe. The Movement for Democratic Change leader had told 40,000 supporters at a rally in Harare that if Mr Mugabe did not want to step down before the next elections scheduled for 2002 "we will remove you violently." However, Tsvangirai said that he was giving a warning to President Mugabe to consider history. "There is a long line of dictators who have refused to go peacefully — and the people have removed them violently," he said. The courts dismissed the charges.

June 2003 arrest

In May, 2003 Tsvangirai was arrested on a Friday afternoon shortly after giving a press conference, the government alleged he had incited violence. In the press conference he had said:
From Monday, 2 June, up to today, 6 June, Mugabe was not in charge of this country. He was busy marshaling his forces of repression against the sovereign will of the people of Zimbabwe. However, even in the context of the brutalities inflicted upon them, the people's spirit of resistance was not broken. The sound of gunfire will never silence their demand for change and freedom.

Things seemed to cool down for 4 years until March 2007 where he again was arrested and severely beaten, then released not long after. Only to be arrested AGAIN just before he was due to hold a press conference with the media about recent political violence in the country.

According to lawyer Tendai Biti, the Secretary-General of the MDC and an MP for Harare East, who was arrested along with Tsvangirai, Tsvangirai suffered a cracked skull and "must have passed out at least three times." Tsvangirai was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at a local hospital.[19] Reports from BBC News indicate that Tsvangirai suffered from a fractured skull and received blood transfusions for internal bleeding. Although the incident was a clear case of political violence ordered by Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai has since had very little political support from surrounding African countries.

After his bodyguard got murdered and an assassination attempt on Mr Tsvangirai was discovered, he again was arrested days before the 2008 elections, it's believed it was a ploy to disrupt his campaign.

It may have worked:

On 22 June 2008, Tsvangirai announced at a press conference that he was withdrawing from the run-off, describing it as a "violent sham" and saying that his supporters risked being killed if they voted for him. He vowed that the MDC would ultimately prevail and that its victory could "only be delayed."[61]. Shortly after making this announcement, Mr Tsvangirai sought refuge at the Dutch Embassy in Harare, citing concerns for his safety. He did not seek political asylum

________________________________________________________________

Finally Tsvangirai and Mugabe met in talks and negotiated a deal:

On 15 September 2008, the leaders of the 14-member Southern African Development Community witnessed the signing of the power-sharing agreement, brokered by South African leader Thabo Mbeki. With symbolic handshake and warm smiles at the Rainbow Towers hotel, in Harare, Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed the deal to end violent political crisis provides. As provided, Robert Mugabe will remain president, Morgan Tsvangirai will become prime minister, [70] the MDC will control the police, Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) will command the Army, and Arthur Mutambara becomes deputy prime minister.[

this agreement hasn't worked out well though, which takes us to the article at the top of the page.


Why then, after nearly 10 years of Mugabe's dictatorship, does this man still want to have anything to do with Mugabe?


Morgan Tsvangirai is either very brave, very stupid, or both.

Whatever he is I admire his tenacity.






en.wikipedia.org...

I would of loved to be a fly on the wall when Mugabe 'arrested' Morgan Tsvangirai during the presidential election.

My guess is that they brokered the deal during that time. Also I have thought recently about this what if Morgan Tsvangirai is a set up by the powers that be and indeed that mugabe and morgan get on like a house on fire.

Like Bush and Bin laden

Those articles quoted, only fuel my conspirative thinking, what better way to throw people off the scent and keep them dumbed down than to publish propaganda.

[edit on 15-1-2009 by franspeakfree]

Originally posted by franspeakfree
I would of loved to be a fly on the wall when Mugabe 'arrested' Morgan Tsvangirai during the presidential election.

My guess is that they brokered the deal during that time. Also I have thought recently about this what if Morgan Tsvangirai is a set up by the powers that be and indeed that mugabe and morgan get on like a house on fire.

Like Bush and Bin laden

I'm doubtful, getting a cracked skull and a blood transfusion seems quite extreme for 'buddies' even ones pretending to be enemies.


I can understand why he's doing it, for the people of Zimbabwe, but if there is ever a time for an assassination of Mugabe, this surely is it.

Originally posted by Chadwickus

Originally posted by franspeakfree
I would of loved to be a fly on the wall when Mugabe 'arrested' Morgan Tsvangirai during the presidential election.

My guess is that they brokered the deal during that time. Also I have thought recently about this what if Morgan Tsvangirai is a set up by the powers that be and indeed that mugabe and morgan get on like a house on fire.

Like Bush and Bin laden

I'm doubtful, getting a cracked skull and a blood transfusion seems quite extreme for 'buddies' even ones pretending to be enemies.


I can understand why he's doing it, for the people of Zimbabwe, but if there is ever a time for an assassination of Mugabe, this surely is it.

But like Bin ladens recent identity, I haven't seen him for myself therefore I am only going by what I read or hear on the news and thus my friend is the rub. Propaganda at its best.

I wonder how much land has been given out in order to make sure this partnership stays and keeps magabe in power. I wonder why the UN didn't inervene when the atrocities started.....I wonder?

What could Zimbabwe possibly have that the west needs? Why would the USA spend millions of $$$ keeping an eye on zimbabwe?

[edit on 15-1-2009 by franspeakfree]

reply to post by franspeakfree


Well there has been mass international outcry regarding the whole situation.

Why the UN hasn't intervened is unusual indeed.

Bit of an update, the UK are keeping the squeeze on Mugabi by maintaining sanctions on Zimbabwe despite the AU (African Union) calling for them to be lifted.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Finally, Tsvangirai becomes Prime Minister.

Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been sworn in as prime minister in a unity government with President Robert Mugabe.
Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of last year's presidential election - but he withdrew from the run-off, citing violence against his supporters.

However he later agreed to share power with Mr Mugabe.
In a speech after his inauguration, Mr Tsvangirai called for an end to human rights abuses and political violence.
He also pledged to do all in his power to help alleviate the suffering of Zimbabweans.

I honestly don't see how long this will last.
Mugabe won't like releasing his strangle hold on Zimbabwe at all, but god do they need help the figures are saddening.

90% unemployment
Cholera epidemic
Last estimate of 231m% inflation rate, they stopped publishing because it kept rising so much
Half the population (6,445,500 people) are living on emergency food aid

It's hard to believe one man can destroy an entire country.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by franspeakfree

 

Well there has been mass international outcry regarding the whole situation.

Why the UN hasn't intervened is unusual indeed.

It's not "unusual" as anything connected to Britain regarding Zimbabwe is going to be incredibly tricky. Mugabe has sold the idea that the British are plotting and scheming to 'take back' Zimbabwe to the general public for decades. You can see how 'the British are coming' mentality gets so readily engrained on to a country's psyche by looking at the U.S. where they still cling to their guns 200 years later in case another 'Britain' comes along.

If Britain or an organisation that Britain is part of gets directly involved with Zimbabwe, then it fulfills Mugabe's prophetic scaremongering.

reply to post by Merriman Weir


Good point

I guess that's why the rest of the African hasn't intervened either.

They're caught up in Mugabe's fear mongering as well.

Another assasination attempt?
news.bbc.co.uk...

Meanwhile Morgan Tsvangirai has gone to Botswana for medical treatment and rest here

Is the care in Zimbabwe that bad? or is there a more sinister reason...

reply to post by budski


I wouldn't trust the hospital system there, Mugabe is still denying there is a cholera epidemic there.

I can't imagine how Tsvangirai must feel, so many lows dotted with a couple small highs, his tenacity is to be commended.