Zimbabwe: Resignation of President Mugabe
Power, they say corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. At long last the people of Zimbabwe have said good bye to Robert Gabriel Mugabe, their President who ruled them for 37 years and welcomed to the throne his then Vice President and Chief Strategist Emmerson Mnangagwa. But for the love of a woman and inordinate quest for power, Mr. Mugabe would have still been enjoying his Presidency. Sacking his Vice President ostensibly to bring in his wife, Grace to take over from him was the rod that broke the camel`s back. At age 93, Mr. Mugabe needed nobody to tell him that he should have quit when the applause was loudest but he allowed greed and lust for power to goad him on. At the end of it all, even his own party, Zanu PF and his war veterans deserted him and passed a vote of no confidence in him. The jubilation that greeted his resignation is enough to tell Mr. Mugabe that all that glitters is not gold.
Simply put, Mr. Mugabe reduced himself to the likes of Yahaya Jammeh of Gambia and resigned only when threatened with impeachment. We agree Mr. Mugabe deserves tons of praise for his Pan Africanist stance and his role in the liberation struggle but he allowed indecision and nepotism to erode all these attributes. The Zimbabwe military equally deserves commendation for the way they handled the takeover. There is no doubt they handled good old Mugabe graciously. This is a far cry from what happens in other African countries in the event of a coup d’état.
In life no human being is indispensable and no one is a repository of knowledge. That is why we hope the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa will adequately measure up to the task and sail the ship of state to safe shore. We expect him to tackle the country’s economy which most analysts say is in tatters. With respect to Mr Mugabe any attempt by the new President to exact vengeance will not be the best. It is good Mr Mugabe has been indemnified against prosecution. To the jubilant and expectant Zimbabweans, they must tone down their expectations and join forces with the new President to rebuild the nation.
The country no doubt has enough resources which can be tapped to turn things around. With the experience of countries like Libya and Iraq at hind sight, we urge Zimbabweans not to be over optimistic of an instant economic turn-around. It is unfortunate Mr Mnangagwa has started raising hopes with the promises of jobs when he is yet to know what is in the kitty. Now that Mr Mugabe is off the scene, the Bretton Wood Institutions must lift every economic embargo on Zimbabwe and support that country to resuscitate its economy. As a country with one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, we expect Zimbabwe to overcome all its challenges to spring back to the limelight. Developments in Zimbabwe must be an eye opener to other Africa leaders who see the Presidency as their personal property and would wish to hang on to power even when they have outlived their hospitality.
As we say goodbye to Mr Mugabe and welcome Mr Mnangagwa known in political circles as the crocodile to the seat, we wish the two personalities all the best in their endeavours.
BY JUSTICE MINGLE, A JOURNALIST
Simply put, Mr. Mugabe reduced himself to the likes of Yahaya Jammeh of Gambia and resigned only when threatened with impeachment. We agree Mr. Mugabe deserves tons of praise for his Pan Africanist stance and his role in the liberation struggle but he allowed indecision and nepotism to erode all these attributes. The Zimbabwe military equally deserves commendation for the way they handled the takeover. There is no doubt they handled good old Mugabe graciously. This is a far cry from what happens in other African countries in the event of a coup d’état.
In life no human being is indispensable and no one is a repository of knowledge. That is why we hope the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa will adequately measure up to the task and sail the ship of state to safe shore. We expect him to tackle the country’s economy which most analysts say is in tatters. With respect to Mr Mugabe any attempt by the new President to exact vengeance will not be the best. It is good Mr Mugabe has been indemnified against prosecution. To the jubilant and expectant Zimbabweans, they must tone down their expectations and join forces with the new President to rebuild the nation.
The country no doubt has enough resources which can be tapped to turn things around. With the experience of countries like Libya and Iraq at hind sight, we urge Zimbabweans not to be over optimistic of an instant economic turn-around. It is unfortunate Mr Mnangagwa has started raising hopes with the promises of jobs when he is yet to know what is in the kitty. Now that Mr Mugabe is off the scene, the Bretton Wood Institutions must lift every economic embargo on Zimbabwe and support that country to resuscitate its economy. As a country with one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, we expect Zimbabwe to overcome all its challenges to spring back to the limelight. Developments in Zimbabwe must be an eye opener to other Africa leaders who see the Presidency as their personal property and would wish to hang on to power even when they have outlived their hospitality.
As we say goodbye to Mr Mugabe and welcome Mr Mnangagwa known in political circles as the crocodile to the seat, we wish the two personalities all the best in their endeavours.
BY JUSTICE MINGLE, A JOURNALIST
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