Zim’s caustic apologist for repression changes his tune

JOHANNESBURG – A politician who engineered and defended some of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s most repressive policies has changed his tune, and now predicts chaos if Mugabe isn’t ousted.

Jonathan Moyo, the hardline information minister fired in February for opposing Mugabe’s choice for deputy president, now gives interviews and writes internet columns that attack Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party while portraying himself as a dedicated reformer and champion of democracy. “If this was a proper functioning democracy this government would have been kicked out long ago,” Moyo said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.”We will not see improvement as long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF are in power.”Critics charge that Moyo is not a leopard that changed its spots, but one that would have you believe it never had any to begin with.They scoff at his claims he sought to reform the ruling party from within.He is remembered as the man who destroyed freedom of the press.A hardline member of Mugabe’s inner circle, a member of the Zanu-PF politburo who was the architect of Zimbabwe’s draconian media law and a force behind repressive new security laws that outlawed basic freedoms of association and speech.Moyo, a former academic, was always a strident and caustic defender of Mugabe.When then US Secretary of State Colin Powell talked about tyranny in Zimbabwe, Moyo called him “an Uncle Tom” and an “ordinary liar”.As information minister, critics say he ordered the arrest of journalists critical of the government and the expulsion of foreign correspondents.He closed independent newspapers and broadcasters, at times in clear defiance of court orders.Human rights groups and the Independent Mass Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe said much of the propaganda carried by state media on Moyo’s orders incited hatred and prejudice against government critics, the main opposition party, whites and other minorities.Moyo and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa who were behind Zimbabwe’s repressive media and security laws, Lovemore Madhuku, the chairman of the Broad Alliance, a broad coalition of civil society and opposition groups, said in a telephone interview Friday.”It is an insult to all of us that he should try to deny that he was part of the system,” Madhuku said.But Moyo does deny it, claiming he was among a growing number of people within the ruling party pushing for reform and democracy.”I have always been a critic of government policy.I was in government for more than five years.Before that I was a critic.Within the government I was a critic, pushing for reform and always at odds with power brokers within the party,” said Moyo.Madhuku said Moyo was talking nonsense and was a key part of a repressive system.”There is no group of reformers within Zanu-PF.If there was, they would have shown their true colours by now,” said Madhuku.During parliamentary elections in March, Moyo won a seat, becoming the only independent member of the legislature.He now calls for a “third way”, which he said will be a new party that can ensure good governance and prosperity.Zimbabwe, he argues, is not a country about to fail.It is a country that has failed, led by a president he calls clueless and a party he calls corrupt, inept and too full of deadwood to generate new policy or ideas.”Zimbabweans are going through the worst crisis in memory,” Moyo said.”No one is living today who can remember life as difficult as it is now.We have 80 percent of the people living below the poverty line, 75 per cent unemployment and three-digit inflation.”If Mugabe stays in power, Moyo predicted the country would descend into total chaos and revolt with blood flowing in the streets.Moyo refused to say whether he thought Mugabe or the ruling party had stolen recent elections, saying the matter was before the courts.But he said the party has been using food aid as a political weapon, something he vehemently denied as information minister.He also admitted that during his time in government that Zimbabwe had abandoned the rule of law, selectively applying the law for the ruling party’s own ends and obeying the courts only when it served its purpose.Whether elections were rigged or not, Moyo argues that Mugabe has lost all political legitimacy.”Whatever mandate he got he squandered, he absolutely squandered it,” said Moyo.Madhuku scoffed at Moyo’s call for a new party, saying Zimbabweans remember who he was and what he did in government.”What he did was so dangerous to our democracy.He pushed us backwards,” said Madhuku.”If it was not for the things he did, we would be ahead of where we are today.”- Nampa-AP”If this was a proper functioning democracy this government would have been kicked out long ago,” Moyo said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.”We will not see improvement as long as Mugabe and Zanu-PF are in power.”Critics charge that Moyo is not a leopard that changed its spots, but one that would have you believe it never had any to begin with.They scoff at his claims he sought to reform the ruling party from within.He is remembered as the man who destroyed freedom of the press.A hardline member of Mugabe’s inner circle, a member of the Zanu-PF politburo who was the architect of Zimbabwe’s draconian media law and a force behind repressive new security laws that outlawed basic freedoms of association and speech.Moyo, a former academic, was always a strident and caustic defender of Mugabe.When then US Secretary of State Colin Powell talked about tyranny in Zimbabwe, Moyo called him “an Uncle Tom” and an “ordinary liar”.As information minister, critics say he ordered the arrest of journalists critical of the government and the expulsion of foreign correspondents.He closed independent newspapers and broadcasters, at times in clear defiance of court orders.Human rights groups and the Independent Mass Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe said much of the propaganda carried by state media on Moyo’s orders incited hatred and prejudice against government critics, the main opposition party, whites and other minorities.Moyo and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa who were behind Zimbabwe’s repressive media and security laws, Lovemore Madhuku, the chairman of the Broad Alliance, a broad coalition of civil society and opposition groups, said in a telephone interview Friday.”It is an insult to all of us that he should try to deny that he was part of the system,” Madhuku said.But Moyo does deny it, claiming he was among a growing number of people within the ruling party pushing for reform and democracy.”I have always been a critic of government policy.I was in government for more than five years.Before that I was a critic.Within the government I was a critic, pushing for reform and always at odds with power brokers within the party,” said Moyo.Madhuku said Moyo was talking nonsense and was a key part of a repressive system.”There is no group of reformers within Zanu-PF.If there was, they would have shown their true colours by now,” said Madhuku.During parliamentary elections in March, Moyo won a seat, becoming the only independent member of the legislature.He now calls for a “third way”, which he said will be a new party that can ensure good governance and prosperity.Zimbabwe, he argues, is not a country about to fail.It is a country that has failed, led by a president he calls clueless and a party he calls corrupt, inept and too full of deadwood to generate new policy or ideas.”Zimbabweans are going through the worst crisis in memory,” Moyo said.”No one is living today who can remember life as difficult as it is now.We have 80 percent of the people living below the poverty line, 75 per cent unemployment and three-digit inflation.”If Mugabe stays in power, Moyo predicted the country would descend into total chaos and revolt with blood flowing in the streets.Moyo refused to say whether he thought Mugabe or the ruling party had stolen recent elections, saying the matter was before the courts.But he said the party has been using food aid as a political weapon, something he vehemently denied as information minister.He also admitted that during his time in government that Zimbabwe had abandoned the rule of law, selectively applying the law for the ruling party’s own ends and obeying the courts only when it served its purpose.Whether elections were rigged or not, Moyo argues that Mugabe has lost all political legitimacy.”Whatever mandate he got he squandered, he absolutely squandered it,” said Moyo.Madhuku scoffed at Moyo’s call for a new party, saying Zimbabweans remember who he was and what he did in government.”What he did was so dangerous to our democracy.He pushed us backwards,” said Madhuku.”If it was not for the things he did, we would be ahead of where we are today.”- Nampa-AP