Cablegate: Media Reaction Call for Political Party

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

200832Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ8052

PAGE 01 HARARE 00727 200846Z
ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 LAB-01 VCE-00
AC-01 NSAE-00 ACE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00
DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W
------------------77D25A 200847Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1273
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000727

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI
FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION CALL FOR POLITICAL PARTY
TOLERANCE IN ZIM; HARARE

1. UNDER HEADLINE "NEW POLITICAL CULTURE OVERDUE,"
THE
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE HERALD" USED ITS
MARCH 20 EDITORIAL TO CALL ON THE TWO MAJOR
POLITICAL PARTIES - ZANU PF AND MDC - IN ZIMBABWE
TO CO-EXIST, SAYING THE PARTIES " HAVE TO LEARN TO
LIVE TOGETHER, ARGUE TOGETHER AND OPPOSE EACH OTHER
IN A WAY THAT BUILDS ZIMBABWE." EXCERPTS:

2. ". . .ZIMBABWE IS LONG OVERDUE FOR A CHANGE IN THE
WAY IT REGARDS POLITICS. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THE
COUNTRY HAS LIVED WITH A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM. YET THERE
ARE FAR TOO MANY REMNANTS OF A CULTURE WHERE THERE WAS
JUST ONE DOMINANT PARTY AND A BUNCH OF HAS-BEENS
PROVIDING A TRIVIAL OPPOSITION. REGRETTABLY, THE
INHERITED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT FROM THE COLONIAL DAYS
WAS ALSO BUILT AROUND THE IDEA OF A MONOLITHIC RULING
PARTY. . .

"THE FIRST CONCEPT WE NEED TO INTRODUCE INTO A NEW
POLITICAL CULTURE IS THAT THE OTHER PARTY IS NOT
THE ENEMY. THE OTHER PARTY MIGHT BE WRONG, IT
MIGHT EVEN BE PIGHEADED, BUT IT IS STILL PART OF
ZIMBABWE AND HAS TO BE REGARDED AS SUCH. PARTIES
CAN OPPOSE EACH OTHER, AND DO SO VIGOROUSLY, BUT
THEIR AIM SHOULD NOT BE TO DESTROY EACH OTHER. THE
SECOND THING WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IS THAT THE DAYS OF
A MONOLITHIC PARTY ARE GONE, FOREVER. . .

"IN SHORT, TALKS BETWEEN ZANU PF AND THE MDC SHOULD
NOT DWELL TOO MUCH ON TRYING TO FIND COMMON GROUND
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HARARE 00727 200846Z
IN POLICY. THEY DIFFER TOO MUCH. ONE OR THE OTHER
WOULD HAVE TO SELL OUT IN ITS CORE BELIEFS. BUT
PARTIES SHOULD HELP CREATE AND SUSTAIN A NEW
POLITICAL CULTURE THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE
REALITY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE HAVE TWO LARGE, WELL-
SUPPORTED PARTIES LED BY THE ONLY TWO MEN EVER TO
WIN MORE THAN 1 MILLION VOTES IN A ZIMBABWEAN
ELECTION. WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER, ARGUE
TOGETHER AND OPPOSE EACH OTHER IN A WAY THAT BUILDS
ZIMBABWE. THAT IS THE CHALLENGE."

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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