MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE: TIME TO DECIDE;

UNCLAS HARARE 000629 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 ZIMBABWE: TIME TO DECIDE; ¶1. ON THE FIRST DAY OF ZIMBABWE'S TWO-DAY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN ZIMBABWE, THE BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "CHRONICLE" CARRIED TWO EDITORIALS URGING VOTERS NOT TO VOTE FOR OPPOSITION MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI. EXCERPTS FOLLOW: ¶2. UNDER HEADLINE "VOTE AGAINST NEO-COLONIALISM," THE PAPER COMMENTS: ". . .IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE SOIL STAND UP AND WITH ONE VOICE TELL BRITAIN'S TONY BLAIR AND GEORGE W. BUSH OF AMERICA TO MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS BY VOTING FOR THE RULING PARTY CANDIDATE, ROBERT MUGABE. ANYTHING SHORT OF THIS WILL BE A SURRENDER OF OUR HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY TO OUR FORMER COLONIAL MASTER BRITAIN, WHICH HAS FIELDED MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI. OUR EMPHATIC VOTE SHOULD SEND AN EFFECTIVE MESSAGE TO THE BRITISH AND THE AMERICANS THAT ZIMBABWE IS NOT FOR SALE. . . IF WE MESS UP BY VOTING FOR NEO-COLONIALISM, THEN WE WOULD HAVE COMMITTED THE MAJORITY OF ZIMBABWEANS WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE TO DECADES OF DENIGRATION. GIVING AWAY OUR SOVEREIGNTY WILL BE DERELICTION OF DUTY AND A BETRAYAL OF THE TRUST BESTOWED ON US BY OUR CHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. . . WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW POLITICS OF THE STOMACH OR PROTESTS BASED ON SOME HISTORICAL INCIDENTS TO GUIDE OUR DECISION TO VOTE FOR UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 00629 091350Z SERVITUDE. . . LET US DEFEND OUR INDEPENDENCE BY VOTING FOR LAND, UNITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY." ¶3. UNDER HEADLINE "LET'S BURY TSVANGIRAI," THE SECOND EDITORIAL READS: ". . .THE FACT THAT MR. TSVANGIRAI VIGOROUSLY CAMPAIGNED FOR SANCTIONS AND POWER BLACKOUTS, SOMETHING THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE ORDINARY MAN IN THE STREET AT A TIME WHEN THE ELECTORATE IS BATTLING WITH ARTIFICIAL SHORTAGES, SHOWS HOW SUCH A MAN SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED TO RUN THE COUNTRY. . . WHEN ZIMBABWE WAS TAKEN AWAY BY WHITES, IT IS THE OPEN HAND THAT GAVE IT AWAY. NOW THE FIST SHOULD TAKE IT BACK. BY VOTING FOR OUR SOVEREIGNTY WE ARE SHOWING THE WORLD THAT WE ARE TRULY AND REALLY INDEPENDENT. LET'S BURY MR. TSVANGIRAI AND HIS MOVEMENT FOR DESTRUCTIVE CRIMINALS BEFORE THEY DESTROY US ALL." SULLIVAN UNCLASSIFIED >