MEDIA REACTION CALL FOR POLITICAL PARTY

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 >