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Ahah, not so fast, Mr Donnelly ! WHEN the former British High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, Mr Peter Longworth, went to bid farewell to President Mugabe on June 28 2001, he was told in no uncertain terms that: "We are not pleading to continue to be friends of Britain if Britain doesn�t want that friendship anymore." Earlier on, President Mugabe had greeted Mr Longworth saying: "Hello, Mr British Empire" and as they sat down for the farewell meeting. The President added: "So you are leaving before we have concluded the quarrel you started?" A startled Mr Longworth could only chuckle and say: "So I am told," a clear sign that "Mr British Empire" had been taken aback by President Mugabe�s remarks. Now last week, the former British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Sir Brian Donnelly, also known as "an intelligence officer in uniform" who replaced Mr Longworth and had been posted to Zimbabwe to conduct a "Milosevic", decided that he could not come face to face with President Mugabe after a gruelling and unforgettable three years in the country. In a true spy style, the disgraced, disappointed and deflated British diplomat sneaked out of the country on July 17 2004 without bidding farewell to President Mugabe and the Government as per diplomatic protocol. According to diplomatic etiquette, ambassadors present their credentials when they are posted to a country and bid farewell by way of a courtesy call when they complete their term of office. Of course, as expected, the British Embassy in Harare tried to play the usual tricks of denying the obvious, but their explanation fooled nobody. But let�s just imagine that the embarrassed diplomat had gathered British courage to bid farewell to Zimbabwe, how was President Mugabe likely to greet Sir Brian and what message was he likely to give to the departing diplomat to deliver to Tony Blair down at Number 10 Downing Street? "Hello, Mr Defeated British Empire. So you are leaving before conducting that �Milosevic� here? As you have seen Zimbabwe is not Yugoslavia." And a visibly shaken Sir Brian would grin and say: "So I see and know now." Patriotic Zimbabweans will not miss Sir Brian, but of course his running dogs in our midst will miss him dearly. He was supposed to be their leader, the strategist and the think-tank. It�s a shame that he turned out to be the worst ill-advised British diplomat to Zimbabwe since independence. Zimbabweans can pop champagne and celebrate saying "Good riddance to bad rubbish! Adios Sir Brian!" Why not, the man really wanted to spoil things for Zimbabwe and his departure, whether in a cargo bag or not, is good news. It brings fresh air to Zimbabwe. And understandably, the departure has shattered the MDC. But this Donnelly, also known as "Dhonorai" in some quarters, really tried to put up a good show for his master back home. Remember his statement after presenting his credentials to President Mugabe in July 2001. He tried to sound innocent, saying: "I wish to confirm that as said by my Prime Minister Tony Blair in his message to President Mugabe, Britain wants to have good relations with Zimbabwe." If Zimbabwe was a mental hospital, people would believe what the new British diplomat had said, but then Zimbabwe is a sovereign and free country full of tried and tested patriots who won�t believe whatever they hear and see. If Zimbabweans could believe whatever they hear, they could have believed that "not in a million years" statement by the arrogant and unrepentant Ian Smith and stopped the liberation struggle. And if Zimbabweans believed whatever they saw, they would have believed that the countless visits by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to Zimbabwe helped them a lot. Just after a month after his arrival, Mr Donnelly started poking his fingers into the country�s internal affairs by inciting former Rhodesian soldiers, who owned large tracts of land in Mashonaland West, to attack newly resettled farmers. Vice-President Joseph Msika did not mince his words when Sir Brian paid a courtesy call at the end of August 2001: "You have taken the hot seat in Zimbabwe at a time when relations between us and the British government are not good. I hope you will be able to appraise yourself on the true situation on the ground. "As a starting point, I think it will be paramount for you to stop demonising President Mugabe as this will not help in mending relations." The Government was slowly turning on the heat, but the "super spy" continued with his reckless behaviour. Maybe the years he had spent in war-torn Kosovo and the mountainous Yugoslavia, where he, during a Nato operation, managed to forcibly remove the government of President Slobodan Milosevic from power, were fooling him. The "intelligence officer in uniform" was fast getting too comfortable and so when he met the Minister of State for Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo, during a meeting in December 2001, it was show time. "Why don�t you come out in the open and say we do not like you because you are threatening the interests of the white community," Prof Moyo was reported to have told Sir Brian. The minister went on to tell "super spy" that Britain had double standards on issues of democracy and human rights, adding that the relationship between Britain and Zimbabwe had become a dishonest one in 1996 and "if you think we will simply fold up, then you have some serious thinking to do". Sir Brian tried to play Mr Nice Guy when he said Britain realised the disadvantages of sanctions, but Prof Moyo would not take any of that nonsense. "Why should a country which is under sanctions be afraid of more sanctions? Let me tell you that this country will not be led by someone who does not have any link with the liberation struggle," said Prof Moyo to which Sir Brian replied: "That�s your expectation." The minister hit back, saying: "No, it�s my analysis, as a trained and experienced political analyst." In February 2002, Mr Donnelly was accused of working with the MDC, surviving Rhodesian Selous Scouts and former apartheid military officers to fuel post-election violence in the country after it became obvious that President Mugabe would win in the presidential elections. The idea was to cause violence that would push President Mugabe out of power. Zimbabwe now had its eyes wide open but the "super spy" continued with his games to undermine the Government, a role that was deemed by many as incompatible with his diplomatic duties. In June 2002, the Government could not take any more of the spy games and the country�s security agents placed Sir Brian under 24-hour surveillance. This followed his alleged involvement in political activities. As he continued with his spy games, Sir Brian was accused in October 2002 of meddling in the affairs of the country by forcing the World Food Programme to suspend its operations in Insiza constituency, where a parliamentary by-election was to be held. It was also discovered in October 2002 that the British government, through its High Commission in Zimbabwe, had given $3,6 million to Amani Trust, a non-governmental organisation that was accused of working with the MDC to topple President from power. In April 2003, Sir Brian came out in the open and conceded that his government was working with opposition parties and civic groups to install a new government in Zimbabwe. This is the reason why many Zimbabweans were not shocked when Mr Blair recently told the House of Commons that his government was "working closely with the MDC" to effect regime change in the country. After realising that the "super spy" would not learn his lesson, President Mugabe gave him a stern warning: "If he continues doing it, we will kick him out of this country." Knowing that Zimbabwe offers better comfort and space than his flat in London, Mr Donnelly recoiled into his shell and started counting the games that he had lost since his arrival in 2001. He had tried to recruit lawyers, human rights activists, journalists from the private media and, of late, doctors in his bid to tarnish the image of the country and effect regime change, but all his efforts were in vain. That�s Zimbabwe for you "Super Spy". Give our kind regards to Tony! The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
