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. . . what does this tell us about Chamisa?

Prosperity Mzila Correspondent
A few days ago while addressing his supporters on International Women’s Day, MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa said the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was just a phone call away. Chamisa claims to have an understanding with Trump that puts him within the inner circle of Trump’s best buddies, where he can just call him and up to US$15 billion would be released to Zimbabwe.

This money, according to Chamisa, would be for the resuscitation of the Zimbabwean economy meant to bring an end to the economic sanctions that he, Tendai Biti and Dhewa Mavinga flew to US to beg for their extension.

One wonders how a tele-conversation on sanctions between Chamisa and his handler boss, Trump, will unfold. The irony of it is that Chamisa, one who claims to be learned and enlightened; a lawyer by profession actually believes it could be a no strings attached conversation between him and the leader of the alleged free world.

One needs to elucidate to him that the illegal sanctions he asked the US to impose on Zimbabwe are not out of US’s love for Zimbabwean citizens, but to safeguard American interests in the process. Chamisa is blind to the fact that him and his party the MDC Alliance are just pawns on the chessboard of a bigger plot. The bigger plot is that Chamisa’s proposal for the US to impose illegal sanctions that are affecting the ordinary citizen is unfortunately serving American interests more than the MDC-A goals.

Donald Trump will not part with US$15 billion, just to massage Chamisa’s ego without getting something in return. The devil has no free gifts; maybe Chamisa’s question should be what’s in it for the US? Trump has a mandate to carry on with the American legacy of opening markets for US products and to secure sources of raw materials in foreign lands. Sanctions are a means for the US to set long-term goals and not to see Chamisa and the MDC-A settle comfortably into government. When the MDC begged the US and their allies to impose illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe, the US saw an opportunity to further its interests.

The sanctions have affected electricity provision, transport connection, fuel and free trading rights with other foreign countries. The “targeted” sanctions have affected hospitals where electricity has been cut for patients on life support systems. The people listed on the US sanctions list are not affected by electricity cuts in hospitals as they would fly to Singapore and Malaysia to seek medical attention, while the ordinary Zimbabwean in the country’s hospitals has faced medicine shortages and constant electricity load shedding.

The sanctions have crippled the economy of the country which resulted in Government failing to trade with other countries to earn foreign currency. This situation has had a ripple effect on industries which have also closed down due to lack of foreign currency to enable retooling. The closing down of industries has also had a far-reaching effect on the ordinary workers and their families as they have lost their jobs. Schoolchildren have dropped out of school due to lack of school fees and parents are no longer employed due to industry  closures.

A lot of prominent voices have come out castigating the illegal imposition of sanctions and have raised their voices to have them removed to allow Zimbabwe to resuscitate and rebuild its economy. Founding member of the opposition MDC and lawyer, David Coltart, has also added his voice to those of founder and chairman of the Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Strive Masiyiwa, former Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and regional and continental bodies including individual leaders such as Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, in calling for the total removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe.

One wonders how much more suffering does the MDC and its handler the US, intend to inflict on ordinary Zimbabweans to achieve their desired outcome that was articulated by former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker, who on June 13, 2000, presented US strategy for Zimbabwe’s regime change agenda before a Senate House.

His exact words: “To separate the Zimbabwean people from ZANU- PF, we are going to have to make the economy scream, and I hope you senators have the stomach for what you have to do. So if we are to decide to try and work for change in power in Zimbabwe, I would hope that we would have the wisdom to be discreet, to be low key and to avoid giving those in power there the excuse that foreigners are out to get them.”

Have the US senators’ stomachs not cringed yet with the number of deaths at Zimbabwe hospitals due to lack of medicines? Have they not cringed at all, at the sight of people going hungry in Zimbabwe, joblessness and poor water and sanitation that have bedevilled the country due to lack of foreign currency caused by the illegal sanctions? Obviously, the people still love and support ZANU-PF as it is a people-centred party unlike the MDC that has been inflicting pain on their fellow citizens through sanctions they begged the US to impose on Zimbabwe.