Of all things, good or bad, that President Robert Mugabe may be, his hypocrisy is sometimes breathtaking.
Take for example what he had to say about the re-election of Malawis President Bingu wa Mutharika. Speaking to journalists after attending the swearing-in of Wa Mutharika in Blantyre last week, Mugabe hailed the Malawi ballot as having been free and fair.
He described the vote as a good example of how elections can be conducted fairly and peacefully. In his own words this is what Mugabe said: “From what we have heard and seen on television, the elections were held freely and fairly, the result is a valid result. It is an example to all of us that elections can be held without violence.”
Really? After more than two decades when thugs from his Zanu (PF) party have raped, tortured and murdered fellow Zimbabweans in order to keep him in power the man is telling us it needed Wa Mutharikas re-election for him to discover what all normal people assume is common sense: that it is possible to hold an election without violence.
Well, we really do not know whether to rejoice at Mugabes new discovery or feel sad at the thought that had his Road to Damascus moment came earlier the hundreds of people killed in the run-up to last Junes election or the thousands massacred during Gukurahundi in a bid to crush his rival to power those many years ago may have been with us today.
But we sincerely hope and trust that Mugabe intends putting into practice all that he learnt from Malawi.
And, we would suggest that the starting point to ensuring a violence-free and fair election at the expiry of the unity government is for Mugabe to deal with the so-called residual elements who are determined to derail the unity government and block change.
The residual elements who we must say would never act without Mugabes express support and permission are prepared to murder again in order to ensure that Zanu (PF) regains total control at the next ballot.
Action by Mugabe now to free the electoral system from the clutches of these selfish rogues or residual elements would not only guarantee a free and fair poll in two years time, it might just be the sort of political reforms that those whose money and help we want need to see happening before they can advance any real assistance to us.
And for Mugabe, presiding over genuine democratic reforms that would ensure a truly free and fair poll would be the kind of gesture that could go a long way to atone for the many transgressions of his 29-year rule.
It would be the biggest favour the man can do himself and Zimbabwe and who knows, it might even help to appease and silence those campaigning to have The Hague involved in Zimbabwes case.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga