Saturday, November 25, 2017

Why Mugabes fall !

When Zimbabwe Defence Force under General Chiwenga forced herself in in 'State House' to unceremoniously tell Mr. Robert Mugabe that the post of President is not for dynastic considerations in Africa's once most promising nation-state and his authority has been ended, how that fellow of 93, with vast experience in everything political must have felt? Bewilderment? Shock? Shame? Non-chalance? Fear? Injured honour? Disbelief? Or a curious mix of this all.
After all, you don't get rude shocks like this when you have been flattered for most part of your life that you are a god-sent saviour of oppressed nation. 37 years is quite a time to be at helm of affairs, making almost everyone in that nation licking your boot by any and every means possible in politics.
Mnangagwa may say that he paid the price for thrusting 'gucci' Grace on the nation but that is just half the story. Bedrock of all dictatorships is their grip on the armed forces and not to annoy the men in fatigue too much. From Robespierre to Mussolini, from Nawaz Sharif to Mohammed Mursi everyone knows that seemingly democratic affirmation of political power gets exhausted suddenly if democratic institutions are a smokescreen and public has a leaning for the army.