WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2011-01-04 Time: 16:00:04 Posted By: News Poster
By Caiphas Chimhete
ZANU PF has resolved to embark on an outright onslaught on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) believed to be sympathetic to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as well as oiling its rusty propaganda machinery ahead of national elections likely later this year.
In its Central Committee Report to the party’s national people’s conference in Mutare recently, Zanu PF said it would silence vocal NGOs and at the same time stepping up its propaganda apparatus as it builds momentum towards the elections.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF accuses most of the 2 500 NGOs operating in the country of supporting his political foe, Tsvangirai who heads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in pursuance of facilitating regime change.
Presently, NGOs provide food and other forms of humanitarian assistance to nearly half of the country’s population, of which over 85% live below the poverty datum line (PDL).
“There is need, therefore, to ensure that the NGOs do not interfere with the internal affairs of the country by putting in place measures that restrict the NGOs to their core business of providing humanitarian aid,” said the report.
In previous election years, Zanu PF has always restricted operations of NGOs that are involved in information dissemination and food distribution. Some organisations were not allowed to operate in certain rural areas.
Efforts to get a comment from Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo on how the party plans “to put measures that restrict the NGOs” were fruitless last week.
But observers said the proposed restrictions by Zanu PF set the stage for the usual antagonistic relationship that has become the norm between Zanu PF and with civic society as well as the international community.
Interchange Organisation for Development Co-operation programme manager for Zimbabwe Fambai Ngirande described the resolution by Zanu PF as “dangerous” as it creates a negative human rights environment in Zimbabwe, known for gross abuse of civil liberties.
“It’s a very familiar tactic by Zanu PF which always arises towards major elections in the country,” said Ngirande, former spokesperson for the National Association of Non-governmental Organisations (Nango).
“This is done to justify crackdown on NGOs and human rights defenders all over the country.”
He said the same threats were issued during the violent 2000, 2005 and 2008 elections in which several human rights activists were tortured and at least 200 MDC supporters murdered by suspected state security agents and Zanu PF youth militia.
Ngirande said Zanu PF’s desire was to politicise the distribution of food to millions of hungry Zimbabweans so that it could get political leverage against its rivals ahead of elections. Under normal circumstances, relief organisations identify the recipients with the assistance of local leadership and distribute the food.
Zanu PF also plans to revive its sleepy propaganda machinery as it prepares for the polls. It is set to revive the party’s publications, The People’s Voice newspaper and the Zimbabwe News, a monthly magazine as well as a website which had become dormant for a long time.
The party’s printing and publishing entity, Jongwe Printers, will be revamped and recapitalised to the tune of US$10 000, said the Zanu PF report.
Jingles, which praise the soon-to-be 87-year-old leader who has been ruling the country for the past three decades, have also been composed showing the seriousness with which the party is looking at the next polls.
Analysts believe the revival of several “propaganda projects” is the brainchild of former Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, who was recently co-opted into Zanu PF’s supreme decision-making, the politburo.
The return of Moyo, now regarded as anti-private media following the closure of several newspapers during his tenure sends shivers down the spines not only of journalists but also ordinary Zimbabweans.
They cringe at the appointment of Moyo whom they consider the architect of some of the most draconian laws in the land akin to those used by the late colonial Rhodesia Prime Minister Ian Smith against blacks.
The former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer had a hand in drafting the restrictive Broadcasting Services Act (2001), the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (Commercialisation) Act (2003) and the notorious Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa) of 2002.
A senior official with Crisis Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) Phillip Pasirayi believes Zanu PF’s propaganda projects will do little to lure support because people are now familiar with the party’s repeated lies.
He said Zimbabweans were aware that the current problems bedevilling the country were caused by Mugabe’s misrule and the jingles and the other forms of propaganda will not bring food on their tables.
“People know what they want … they want food on the table not meaningless jingles denigrating other principles who, in actual fact, brought relief to the economy when they formed the inclusive government,” said Pasirayi.
Even the much-talked-about return of Moyo is insignificant as far as rallying support for Zanu PF is concerned, said Pasirayi.
“His return is inconsequential because all over the country people know him as a propagator of hate speech and a media hangman,” he said. “His return is just symbolic. There is nothing new he is going to bring to Zanu PF.”
Original Source: 
Original date published: 2 January 2011
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201101030745.html?viewall=1