It is never about democracy

It is better to trust in God —not man!

You see, human beings are inherently fallible, frail and fickle.

And this is why Bishop Lazi usually takes solace in Psalm 118 verse 8: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”

Psalm 146:3-5 is even more emphatic: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save you. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day, their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”

To believe in the Supreme Being is to believe in a higher ideal that is both unimpeachable and a guiding light to life.

Ideals keep you tethered, hinged and grounded.

So, if Bishop Lazi was Triple C leader Nelson Chamisa or if Nelson Chamisa was Bishop Lazi, he would by now be intently reflecting on what the United States’ recent overtures to Zimbabwe mean for the viability of his brand and type of politics, which is built on implicit support from the US and its allies.

Well, Washington recently dispatched a missive to Harare to court  Zimbabwe into a global alliance that is being cobbled up against Russia, especially in the wake of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine, which began on February 24.

For the US, which is known for its aggressive transactional diplomacy, Russia’s military operation has to fail at whatever cost, and this means investing in anything and everything that isolates and degrades its power, even if it means reaching out to perceived foes.

A delegation from Zimbabwe, whose top priority is to have sanctions removed, will soon be making its way to Washington for further engagements.

What is undoubtedly clear is that as quid pro quo, America would not hesitate to serve Chamisa’s head on a silver platter, if need be.

In the greater scheme of things, the naïve politician is very expendable.

When it comes to America’s vaulting national interests, no option is off the table.

It’s not about democracy

You might have seen how America, post-February 24, is increasingly cosying up to Venezuela, a country they had targeted with onerous sanctions to collapse the Nicolas Maduro regime and replace it with a youthful and equally naïve opposition leader, the 38-year-old Juan Guiado, who is considered pliant enough to advance Washington’s interests in both oil-rich Caracas and neighbouring Guyana.

Until recently, they tried everything: Infiltrating security services — military, police and intelligence — and the judiciary to try and engineer a coup; using the opposition to mobilise mass action to overthrow Maduro; and trying to asphyxiate Venezuela’s economy by throttling its oil industry and confiscating its offshore revenues.

In fact, Britain is still withholding Venezuela’s US$2 billion worth of gold purportedly because it dodgily recognises Guaido as the legitimate leader of the South American country.

Even in 2020 when Venezuela pleaded for the money to be released through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to buy medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic, London didn’t relent.

Caras, however, still stands owing to critical support from Russia, China and Cuba, among others.

But, it is America’s recent about-turn, which saw it relax sanctions and send a high-powered delegation to Venezuela to negotiate with an administration they previously didn’t recognise, that has surprised and blindsided many, not least Guaido himself.

Although foreign policy mandarins in Washington are disguising their efforts as dangling a carrot for Maduro to negotiate with the opposition, it is quite clear that they are obviously angling for the country’s oil.

Notably, part of the recent sanctions relief allows US oil company Chevron Corp to negotiate the terms of its licence and potential future activities with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA. Kikikikiki.

Therein lies the reason.

They are not even ashamed of this poorly disguised effort.

The Bishop always tells you that the US is a junkie that gets its fix from oil — which is immeasurably crucial in oiling its economy (no pun intended) and sustaining ostentatious lifestyles — and will do just about anything to secure the resource, particularly now that the conflict in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russia have spawned high oil prices that are hitting consumers around the world, including the West.

Look at the mess in the Middle East – Iran, Iraq, Syria — and countries like Libya.

It is all about the black gold.

And, since it holds the world’s largest proven oil reserve, Venezuela becomes a target.

For Chamisa, the critical question to ask as the two sides conveniently seek rapprochement is: Where does it leave Guaido, his South American version?

But, it is not just Zimbabwe and Venezuela that are getting overtures, but Saudi Arabia as well.

It has to be remembered that when Joe Biden was campaigning for the White House, he promised to isolate Saudi Arabia over the assassination of journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Kashoggi in an embassy in Turkey on October 2, 2018.

But the realities of the weighty office he occupies are now dawning on him.

Faced with an oil crisis that continues to fester, and after having several of his calls to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ignored because of the Kashoggi fallout, Biden seems to have finally managed to secure an audience with MBS and is seriously considering flying to Riyadh.

This would be quite an embarrassing climb-down.

The Saudis are considered a crucial piece of the puzzle to wean the world from dependence on Russia’s oil and gas.

So what happened to democracy, human rights and other such high-sounding gobbledygook.

Kashoggi should be turning in his grave.

Epiphany

But, make no mistake about it, however big the concessions on offer, Zimbabwe would never betray her allies, especially those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us during the darkest periods of our history.

They trained our fighters, protected our leaders during the struggle and supplied us with weapons and ammunition that we used to dislodge colonialism.

And all this for free.

Even when we gained our Independence, they never came to us for favours for the sacrifice they made for our liberation.

They have been with us every step of the way.

Who can forget that on July 10, 2008, it was China and Russia who vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution sponsored by the US and Britain to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe, which could have been potentially cataclysmic?

These are signs of true comradeship.

We can only hope that America has learnt from this humbling episode that you simply cannot go around bullying anyone and everyone because you never know when you will need them.

We also hope they will learn that sanctions and aggression as coercive tools of diplomacy bring more harm than good.

The sanctions imposed on Russia are affecting everyone across the world, including the sanctioners themselves.

The Bishop also hopes Chamisa has learnt from the Guiado, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia episodes that for America, as with other countries in the West, it is never about democracy and human rights, but their self-serving national interests.

They will dump you when you no longer serve their purpose.

They did so with Guaido, they did so in Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan, where the doctor they used to locate Osama bin Laden, Shakil Afridi, is still languishing in prison after being slapped with a hefty 33-year sentence for collaborating with a foreign power.

Continuing to hobnob and literally sup with characters like Kate Hoey and lately shadowy characters at the May 23 dinner hosted by the Norwegian embassy and the Southern African Liaison in Pretoria, South Africa, will only end in tears.

Even opposition politics is defined and shaped by the national interest.

Those who doggedly worked to frustrate the birth of an independent Zimbabwe and nonchalantly stood akimbo during our past trials and tribulations cannot now have the best interests of our teapot-shaped Republic at heart.

It’s that simple!

Popular Australian activist journalist John Pilger, who has authored a series of insightful books such as “The New Rulers of the World”, “Tell Me No Lies” and “Hidden Agendas”, recently reiterated his view on the façade and pretence of opposition politics in the Western world.

“Britain, the US, Australia share a phenomenon: each has a political opposition in name only.

“Every few years a game is played when major parties with the same (more or less) economic, social and war-making policies convince voters they are different. This is known as ‘democracy’,” he said.

Proverbs 12:15 helpfully counsels: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Bishop out!