adminIn a space of six weeks, he has attacked negative Western media reportage on Zimbabwe, (singling out CNN for rare criticism), spoken of how his pre-conceived notions on Zimbabwe were proved wrong when he landed in Harare in December 2009 and his “regret” for his country’s radical stance on Zimbabwe.
Given his old personal and his country’s entrenched views on Zimbabwe, it is quite surprising that Mr Ray has on those two occasions, at least spoken positively about his host.
“What you see on CNN is not true,” he told the 37th Annual Africa Travel Association Congress in Victoria Falls in May.
“Journalists package what they think sells. I am sorry to say this in front of the media, but I have been in the media before myself.
“People have a mistaken notion with reality. It is important that journalists try and report correctly and accurately. I have encouraged people not to listen to the international media but (they should) come and see for themselves.I must testify that when I alighted from the plane at Harare International Airport the very first time I came here, I was surprised to see the opposite of what I had known.”
In a farewell briefing in Bulawayo on Tuesday, he continued on that path.
“When I arrived in Zimbabwe I sought to change the nature of conversation between the US and Zimbabwe. For 10 years, we were just yelling and hurling insults at each other and we never really had a substantive conversation about anything. We were complaining about some behaviour and they were calling us regime change neo-imperialists.”
Some media have understood (or misunderstood) his remarks on these two occasions to mean regret, but is this really so?
Is he sincere? Being his country’s most credible point man here, could this “regret” signal a turning point in Zimbabwe-US relations which have been hostile since 2001. What positive impact would his views have on US foreign policy on Zimbabwe?
Or was he merely speaking for and to his immediate audience — in the first instance during a tourism marketing event and the second, just a farewell event? If he is actually sincere, which many think he isn’t, then he might have squandered his three years here by not championing positive Zimbabwe-US engagement.
His, like all other diplomatic assignments, is a straightjacket. You have to fit in the scheme of things, failure to that you won’t last in the post. This means that one simply has to project the foreign policy interests of the country he or she represents. And US foreign policy interests in Zimbabwe like elsewhere across the globe, are to dominate and control the economy, the politics, the social and all. Such domination and control are achieved through radicalism, the propaganda of their captive Press, CNN being among them, orchestration of the ascension of their puppets to power and even open war, among other ways.
Zimbabweans are not naïve — they know the fundamentals of US foreign policy — so Mr Ray is most likely insincere.
If he means what he has been quoted saying, the next logical thing to do is for him to lead a campaign for the scrapping of the 2001 Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act — the sanctions law designed to make the Zimbabwean economy “scream” in the words of Chester Crocker, former under-secretary for Africa in George W Bush’s administration. He must also help stimulate concrete US steps leading to Washington renouncing its illegal regime change agenda and interference in our national affairs. This means stopping financial and moral support for MDC formations, like-minded civil organisations, pirate broadcasters and other intrusive initiatives.
His sincerity can be judged on these fundamental points. They can be more. Otherwise, Mr Ray must not think he is fooling anyone.
Online Reporter