Employment of ex-spies: A lifetime concept of the West

institutions started way back before the 17th century.
The Chinese, in this period employed strategies formulated by Sun Tzu, Cao Cao and Mao Tse Tung, just to mention a few. America, Britain, Germany and France employed this concept since time immemorial to the present day of globalisation using strategies crafted by Generals Washington, Eisenhower, Truman, Reagan, Napoleon and Hitler just to mention a few.
It has always been the case with the imperial world to use secret services which they deploy in strategic institutions of their domestic and foreign “fronts”. Those in foreign fronts gathered information that is used by the domestic units to formulate strategies for the survival of the Western world. Surprisingly, historians seem to put a blind eye on these issues concerning the use of secret servicemen by America and Europe.
Most African politicians and journalists have a tendency of viewing Western secrets services and their military as “professionals” who have helped the world to uphold democracy. It is never in their minds that democracy survives the test of socio-justice when there is peace and tranquility. The West has fought many wars and has incited violence in many countries using the so called professionals.
It is an open historical secret that America’s Marshal Plan was formulated by the secret servicemen and their military. The idea of employing these secret servicemen as executives in NGOs like USAID, Ford Foundation and Rhodes Foundation, is one good example .
Most of the strategic institutions in America and Europe are run by retired military men or secret servicemen, a reflection that demonstrate how useful and effective they are in strategic management. Most strategic books acknowledge that “strategic thought” was borrowed from the military.
This is the reason why in America and Europe most of their influential progressive leaders were once in the military or secret services as was Washington, Napoleon, Reagan and the Bushes, just to mention the few notorious ones. A recent example is where General Petraus was retired to head the CIA in America just the same as what happened to Major General Bonyongwe in Zimbabwe. Most of the Gulf War veterans were given ministerial and executive posts just like what happens in Zimbabwe with regard to ex-servicemen.
China and Russia also uses the same concept of employing secret services men. However, their objective is different from that of Europe and America. Maybe it is because China and Russia understands the meaning of democracy more than Europe and America. The other reason could be that they also fought to remove imperialist domination from Japan, Britain and Germany. Thus they understand the need to respect other nation states’, independence and sovereignty.
While the Marshall Plan was a strategy of amassing resources for America and its allies, the Chinese and Russian helped the third world countries to liberate themselves from colonial rule. While the Gulf War and the wars in the Arab spring were for America and Europe to gain access to oil resources, China and Russia have used the concept of employing ex-servicemen to allow weaker nation states to reclaim their resources from America and Europe.
This contrast is interesting in that most African journalists, politicians and leaders seem to admire to be puppets of the West. Once they liberate their countries they quickly forget about the masses that helped them to fight the excruciating wars. Most leaders quickly give in to the concept of democracy that is Eurocentric in nature. They quickly become the darlings of America and Europe. What is surprising is that the Western secret servicemen are held with high esteem, whilst those in Africa, employed for the same purposes are regarded as dabbling in politics and the concept is said to be militarisation of government institutions.
People should appreciate that the use of secret servicemen or military personnel is not a novel practice but a way of strategically positioning critical government institutions against subversion by the West.
It is common knowledge that Europe and America employ secret servicemen in various countries which they regard to be of strategic nature in terms of obtaining raw materials. Such deployments have happened in the Arab world and Zimbabwe. The tragedy is that if the same concept is employed by Third World countries, the West together with local opposition politicians, journalists and neo-liberal academics brand the leadership as dictators. The question to ask is why are Europe and America, authors of this fine strategy, not branded dictators.
This writer read the PM’s letter to the President and found no reason for such a letter to a man the PM always meets every Monday, during the Principles meeting, on every Tuesday during Cabinet meeting and regularly on National Security Council meetings.
One may also think the PM could use the privilege of his office to make any appointment with the President and discuss his concerns on a man to man basis. One cannot be penalised for equating the PM’s letter to a wife who writes the husband a letter to the press, complaining about issues of their family which can be discussed in their bedroom.
However, the letter is a clear testimony that vindicates Professor Moyo’s allegations that the MI5 and CIA agencies, the likes of Heartly and the former Selous Scouts are the think tanks of the MDC-T. One cannot be viewed in disdain for asserting that the letter was written on the back of the advice of foreign secret servicemen.
Fellow Zimbabweans, fellow African journalists and politicians, where do we get this hype from? What is it that has gotten into us to forgo our own African values, norms and cultures? What motivates us to be self centred and not care for the future generations? Why have been money centric and in the process become frontiersmen for neo-colonisation.
As learned as we are, why do we make it easy for ex- service men like Rtd Major Charles Ray to easily dominate us both strategically and intellectually?
Why do we allow Europe and America to lecture on us on democracy, rule of law and good governance which they have themselves failed to uphold? Why are we negating the principles of Pan-Africanism set by the likes of Lumumba and Nkrumah?
Cde Chinx sang and said to the youths “musatambe nevarungu ava imhondi idzi muchatitengesera nyika imi.” It is surprising to see our born free youths give a heroic present to a man who is a merchant of regime change.
Besides did our youths who gave Charles Ray, an ex serviceman that heroic present ever ask themselves whether any of their African great leaders received such a present from youths in Europe and America?
People need to listen very carefully and get the meaning of the song which is titled “Mapfupa amuka” by Tembwe (Epworth) Chimurenga Youth Choir. It clearly says in shona “Bhunu rakashata, rakauraisa tete vako vaifanira kurarama, kurarama nebara pagumbo ndiyoyika hondo yechimurenga. They further state that “kana mhiri ikoko variko vanochema nemi.”
This is a song that people should listen to especially the youths. One should not worry about the political side of the song but the facts that the song clearly highlights, including our history that is embedded in it. I implore ZBC to play this song with a view of not politicising people but of making them understand their history through music.
Fellow Zimbabweans, it is time we use our knowledge to demonstrate to the Western secret servicemen that they are no longer dealing with pens and papers but people who are capable of charting their destiny and are proud of leaving a legacy that is inheritable by future generations. The time for the Western ex-servicemen to use people in Africa and the third world as their frontiers is over. For those with tendencies of glorifying the Americans and Europeans for whatever reasons it is time to repent.
I would like to implore everyone to hold with high esteem the work of Africa’s secret servicemen in defending African resources and sovereignty. It is time for leaders to be people oriented and be driven by the need to empower Africans. It is always said an eye for an eye.
Thus it is only our secret servicemen and the military who can match America and Europe’s secret servicemen and prevent them from plundering our resources. Icho!
l Panganai Kahuni is a socio-political economic commentator.