Neo-liberal academics the new Selous Scouts

Panganai Kahuni Correspondent
In the early days of civilisation when Western scholars found no vestiges of their scholarly works, they created some. Today, the very Western colonialists, sensing danger of the demise of their colonial hegemonic control of the universe, are creating vestiges of neo-colonial rule in Africa through

neo-liberal academics.

The legion of neo-liberal academics that take pride in selling their own heritage span from Cape to Cairo. They offer the supercilious demonic world powers space to call for devilish rule of law, democracy and security sector reform that seek to weaken governance institutions in Africa. One wonders why in their academic wisdom they fail to see that the conception of Western democracy they clearly love to front smells of the death of African independence.

Rice, an American scholar, posits that: “American foreign policy in a republican administration should refocus the US on national interests as pursuit of key priorities. These talks are to presume that America’s military can deter war, project power and fight in defence of its interests if deterrence fails.”

Rice further argues that “there is nothing wrong with doing something that benefits humanity, but that is, in a case of second order effect, national interests of the US should come first”.

The above quotation demonstrates how national interests are protected and defended by a strong military.

Zimbabwe has continued to enjoy sustainable peace and stability as a result of the Western vilified loyal, patriotic and strong military that are envisioned to protect Zimbabwe’s revolutionary morality through their blood.

Surprisingly, the envisioned philosophy of the security forces, that of protecting our national interest and state sovereignty, continues to be demonised by our own academics who unfortunately have no knowledge of how the military functions.

Thomas Hobbes, writing in the Leviathan, states that a nation without a sovereign power or whose sovereign employs weaker state machinery is subject to unassailable anarchic situations.

America has always been ruled by a strong sovereign power using strong state machinery to create a hegemonic control of the universe.

The subtext meaning of Rice’s argument that “there is nothing wrong with doing something that benefits humanity, but that is, in a case, a second order effect, the national interests of the US come first means that Americans can easily sacrifice human life (kill people) in protection of their own interests.”

In other words, what African neo-liberal academics do not understand about American meaning of democracy and respect for human life is that it only applies to American nationals.

It must be clear in everyone’s mind that the military of any state is the soul of that state. A nation can be rich in resources but without a strong protector the resources would be plundered by foreign vultures such as the West.

Kings Shaka and Lobengula’s impis were well-armed and skilled in the art of warfare, hence they beat the hell out of the Boers and the British.

Chiefs Chingaira and Munhumutapa’s warriors were well grounded to meet any type of colonial forces, hence they inflicted heavy casualties on the invading colonial forces. This country has a proud history of protecting its national interests dating back to the first and second Chimurenga wars that were fought by well prepared and dedicated anti-colonial forces.

In the American military leadership manual (FM22-100) it is clearly stated how a professional military man is guided by loyalty, patriotism, respect of constitutionalism and revolutionary morality born out of their war which ended in 1776.

If American militaries are still guided by that which they fought for more than two centuries ago what fails us to be guided by our revolutionary morality which is only three and half decades in existence?

It must be noted from the onset that during the liberation struggle, the Rhodesians, sensing defeat, employed ‘“Selous Scouts’’ as the last vestiges of colonial rule in Zimbabwe. They moulded the Selous Scouts to behave like Zanla and Zipra combatants. However, imitators are easier to identify as happened to Selous Scouts who were detected by the masses and freedom fighters, which made the demonic Rhodesian strategy become antiquated and valueless.

The West is quick to pride compromised academics and ascribe to them the phrase “real men’’ as the satanic colonial Raid-Dally did to Selous Scouts whom he called metaphorically “real men’’ for them to save Rhodesian interests. The phrase “real men’’ is used in a metaphoric manner because the West does not believe African neo-liberal academics are real men. The West in their hearts believe if ever neo- liberal academics were real men they would not act against their own people.

Too many of us who understand the West better, it is not surprising to hear the West and its surrogate academics as mentioned in this article demonising Cde Mugabe and Zanu PF. In fact, it makes us understand who the real enemies are and be able to put counter measures against them.

The use of Selous Scouts as a prototype seems to be getting currency as it is being used as a carbon copy strategy of recruiting academics to front the last vestiges of neo-colonialism.

It is mind boggling why neo-liberal academics do not learn from history that the West which colonised Africa and perpetrated genocide protecting exclusively white interests and privileges must not be trusted with respecting humanity outside their interests.

The question is these so-called accomplished African academics and researchers will they not be used to imitate freedom fighters as did the Selous Scouts?

Fellow citizens, the real point is that these neo-liberal academics and researchers such as Hutchful of Ghana, Ibbo Mandaza, Machakanja Dodo and Mmusi Maimane of South Africa miss the ethical point of strengthening African economic development through sustainable peace and stability.

If in their research work they bother to read works of such scholars as Rice, Baregu, Bartless, Lanon, Ball and Dunne, they would get schooled on effective ways of carrying out SSR and on how democratic/parliamentary oversight of the military is done.

Neo-liberal politicians need to understand the essence of democratic and parliamentary oversight of security organisations which does not violate the need to preserve or protect state secrecy.

Neo-liberal parliamentarians and academics should understand that no nation state in the universe is prepared to have its security compromised by applying concepts that seek to weaken governance institutions. Preservation of state secrets is an ethical norm practised by all countries the world over.

It is thus diabolical and unscholarly for any African academic or politician to ever think that what Africa is doing in protecting its interests, sovereignty and state secrets is undemocratic and autocratic. It is also unthinkable for any civil society group to ever dream that any African state will allow them to lavishly call for alien reforms of the security sector that seek to weaken these governance institutions for the benefit of their founders and funders.

These so-called academics, civil societies and NGOs must appreciate that any government including those that fund their activism, is responsible for the security of its country. When any government, whether in or outside Africa, says these are the security measures that protect and defend the nation, it’s deal done like a referee pointing for a penalty kick to be taken in a soccer match. No amount of activist noises will stop it except a democratic vote in a general election.

Thus, the West and its surrogate neo- liberal academics and politicians must remember that their use of flawed democratic wisdom will always be relegated to the political dustbins, as happened in Zimbabwe during the 2013 general elections.