Wednesday, March 17, 2010

State of Fear

“It is when power is wedded to chronic fear that it becomes formidable” – Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of Mind

Another interesting view of the world was written by well known American author, Michael Crighton (who I believe recently died). His book, State of Fear, was about global warming. A novel, State of Fear criticised the current world view on how we are allegedly creating our own destruction through the creation of greenhouse gases which are leading to global warming and the rising of the seas which will swamp many islands and create havoc with anyone and everyone living near the current shorelines of the world. Crighton provides substantial evidence, and quotes his sources, that the current world view is simply a propaganda war by world governments to keep their citizens in a state of fear that will make them more pliable and easier to ‘manage’.

In Zimbabwe, Mugabe is determined to keep his citizens, particularly those who may oppose him, in a state of fear. Hence, the recent promulgation of the law to indigenise ‘foreign’ businesses. ‘Foreign’ in the context of Zimbabwe means ‘controlled by whites’. All businesses in Zimbabwe are staffed, largely, by black people, the majority of whom are most certainly anti ZANU PF, so they too are in a state of fear because they know that their businesses stand to lose, their jobs are in jeopardy and few people have any illusions today about what happened to half a million farm workers when the farms were seized. Neither do they have any illusions that the farm seizures led to the destruction of agriculture and a large slice of the economy.

Mugabe will us the Indigenisation Act as and when it suits him to remind everyone who is in control and what will happen if that control should be threatened by a free and fair vote. It is simply a means of keeping the population in a constant state of fear.

No comments: