Morgan Tsvangirai

Morgan Tsvangirai, current Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and leader of the MDC (an opposition party), was born on March 10,1952 in Buhera, Zimbabwe.  He was the ninth son of a bricklayer, and he himself found work in the trades.  Tsvangirai left secondary school to work as a textile weaver, and he later found a job in the mining industry.  An advocate for human and labor rights, he quickly became involved in the mine’s labor union. 

Morgan Tsvangirai was soon leader of the mining union, and in the late 80’s he became the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.  While leading this organization, Morgan began to spread his views of democracy and liberty; soon enough, he had turned the ZCTU away from the corrupt, ruling ZANU-PF party.  Towards the end of the 90’s, Tsvangirai began to rise as a politician when he led a series of strikes against tax increases imposed by Robert Mugabe.  The strikes were successful in influencing the cancellation of two tax increases. 

In 1999, Tsvangirai founded and organized the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).  Months had passed, and the party was already gaining ground in defeating Robert Mugabe’s plan for a reform of the Zimbabwe Constitution.  Among the changes Mugabe had in mind, several clauses would have allowed the uncompensated seizure of farms owned by white men.  This defeat was the biggest blow Mugabe had taken from an opposition party since independence.

Tsvangirai stands for the extension of freedom and opportunities for Zimbabwean people.  He primarily represents the younger generations and urban workers.  He is a very charismatic leader and politician whose primary focus is family, an end to violence and intimidation, and liberation for his people.

Morgan Tsvangirai was educated through the Executive Leaders Development Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  He earned his diploma in June of 2001.  Tsvangirai is now, also, the founding chairman of the National Constitution Assembly, which advocated for a new, more righteous and fair constitution. 

As Morgan Tsvangirai has developed the MDC, dissipating his relationship with the ruling party, he has faced a series of unfortunate and torturous events.  Tsvangirai has been arrested on a handful of accounts for alleged treason and threats against Robert Mugabe; his charges have always been dismissed and acquitted.  He has also faced four assassination attempts, one in which phony police broke into his office and attempted to push him out of a window.  Probably the most serious act of violence that Morgan has faced was abduction, part of a nightly abduction ritual carried out by government-sanctioned gangs.  During his abduction, Tsvangirai was beaten and is reported to have passed out at least three times, suffering a cracked skull and internal bleeding.

Despite the run-ins he has had with the misruling, corrupt dictatorship, Tsvangirai remained committed to the democratic struggle, and now, as we have learned in the previous blog posts, he has risen to the seat of Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

More recent news of Morgan Tsvangirai involves a tragic head-on collision Morgan and his wife, Susan, had with a tractor-trailer.  In the accident, he suffered head injuries and lost his wife of nearly three decades, with whom he has six children.  Unfortunately, but inevitably, the crash has raised suspicion of a premeditated attack by Mugabe towards Tsvangirai.  Robert Mugabe has somewhat of a track record for killing off his political foe in car crashes.  Tom McDonald, US ambassador of Zimbabwe from 1997 to 2001, has urged a full investigation by outside authorities of the incident.  The cabinet approved this investigation on March 19^th. 

3/27/2009

 

The Education System in Kuwait

The educational system in Kuwait, starting out as a few Quranic schools that taught religion and basic Arab literacy, has developed into a system enrolling thirty percent of the state’s population.  By 1995, there were 861 state and private schools in Kuwait. 

The first school of modern education, the Al Mubarakiyya School, was founded in 1912 and offered education for boys.  Al Mubarakiyya started off teaching the subjects of commerce, arithmetic, and letter drafting.  Later, more subjects, including history, art and geography, were added to the curriculum.  In 1921, the Al Ahmadia School was founded; this was the first Kuwaiti school to teach English as a subject.  Shortly after, schools for girls began to be introduced. 

The first schools were private, but 1935 marked the beginning of public education, when the state was given control of the school system.  At this time, the state opened four new schools, three schools for boys and one for girls.  By 1945, Kuwait housed a total of seventeen schools.  The main schooling system consists of elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools, but in the year 1954, the first technical college was established.  Around this time, emphasis was also placed on opening special education facilities for the disabled.  About 1,644 special needs students were enrolled in special education programs in 1973. In the year 1960, Kuwait had 45,000 students enrolled in their education system.

The department of education was growing rapidly, so in 1962, the department became the official Ministry of Education;  “…the ministry was to chart the directions for educational development over the course of the decades ahead”.  The current Minister of Education in Kuwait is Nouriya al-Subaih.

The Constitution of 1962 claimed that education was a fundamental right to all citizens, including females.  Therefore, Kuwait offers education to all Kuwaitis free of charge.  In 1965, school became mandatory for all children ages six to fourteen.  Beyond elementary, intermediate, and secondary schooling, Kuwait also offers higher education, with no charge at all.  There are many different institutions of higher learning, including Kuwait University, applied educational centers, and technical colleges.  “As of academic year 1995-96, 4,355 students were enrolled in these applied educational facilities.”  At the university level, students can engage in many different academic studies including the humanities, scientific and educational specifications, or specializations in the social sciences. 

Four years are spent at each level of the schooling system.  All public schools in Kuwait are gender specific, but many private schools are co-ed.  In each state school, English is taught as a primary subject from the second grade forward.  Each school contains a library, and Kuwait has expanded its book collection from around 230,000 to almost three million books.  “The government has also launched an ‘Education Net’ project to connect every government school and library to a telecommunications data network.” 

Although public education is certainly the most relevant part of Kuwait’s schooling system, private education is also a very important part of the system.  Private schools enroll about a third of all students at the elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels.  Private schools are mostly foreign sponsored, but Kuwait’s government does provide significant subsidization for these schools.  Private schools, unlike public schools, vary in languages of instruction and curriculums; this allows parents to somewhat choose what their children will learn, making private schools very popular. 

Although the education system in Kuwait is currently booming, some have criticized the efficiency of the system. 

Unfortunately, “the new waves of graduates, having received from their state schools a nominal college or university education, were unmotivated to enter private sector employment.  And just as unmotivated as graduates were to take up private sector jobs, employers were equally unmotivated—if not actually more so—to hire Gulf nationals.  They could hire Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, and other nationalities for much less cost and hassle.”  

Also, the curriculum of preparatory educational and training programs has not exactly coincided with the needs and demands of the Kuwaiti labor market.  Therefore, reform of higher-level education is being contemplated.  There are many different questions that must be addressed in order to restructure the higher-level education system, one being “will students be receptive to the training and education received so as to obtain skills and qualifications rendering them as competitive candidates in an expatriate dominated job market?”  

Most of the recent Kuwaiti generation has been criticized to have “spoiled child syndrome.”  This is the idea that after receiving a free education on a “silver platter”, there is very little self-motivation when it comes to work and efficiency in performance.   Therefore, the education system must build up a sense of motivation and work ethic in the youth in order for the flourishing system to be successful. 

3/19/2009

Stepping Away From Zimbabwe for a Moment to Study the State of Kuwait

Kuwait is a tiny country, almost the size of New Jersey, located between Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Persian Gulf.  Although small, Kuwait is certainly not insignificant.  Kuwait is the fifth richest country in the world, prospering from its natural oil reserves and the development of its petroleum industry after WWII and independence in 1961. Oil alone makes up 90% of the country’s export revenues. 

Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, pausing oil exports for a period of time.  With US assistance, the Iraqi forces were ousted out of Kuwait.  The country’s infrastructure was left in shambles, but they slowly began to build up their strength again. 

Kuwait has developed a constitutional emirate government, which has proved to be very successful in recent years.  The government has an executive branch composed of a chief of state (the emir), the Crown Prince, a Prime Minister, a first deputy prime minister, and several deputy prime ministers.  Kuwait has a unicameral legislature called the National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma).  The High Court of Appeal makes up the judicial branch. 

Kuwait’s educational system is, to me, the most fascinating Kuwaiti government program.  In the beginning of the 20th century, schools were few and far between.  There were no public schools and wealthier Kuwait citizens funded most private schools. In 1939, the government began its own education system.  By 1945 there were 17 Kuwaiti schools.  As oil began to pick up as a hot commodity, Kuwait grew wealthier, and more funding was poured into the schooling system.  Forty-five thousand students were enrolled in Kuwaiti schools in 1960.  The Constitution of 1962 claimed that education was a fundamental right to all citizens, including females.  Finally, in 1965 schooling became required for children ages six to fourteen. 

In today’s Kuwait, the education system is larger than it has ever been, and it is continuing to grow.  About 30 percent of Kuwait’s population is enrolled in the state’s schools.  Schooling begins at the age of six, although preschool is available at the age of four, and involves elementary, intermediate, and secondary educations.  Four years are spent at each level of the schooling system.  The State of Kuwait pays for all stages of education, including higher education. 

All public schools in Kuwait are gender specific, but private co-ed schools do exist.  In fact, many Kuwaiti’s decide to send their children to these foreign-sponsored schools.  Kuwait’s government does provide significant but not complete subsidization of private schools. 

In each state school, English is taught as a primary subject from the second grade forward.  Each school contains a library, and Kuwait has expanded its book collection from around 230,000 to almost three million books.  “The government has also launched an ‘Education Net’ project to connect every government school and library to a telecommunications data network.”  Kuwait is certainly flourishing in the development of a strong educational system. 

3/12/2009

The Republic of Zimbabwe Presidential Election 2008

The Zimbabwean presidential and primary elections were held on March 29th, 2008.  This was a monumental election because the incumbent president and authoritarian type leader, Robert Mugabe, was not guaranteed the seat; instead, he was faced with an incredibly competitive opposition. Robert Mugabe had held executive power in Zimbabwe sine 1980, and the possibility for any candidate to provide real competition against him was unforeseen. 

Robert Mugabe ran as the ZANU-PF party candidate.  Candidates, Simba Makoni and Langton Towungana, ran as independents.  Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was the candidate who presented a threat to Mugabe’s presidency.

Zimbabwean policy requires that one candidate receives the majority vote (that is 50% plus one) in order to win the presidential election.  On March 29th Robert Mugabe gained 43.2% of the vote, Morgan Tsvangirai gained 47.9%, Simba Makoni gained 8.3% and Langton Towungana gained 0.6%.  The election was clearly between Tsvangirai and Mugabe, but neither had gained the majority vote.  Therefore, a second round was to be held on June 27th. 

Both primary candidates agreed to the second rounds, and so their campaigns continued.  Much had been reported about Mugabe’s the ZANU-PF targeting and threatening Tsvangirai supporters in order to obtain the majority vote.  As June 27th approached, Tsvangirai announced his withdrawal from the election, claiming his supporters would pay a violent price if they were to vote for him.  He publicly described the situation as a “violent sham”.  Although he withdrew from the election, Tsvangirai’s name still appeared on the ballot.  However, understanding votes in favor of Tsvangirai would be insignificant, most Zimbabweans voted for Mugabe. 

Mugabe won, of course, with 85.5% of the vote and was sworn in for another term on June 29th.  This provoked controversy around the world, and especially throughout the African continent.  Shortly after the swearing in, the African Union decided their involvement and input was necessary in order to slowly begin reviving Zimbabwe; they called for “a government of national unity” in Zimbabwe.  South African President, Thabo Mbeki was to act as a mediator in carrying out this order. 

Negotiation to form a joint power between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe began on July 25th, 2008.  By mid-September, an agreement was reached between the two.  The arrangement involved Morgan Tsvangirai chairing the council of ministers and Robert Mugabe chairing a new national security council.  On September 16th, the two officially signed the agreement. 

After a few months of co-ruling with Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai felt it was necessary to enter a more serious power-sharing agreement. 

“On January 2009 Morgan Tsvangirai announced that he would do as the leaders across Africa had insisted and join a coalition government as prime minister with his nemesis, President Robert Mugabe."

Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on February 11, 2009. 

 Next week’s blog will discuss more background information on Zimbabwe’s two current leaders- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe.  

2/26/2009

The Structure of Zimbabwe's Government

Zimbabwe is a Semi-Presidential Republic.  The structure of the Zimbabwean Government is similar to ours in that it separates power between the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.  However, the composition of each of these branches differs from the composition of the American branches of government. 

The Executive Branch

The executive branch currently consists of two executives, the President and the Prime Minister, both of which serve 5-year terms. Robert Mugabe holds the Presidential seat while Morgan Tsvangirai holds the Prime Minister seat.  The President is the head of the state and is in charge of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, is head of government and oversees the Council of Ministers.  There are two vice presidents and two deputy prime ministers.  Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru hold the vice presidential positions, and Thokozani Khuphe and Arthur Mutambara hold the deputy prime minister positions. 

The Legislative Branch

Legislative power is vested in both government and parliament.  The Cabinet and the Council of Ministers hold legislative power along with the elected Parliament.  The Cabinet, overseen by the president, is the policy decision-making body.  The Council of Ministers—headed by the prime minister—functions as a liaison office and also “will assist in the formulation of policies, the supervision of government ministries by the prime minister and the implementation of cabinet policies.” Parliament is divided between the Senate and the House of Assembly, which functions similarly to the American Senate and House of Representatives.  The House of Assembly consists of 120 members elected by the common-roll electorate, 10 tribal chiefs, 12 presidential appointees, 8 presidentially appointed provincial governors, a speaker and an attorney general.  Sixty-six members make up the Senate; five representatives from each province constitute 50 of these members.  The president elects six additional members while traditional chiefs hold the remaining 10 seats.  Although there are currently only 66 seats in the Senate, Amendment Number 18 of 2007 allows the Senate to expand to 93 seats if necessary. 

The Judicial Branch

The Zimbabwean judicial branch functions as the American judicial branch does.  It consists of a Supreme Court and local court system.  A Chief Justice is appointed by the president to direct the judicial system in Zimbabwe. 

The Zimbabwean Constitution

The Constitution of Zimbabwe dictates the law of the land and is modeled similarly to the U.S. Constitution.  The Constitution originated from the Lancaster House Agreement, which was chaired by Lord Carrington.  The founding document contains a Bill of Rights, Amendments, focuses on majority rule, and protects human and minority rights. 

            Significant Amendments to the Constitution:

·      1987 Abolition of seats reserved for whites in parliament

·      1987 Abolition of Prime Minister office and creation of an Executive Presidency (this was the work of Robert Mugabe and has now been reversed)

·      1990 Abolition of the Senate and creation of appointed seats in the House of Assembly (the Senate was reintroduced in 2005)

 

The layout of Zimbabwean government appears surprisingly sound in structure.  The system makes sense and much of it mirrors American governmental organization.  However, President Mugabe has used the government structure, designed to implement democracy, to promote a more authoritarian society.  Therefore, Zimbabwe has been experiencing economic and humanitarian crisis.  The government has become tainted, and is driving the country further into calamity. 

President Robert Mugabe has led a slow regression away from the norms of democratic governance.  He has directed his government in the violation of human rights, corrupt election, and politicization of judiciary, military and police force.  The President implemented and enforced laws aimed at preventing freedoms of speech, assembly, and association.  Opposition members of parliament and governmental competition have been arrested, tortured and harassed by his order.  The legal system has not been enforced; rather President Mugabe’s word has been imposed.  Zimbabwe has become an “autocratic regime based on personal rule.”

Until February 11, 2009 Zimbabwe was under President Mugabe’s thumb.  He used torture, threat, and fear to govern the people of Zimbabwe.  The President brought the country into complete economic distress.  Inflation is rising at an astronomic rate.  All humanitarian advancements were destroyed in his wake. 

The structure of government that has been laid out for Zimbabwe has tremendous potential, but in order for it be successful, those who hold the governmental seats need to be virtuous.  On February 11 the Semi-Presidential Republic was reintroduced.  Morgan Tsvangirai, a symbol of hope for the Zimbabwean people, has filled the seat of Zimbabwean Prime Minister.  The next blog will go into greater detail about the elections and the process that Zimbabwe followed to reach this major turning point.  

2/19/2009

Overview of the Current Situation in Zimbabwe

By May 2008, conditions in Zimbabwe had worsened significantly.  The once prosperous nation had been facing a sweeping cholera epidemic and a major economic downturn when they were presented with the terror campaign of corrupt leader, President Robert Mugabe.  On May 28th 2008 Africa News announced that over “50 Zimbabweans have been killed while 25,000 have been displaced countrywide in the aftermath of the March 29 harmonized elections.”  In other words, President Mugabe had been using fear as a tactic to obtain the majority vote in the upcoming June 27th election against Morgan Tsvangirai. 

The first election, held in March 2008, resulted with not one candidate reaching the “50 plus one vote under the country’s electoral act”.  Therefore, a second round was to be held on June 27th.  However, when candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, also the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), found out about the killings taking place, he withdrew from the election.  Although he withdrew, he retained confidence in eventually attaining leadership over Zimbabwe.  He reassured the people by taking an active stance against Mugabe’s terror campaign.

“We are taking down the names of those involved in these heinous crimes and we know them.  We will approach the Attorney General’s office to have these people prosecuted.  We are also committed to a process of truth and justice once we get into government.  I don’t believe anyone who has murdered a person should be forgiven,” (Morgan Tsvangirai). 

The Zimbabwe Republic Police have also been forced into support of Mugabe.  The Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front (Zanu PF), advocates for Mugabe, had informed the police to resist arresting Zanu PF officials and supporters for political violence.  With even the police force wrapped around his finger, Mugabe was able to deter Tsvangirai from running, thus winning the June 27th election. 

By December conditions had worsened.  The death toll from the cholera epidemic reached close to 600, food shortages had increased, and the prices of goods were doubling by the day.  In September, a power-sharing deal brokered by South America, was created between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.  Under this deal, no progress was made.  It simply created a “political deadlock” over how to divide the Cabinet Posts, which only worsened the crisis. 

On Wednesday, February 11th, President Mugabe swore in long-time rival Tsvangirai as the new Prime Minister.  Although, this coalition may not seem very hopeful, Mugabe’s power has been reduced significantly. Since Mugabe no longer has full power of Zimbabwe, things are somewhat promising.    A lot of its success depends on Mugabe’s willingness to cooperate with the New Prime minister.

Devising a resolution to the economic crisis that has “left millions dependent on international food aid, and caused a cholera outbreak that has killed some 3,400 people since August” is the pair’s first priority.  Tsvangirai also promised that the government “would work to get children in school, hospitals open, ‘and food back on the tables for everybody, regardless of his political affiliation.’”

The people of Zimbabwe are certainly excited about the opportunity for change.  Political detainees have been released, the Prime Minister has set a promising agenda, and even the U.S. is anxious about the new opportunity for this African nation.  Zimbabweans definitely have something to be cheering about. 

2/12/2009