HARARE - John Makumbe, a leading political scientist, has said President Robert Mugabe is powerless to stop the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) from playing jingles that have created divisions in the inclusive government because the country’s security chiefs now control power.

This observation comes as the MDC-T has announced that it will convene  an urgent meeting for its Nationmal Executive Committee to decide on what action to take over the continued playing of the partisan jingles.

In an exclusive interview, Makumbe said “Mugabe has said the jingles must stop but the ZBC continues to play them.  What is happening is a clear reflection of who is in charge. It is the Joint Operation Command (JOC), the security chiefs.”

JOC is the think tank of all security organs comprising the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), police, prisons and the army.

“The jingles are sending a clear message that Tsvangirai and Mutambara are not in charge. It just underlines the violation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) by Zanu PF and also shows the weakness of the MDC to resist such violations,” Makumbe told the Daily News.

The ZBH, through its radio and television units, has been playing music by the Mbare Chimurenga Choir which gives plaudits to Mugabe and his deputies in what critics say is against the spirit of the GPA which brought about the inclusive government.

Largely plucky and dour, the group has emerged from the shadows to  dominate radio and television  every 30 minutes in praise of Mugabe’s leadership and re-enforcing that he is in power.

According to modern professional and broadcasting standards, songs are played from a management–approved ‘playlist’ and no more than five times in a 24 hour shift regardless of the song’s popularity. Such decisions to promote or play a particular song repeatedly and the playlist routine may also be taken on the basis of the hit’s performance on recognisable charts.

However, Mbare Chimurenga choir’s songs are being played at an interval of 30 minutes.

The larger faction of the MDC has vehemently protested against the flighting of the jingles which it says is an assault on the inclusive government.

Cabinet recently directed the state broadcaster to stop the jingles but an indignant ZBH chief executive officer, Happison Muchechetere, said the songs are being aired based on their popularity.

However, Makumbe said, the ZBH defiance shows the extent to which Zimbabwe has become a rogue state under the leadership of Mugabe and his Zanu PF colleagues.

“The fact that cabinet has issued directives tells you something. The MDC has no power to stop this. Both Tsvangirai and Mutambara are treated as junior partners in the inclusive government,” argued Makumbe.

Both factions of the MDC agreed to form an inclusive government with Zanu PF after signing the GPA at the insistence of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders who saw it as the only way of avoiding further conflict in the aftermath of a bloody and violent June 2008 presidential run-off.

The MDC has often implicated JOC in the torture and killings that occurred in the volatile Mashonaland East provinces where Zanu PF went on a retributive exercise after Mugabe lost the March 2008 Presidential plebiscite to Tsvangirai who, however, failed to garner outright victory.

Meanwhile, in an interview on Sunday the MDC-T deputy spokesman, Thabita Khumalo said: “As a party which is  a partner in the inclusive  government our  hope is  in the negotiations and as  you  know  last  week the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who is our party  President engaged ZANU-PF President Robert Mugabe over the jingles and nothing seems to  have changed.

“As a  democratic and people driven party  we are  going to  convene an urgent National Executive Council  meeting and which will shape the way  forward.

“After the meeting we are going to consult the people whom we represent to also tell us what they  want us to do over the jingles  issue.”

By Daily News