President Mugabe was subjected to unprecedented public humiliation broadcast live on state television yesterday as MPs jeered, booed and taunted him throughout his 30-minute speech at the opening of the country’s Parliament. It was an ignominious moment for the 84-year-old leader, which starkly revealed the shift in Zimbabwe’s political landscape since elections in March when the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won parliamentary elections.

On Monday 110 MPs from the two MDC factions were sworn in and then stunned Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party by putting their differences behind them to vote together for a speaker, seizing control of the 210-seat House of Assembly from the ruling party for the first time in 28 years.

The day began according to Mr Mugabe’s script. An air force flypast and 21-gun salute announced his arrival in a vintage Rolls-Royce. Mr Mugabe stepped from the car in full presidential regalia, a broad green sash across his chest and chain of medallions around his neck. Before entering Parliament he led a ceremonial inspection of mounted police lancers resplendent in white pith helmets.

The only person who appeared to realise that the day would not be as smoothly stage-managed as usual was his 44-year-old wife, Grace. For the first time since their marriage in 1993, she was absent from the ceremony.

Expert View

The rowdy scenes in parliament do not indicate that Mr Mugabe’s grip on power is slipping. Indeed, the political deadlock could cause things to worsen

Jonathan Clayton

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Mr Mugabe realised quickly that things had changed. While the Zanu (PF) MPs rose reverently as Mr Mugabe entered the chamber the MDC MPs occupying the government benches stayed seated.

A minute later the chamber erupted. At the start of his address Mr Mugabe referred to power-sharing talks between the MDC and Zanu (PF), mediated by President Mbeki of South Africa, saying, “landmark agreements should be concluded, with the expectation that everyone will sign up”.

This evoked a bellow of jeers from the MDC benches. Morgan Tsvangirai has repudiated the latest draft agreement because it proposes that he accept the position of prime minister in a new “inclusive” government where most of the power will remain with Mr Mugabe as executive president.

The barracking intensified when Mr Mugabe referred to “regrettable and isolated cases of violence” during the June elections, even though about 120 MDC supporters were reported murdered and thousands were maimed and made homeless.

Some MPs sang: “We will not forget that you murdered us, we will not forget that you beat us.” Others simply called for him to shut up.

By now Mr Mugabe was almost shouting to make himself heard above the constant hubbub, racing through his speech to hasten the end of the televised ordeal. By the time he reached the halfway point MDC legislators were singing the anthem of the party, Zanu is Rotten, and clapping loudly in time. Mr Mugabe’s MPs responded by clapping and cheering whenever their leader made a point but they spent most of the time in grim silence, powerless to check the barrage of insolence from the opposite benches.

In his speech, as in his politics, Mr Mugabe ploughed on to the end. When he wished the MPs “fruitful deliberations,” he could hardly be heard. As he picked up his speech he clumsily knocked over the microphones in front of him in agitation.

On his way out MDC Chief Whip Innocent Gonese handed him a declaration from the MDC caucus, calling him “the illegitimate usurper of the people’s will”, and telling him that the only person who could open Parliament “will be determined by the ongoing dialogue”.

“Our position is that Parliament is opened by the elected state president. Mugabe is not elected,” said George Sibotshiwe, the spokesman for the MDC, referring to the disputed elections and stalled power-sharing talks.

Despite earlier threats to boycott the opening of Parliament the anti-Mugabe MPs proved more effective by turning up to heckle and jeer in front of the whole country. The public humiliation of Mr Mugabe did not stop the oppression of MDC MPs. Three were arrested yesterday as they tried to enter Parliament, bringing to four the number seized since Monday. “They are still in custody but we don’t know where they are,” Nelson Chamisa, a MDC spokesman, said.

The arrests coincided with a call yesterday from Mr Mbeki to the MDC and Zanu (PF) negotiating teams to come to South Africa for an immediate resumption of the talks. One of the MPs in custody was Elton Mangoma, a principle MDC negotiator.

“We told Mbeki we cannot resume because Elton is in jail,” Eddie Cross, a MDC MP, said. “I suppose he’ll be out pretty quick.”

Feeling the heat

— Tony Blair was drowned out by slow hand-clapping at a Women's Institute conference in 2000

— Walter Wolfgang, an 87-year-old antiwar protester, was forcefully removed from the 2005 Labour Party conference for heckling Jack Straw during a speech about building democracy in Iraq

— President Ahmadinejad of Iran was heckled when he spoke at Columbia University in New York last year. "You exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Lee Bollinger, the university president, said

— In July a heckler tried to interrupt the Right Rev Gene Robinson; the world's first openly gay Anglican bishop; in St Mary's, southwest London. The congregation drowned out the boos and hand-claps with a hymn

— Ben Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia in the 1940s, turned the tables on a listener who attempted to humiliate him by hurling a cabbage on to the stage after he had asked the audience to "lend him their ears". "I said your ears, Sir, not your head," Chifley replied

Source: Times archives

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