IT did not take long after the swearing in of Zimbabwe's new unity government for the reactionary elements of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party to demonstrate that unity and progress toward solving the monumental problems facing Zimbabwe are nowhere near a reality. A key member of Prime Minster Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Roy Bennett, was arrested before senior ministers in the coalition government were sworn in. Bennett is a white Zimbabwean and a well-known figure in the country. His coffee farm in eastern Zimbabwe was seized years ago by ruling party supporters and he was imprisoned for several months after being elected to Parliament and shoving then Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa during a debate after Chinamasa insulted him. Bennett went into self-imposed exile in South Africa and was returning to Zimbabwe to serve as the country's deputy agriculture minister. There had been arrest warrant issued for him, alleging that he was part of a plot to violently overthrow Mugabe. That accusation was widely dismissed as a ploy by ZANU-PF to try to discredit its rivals. The arrest marks a rocky start to what is supposed to be a hope that Zimbabwe has any chance to solve its problems politically and see Mugabe eventually move aside for the change in government that the country wants and so desperately needs. Also, in light of other developments, it points up that it is not necessarily Mugabe who is behind the recalcitrance of his party. The president apparently arrived at the swearing in ceremony prepared not only to swear in senior ministers but a number of junior ministers, as well, an indication that he was willing to put together the coalition government and move forward. It brings back memories of his reported willingness to recognize the opposition victory at the polls last year and proceed in handing over power. There are clearly entrenched interests that are demanding that Mugabe continue as Zimbabwe's strong man but it leaves us to wonder what kind of pressure has been applied to the president to persuade him to behave as he has. __
