HARARE , Zimbabwe - President Robert Mugabe assured the people of this African nation they “had nothing to fear except me, myself” in remarks delivered during his sixth inauguration address. Mr. Mugabe emerged victorious in a hard-fought campaign in which he ran against himself. “I was a tough opponent, and I congratulate me on running a good, clean race. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and now that the votes have been counted, I pledge to join myself in working together to build a better future for the people of this country.”
He added that in the coming days, he would bring “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror” to every corner of Zimbabwe. “I am certain that my fellow Zimbabweans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor which the present situation of our nation impels,” he said. He then identified a list of enemies he would kill during the first one-hundred days of the newest Mugabe administration. “This nation asks for action, and action now.” Among the numerous groups on the new President’s “to kill” list are the following: human rights activists, election monitors, U.N. relief workers, Hollywood celebrities looking to adopt, and telemarketers. Professor Mike Maloney of the Kennedy School of Government said Mugabe’s ambitious goals mirror those established by a four-term American president, FDR. “The difference, of course, is that Roosevelt used his first one hundred days to put in place much of the modern welfare state, instead of just imprisoning, torturing and executing people.”
