Owei Lakemfa
15 August 2008
opinion
Some weep for Zimbabwe. Some poke fun at its inflation rate which has led it to the removal of ten zeroes from its currency. For some, it is an outrage; the problem is Robert Mugabe.
He is a sit tight ruler; how can a man be president for twenty eight long years? Out! Mugabe, out! Anybody or anything in Zimbabwe's presidency but Mugabe!
All these are reactions against the symptoms; the causes remain untouched. Even some of those who know, or should know, take refuge in some amnesia and lament Zimbabwe's situation. As for African Leaders, many dig into the trenches of self righteousness from which they cast stones at Zimbabwe; stones which they, not Mugabe deserve.
In this, they become pathetic megaphones of the Western powers who hold Zimbabwe hostage, especially of Britain whose former Prime Minister, Tony Blair built the scaffold on which they want to hang Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe had in 1980 emerged from a bloody war of liberation; it was a badly bruised nation totally dependent on the West especially Britain. A major issue in the war and basic plank for development, was land.
Britain at the Lancaster talks agreed to provide Zimbabwe the funds to buy the land off White farmers who had seized them at the outset of colonization. But on November 5, 1997, the Blair Government repudiated the agreement with the declaration, "We do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe. We are a new government from diverse backgrounds with no links to former colonial interests".
With this brazen repudiation, the only option open to Zimbabwe was to seize the lands. With this, Mugabe was termed "authoritarian" and land seizures became the basis for American attacks and sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Britain, its Western and American allies imposed sanctions and began a "regime change" campaign which included pouring funds into Pro-Western NGOs, media, churches, and the birth of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by then Labour Leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
In the first round of elections this year, MDC won majority of seats while Tsvangirai won the Presidential elections but not with the constitutionally required 50 + votes. Which meant a re-run. But the West sensed victory for Mugabe, and pressured MDC to boycott it.
After Mugabe's declaration as president, the African Union (AU) meeting in Egypt decided on a mediatory path to form a government of national unity. MDC rejected it and insulted the Chief Mediator, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. This was partly because, the MDC's masters were in a dilemma; if the MDC, ZANU-PF and other opposition parties form such a government, it would be difficult to justify its crippling sanctions against Zimbabwe.
But after all the claims of "illegitimate government" in Zimbabwe and no coup, or people on the streets to overthrow the government, the MDC had to accept negotiations.
There were also comical reactions to Mugabe's re-election. Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa who with former President Frederick Chiluba confessed to rigging his country's presidential elections, declared the Zimbabwean elections illegitimate.
There is Kenya's respected and charismatic Prime Minister Raila Odinga who said Mugabe should be denied a seat in the AU because the elections were rigged. Ironically, his President, Mwai Kibaki rigged the elections in Kenya but Odinga is not asking that Kibaki loses his seat in AU.
There is also the Nigerian government which declared Mugabe's government illegitimate claiming the elections were rigged.I was an AU monitor in the 2002 Zimbabwean general elections and from what I know, in Zimbabwe, unlike Nigeria, the people vote, and the votes count.
Personally, I think the ZANU-PF should have replaced Mugabe back 2002, but his non-replacement cannot justify so-called regime change.
Basically, the problem with Zimbabwe is that it is trying to upset the international world system. A system in which the under developed countries are the hewers of wood and fetchers of water while the developed enjoy the benefits. A world in which we produce the raw materials which we sell into a market dictated by developed countries while we import finished products at prices dictated by the same countries.
So to punish Zimbabwe, the West has shut it out of the world trade, imposed economic sanctions against it, denied Zimbabwe credit, spare parts and pressurized private companies from either investing or doing business with Zimbabwe. It has also used its control of international media to carry out carefully synchronized attacks against Mugabe which most Third World media re-echo or even repackage as their own news.
With the conspiracy and sanctions against Zimbabwe, factory closures were inevitable as are rises in mass unemployment and a run away inflation rate. For those who think the cold war is over, they should critically examine the Zimbabwean situation.
Quite simply, Zimbabwe does not accept the World Order in which rich nations have tossed Africans from their independent entities into the slave camps of the Caribbean and Americas; from the forced labour in the Congo to imposed "Protectorates"; from colonialism to mere suppliers of raw materials; from "Import Substitution" to "Structural Adjustment Programmes"; from "Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers" to the "World Trade Organization"; from "Economic Partnership Agreements" to Globalization. In all these, the rich countries become wealthier at the expense of the poor which inversely, become poorer.
A socio-political and economic World Order that murdered Patrice Lumumba in the Congo, Eduardo Modhlane in Mozambique, Felix Moumie in Cameroun and Amilcar Cabral in Guinea Bissau cannot continue to tolerate a Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.
In today's world where Africa is in the process of a second enslavement and colonization through the WTO, Military Commands and globalization, the goliaths that crushed the Zikist Movement in Nigeria and overthrew Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana cannot afford to leave a ZANU-PF legacy intact in Zimbabwe
That is why to the West and America, to crush Zimbabwe is a task that must be done.
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envroconnect,your take on things in Zimbabwe is interesting. I think it is also flawed. But given that you sound like you come from W. Africa, it is note worthy how issues are playing out in the eyes of W. Africa which has very little white population compared to Southern Africa.
I have always felt that the white minorities (ex-Rhodesians etc) are over represented on this website in propoportion of black Africans. The views expressed are typically called African consensus, while this may not be the case. I'm therefore not surprised when Mugabe is welcomed in other parts of Africa (a significant part!).
To gauge African sentiments to Mugabe by westerners has always been the most difficult thing. Reading the comments on Zimbabwe, one can make very wrong conclusion that Africa blames all the problems in Zimbabwe on Mugabe.
This is real not about whether Mugabe is right or wrong, but to gauge sentiments. You are misguided by your comments because I strongly believe Mugabe is on the wrong path. There are other capable people in Zimbabwe who can be leaders or President...Such as Tsvangirai, Dr. Makoni, Dr. Mumtabara, Professor Ncube and others. The problem with Tsvangirai is that he has not sold his messege to the elite, even though the suffering poor understand him.
Your comments are welcome, please continue to participate!
Achimwene aPhiri, my brother, the problem with my good man Morgan Tsvangirai is that he has failed to spell out his vision of Gt Zim. He talks incessantly of removing Mugabe from poweras though that is the be all. Any thinking perso can see a lot of unanswered questions. He is so desperate to become leader of government because it only from this position he can deliver to his sponsors. How can any one call for sanctions against his own country??? He hoped that when the peaceful people of Gt Zim suffer and see their standards of living go down, they would rise up against the ZANUpf administration. Dont tell me that he did not ask for sanctions, l was present on three occasions when he addressed a members ONLY meetings of SABA in London when the sanctions issues were discused. I was then a member of the Southern Africa business association, SABA, whose members include the Queens bankers CASANOVE, Anglo-America and many other major players in job creation in the region. Lets hear from the MDC what programmes and visions they have for ZImbabwe besides shouting anti RMG slogans. After Mugabe then what???
Akafunboy, have you figured out that the first and second world wars were fought by more than 2 countries yet? Why dont you just admit you were wrong? Theres lots of unanswered questions here by you also. You seem to ignor a lot of posts. Why do you support and condone a leader that has so obviously beaten and murdered his own people to keep power?
Come now Indie, same old nonsense from you. Why don't you just pull your head in! You are not a Zimbabwean and your views are of a racist nature - Go and help Somalia and Sudan.
Welcome back Kube. You ok mate, need a blanket? You must be really suffering in the New Zealand winter. When have I ever said anything racist? How is caring for the people of Zimbabwe that have been beaten raped and murdered by your hero Mugabe racist? You need to pull your head in and stop supporting a genocidal murdered who kills to keep power.
awt...lets celebrate our racism. If being racist means you are clever enough to see through mugabe's thuggery then I am a fully fledged racist. I'd rather be a racist than believe mugabe is an angel..anyday!!!!
See all comments (29).
It is amazing to find that, with all this learning that zimbabweans have and indeed africans across the continent, we black africans are still craving to be enslaved all over again. One wonders how any body and indeed the so called MDC could believe that Britain, America and their european allies, really have an interest to care for zimbabweans.
The same have enslaved zimbabweans for 100 years, and only after a bloody liberation struggle, zimbabwe was freed, and I wonder if there is not even one person in the MDC who ever heard about the history of Rhodesia.
Its amazing, true, money is at play here, other wise no normal minded person would fall to any dirty tricks by Britain and America at this time.
Besides who told Africans that they are only human enough when the British and Americans, call them europeans if you want are administering them. Shame on the MDC, shame... Zimbabwe is not for sale, people just do not know Europeans will do anything to recolonise Zimbabwe, and we go for another 100 years, before another struggle starts.
Enough is enough, to make Tsvangirayi a Prime Minister equals to declaring the dead Rhodes a hero again.
Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.