Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Golden Guvamatanga
13 October 2009
opinion
Harare — MDC-T have got President Mugabe's political maturity, astuteness and intellectual prowess -- which scaled new heights recently -- to thank when he partially saved them from the political embarrassment of admitting they could not get the sanctions they called for to be lifted.
The President, in his typical exhibition of political wisdom, told Reuters on the sidelines of the recently held United Nations General Assembly that he was giving the Obama administration time to reflect on the sanctions regime they inherited from the war monger Bush.
By stating this position, President Mugabe was also giving MDC-T a window period to search their consciences on the role they played in getting sanctions imposed.
It is understandable that Obama's hands are tied because sanctions can only be lifted by Congress, which is a process and not an event.
President Mugabe also said the same in his annual independence interview with ZBC on 17 April, 2009, when he said we should be patient with MDC-T over sanctions.
It is understandably difficult for MDC-T to go back and lobby for the lifting of the illegal embargo.
As Zimbabweans, we all believe MDC-T wants the sanctions -- which PM Tsvangirai prefers to call restrictive measures -- to go quickly but things are not that easy.
However, there are people in MDC-T who in recent weeks have been trying to run away from their shadows by either denying the existence of sanctions or by denying their imposition.
But President Mugabe gave both them and the US a chance to redeem themselves and it is hoped that this is an opportunity they will not spurn.
This is moreso for Obama who has just won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Under normal circumstances the sanctions removal lobby should be MDC-T's sole responsibility because we all know what role they played in their imposition.
MDC-T, ably supported by their friends in the West has been at pains in trying to deny the existence of sanctions by calling them "restrictive measures".
They have literally been stepping over each other, going on the defensive, apparently trying to suppress the shame that comes with exposure where one's past deeds return to haunt them.
Despite these spirited denials, which smack of political immaturity and dishonesty, the hard-hitting fact and stark reality of this whole sanctions issue is that they are real and they are causing untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe.
Denying their existence does not minimise the suffering they cause.
A brief history will help readers understand why this country, tiny and innocent as it is, is burdened with the heavy load of such punitive measures as sanctions.
This is the story.
Upon the realisation that the West could not take over power through the MDC-T as they had thought, they decided -- with MDC-T's complicity -- to put the country under sanctions.
MDC-T set foot on almost every city in Europe and the United States calling for their imposition so that the people of Zimbabwe would turn against President Mugabe, which would result in his removal from power.
They blindly thought that the sanctions would swiftly result in their lightning ascendancy to power.
Those with political foresight warned the agitated Americans and the West from punishing the innocent souls of Zimbabwe.
One such person is US legislator Cynthia McKinney who said in 2001: "Those who knew did not want to admit the truth and those who didn't know should have known -- that land was stolen from its indigenous people through the British South Africa Company and that any "titles" to it were illegal and invalid.
"Whatever the reason for this silence, the answer to this question is the unspoken but real reason for why the USA Congress is now squeezing an economically devastated African state under the hypocritical guise of providing a 'transition' to democracy."
McKinney went on: "I have not heard anyone proposing a United States Democracy Act following last year's presidential electorate debacle. (That saw George Bush elected US president by a Republican judge despite losing the popular vote to Al Gore by over 400 000 votes).
"And if a foreign country were to pass legislation calling for the United States Democracy Act which provided funding for the United States opposition parties under the fig leaf of 'voter education', this body and this country would not stand for it.
"When we get right down to it, this legislation (ZDERA) is nothing more than a formal declaration of the USA's complicity in a programme to maintain white skin privilege.
"We can call it an 'incentive Bill' but that does not change its essential sanctions nature. It is racist and against the interests of the masses of Zimbabwe. In the long run ZDERA will work against the USA having a mutually beneficial relationship with Africa."
What should be known to the readers also is that the imposition of the sanctions against Zimbabwe was as a result of the West's anger over the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme that President Mugabe initiated in 2000.
The West was never going to accept reality that this country had its owners and they would not be stopped by anyone in asserting this fact.
Further to this, the US would stop at nothing at nipping this self-assertion in the bud -- at whatever cost.
This was confirmed by the former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker, who in September 2001 called for the annihilation of the Zimbabwe economy by imploring the US Senate to "separate the Zimbabwe people from Robert Mugabe, we are to make the economy scream. And I hope you senators have stomach for it".
Having looked at the history of sanctions it is now of paramount importance to look at the impact of the sanctions against the country.
Section 4(c) of ZDERA states: "The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director to each international financial institution to oppose and vote against:
a) "Any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe", or
b) "Any cancellation or reduction of indebtness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the United States or any international financial institution."
Through the enactment of the sanctions the country was put under the spotlight for the wrong reasons through the gross misrepresentation of facts on the ground by the Western media.
Zimbabwe was portrayed by BBC, CNN, Sky and other television stations as a war zone.
Zimbabweans were said to be eating rats by the Western media.
Successive droughts did not help our cause either but everything was blamed on President Mugabe.
In August 2008 a serious cholera outbreak hit the country and again it was blamed on President Mugabe.
Travel warnings hit the tourism industry.
Zimbabwe was shunned by potential investors, which affected our economy.
People like Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa, Tichaona Sibanda of the "genocide in Zimbabwe" fame and clown priest John Sentamu among others almost became permanent features of the BBC.
They were said to be presenting the "real" Zimbabwean situation through statements that only made the situation worse.
Companies shut down, workers were laid off and hospitals ran out of drugs.
And in the midst of all this President Mugabe and loyal nationalists like Dr Gideon Gono soldiered on.
The Americans even hypocritically offered Dr Gono's a job at the World Bank!
The visible effects of the sanctions came to the attention of the progressive forces of the world who collectively sought to lobby for their removal.
At regional, continental and gatherings, the debilitating effects the sanctions were acknowledged, but some people still insist they are "targeted" or "restrictive measures".
It is important to take stock of possible reasons of why MDC-T and the West are not in a hurry to have sanctions removed.
Firstly, it could be because they have realised -- like many people in the world -- that they were wrong from the word go and are embarrassed to backtrack.
Biti appeared to have realised the gravity of their error when in a May 4 interview with SW Radio he said: "The World Bank has right now billions and billions of dollars that we have to access, but we can't access those dollars unless we have dealt with and normalised our relations with IMF."
We cannot normalise relations with IMF because ZDERA ensures that Americans block any co-operation.
When Tsvangirai went to take the West to solicit funding for the inclusive Government, he was told of "reforms" and "benchmarks".
Now the "reforms" and "benchmarks" have morphed into "outstanding issues".
Secondly, MDC-T and the West refuse to accept that what are in place are sanctions and not "restrictive measures".
In essence, they are telling us that the sanctions are here to stay because they will only deal with "restrictive measures".
On September 10, 2009, the recently tax duty-freed Western propaganda tool called The Zimbabwean published an interview held by another propaganda tool -- SW Radio -- in which Violet Gonda talked to a Geoffrey van Orden, who is a member of the European Parliament.
Van Orden shamelessly and hypocritically claimed that Zimbabwe was not under sanctions.
He said: "Well first of all, let us be clear there aren't any sanctions on Zimbabwe right? And there never have been. The sanctions, the restrictive (note restrictive measures) are against a small number of leading elements in the regime in Zimbabwe . . ."
On September 4, 2009, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Gorden Moyo denied the existence of sanctions, calling them "restrictive measures".
Then came the revelation.
On September 15, 2009, ZBC TV's programme Melting Pot then accorded Zimbabweans an opportunity to hear it for themselves as MDC-T Senator Obert Gutu and MDC's Gabriel Chaibva talked about sanctions among other issues.
The debate nearly degenerated into a pub brawl as Chaibva threatened to expose the real authors of ZDERA.
He said the people were in MDC-T and are occupying top positions both in the party and in the inclusive Government.
These are probably the same people being paid US$7 000 salaries by the World Bank for working in the PM's Office.
What is important here is the fact that some of the people who called for the imposition of sanctions are pretending to be representing the interests of the majority when they are actually perpetuating their suffering.
Now, in light of these points what can be done to make sure that Zimbabwe is freed from sanctions?
There are two options.
First is to shun the West's interference in our domestic affairs like what President Mugabe highlighted in his address at the just-ended 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.
Regrettably, while countries in Sadc have made great sacrifices and given Zimbabwe financial and other support at a time when they too are reeling from the effects of the global economic crisis, the West has refused to remove them.
Indeed, some of them are working strenuously to divide the parties in the inclusive Government (like what the World Bank is doing through their parallel government initiative).
President Mugabe went on to give them a stern warning when he said: "If they will not assist the inclusive Government in rehabilitating our economy, could they please stop their filthy clandestine divisive antics."
Need I say more when the President has spoken so clearly?
President Mugabe has eased MDC-T's task by giving them and the West time to review their actions.
Zimbabweans have to push for MDC-T to engage the West to remove sanctions.
We hope they take President Mugabe's message seriously and use this opportunity wisely.
The same way they asked for sanctions is the same way they should ask for them to go.
We continue to pray for our nation so that we may all see the light.
Long live Zimbabwe!
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I'm sorry... what sanctions are we talking about here?
Can someone explain it?
awt my good mate. what is interesting is they can never explain how it is they were able to purchase a shipload of munitions from china if there were sanctions against the country?? if they had money for bullets to kill off opponents surely there must have been small change left over for stir fried rice of noodles! But as we know the sanctions only exist in their imagination as an excuse for bad government and mismanagement of the state's wealth!! period!!!!
It is sad to note that pro-ZANU PF people are so blind such that they are still in the years of Napoleon, Kamuzu Banda and the likes of the King of Scotland . Days are gone Mugabe will never take back Zimbabwe to those cruelity days he used enjoy. He is in his last days believe me or not. This is his last tenure come next elections it will water under the brigde ZANU PF will be devided in tens. I know i have been behind Mugabe for years but time is gone guys let us accept reality and the real fact that ZANU PF killed the economy,its own people and brought the targeted sanctions because of their misrule of their on people. Ask people like Mujurus and even Munangagwa they can tell you ZANU is on the slop of its end. There are heights and lows in life,these people reached their heights and they never be back to those times, so the same as Herald and ZBC.New life is building up in Zimbawe and these guys will be no more soon, Saddam is gone so remained is bhobho which means he is waiting for his turn sooner or later he is going.. Chisingaperi chinoshura.
What sanctions are we talking about? The ones which are targetted on Mr Mugabe's ZanuPF. Now how they come into being? Easy, it's called the world losing patiance with ZanuPF saying that were going to do things to help the people of Zimbabwe and then doing the opposite. Land for the people they said , then Mr Mugabe's entarage took everything for themselves. Not just the farms, but business', mines and utilities. Hence why Zimbabwe is in the proverbial, Mr Mugabe has destroyed the country which I gave to all My people to share in harmony. I hold ZanuPF accountable for all wrong doings.
Oh dear, I managed to read this article to the end. The only really accurate statement was probably the last sentence : "We continue to pray for our nation so that we may all see the light."
Same old song from ZANU-Poof - "illegal" sanctions.......
Admittedly, the U.S. does have "sanctions" against 200 or so senior ZANU-Poof functionaries, but yet not against the people of Zimbabwe.
However, as "sovereign" as the ZANU-Poof's claim Zimbabwe is under it's present state of duress, the U.S. is equally "sovereign" and has the right to decide with whom it will and will not trade with.
Consequently, there is NOTHING "illegal" about the sanctions that the U.S. has on 200 or so ZANU-Poof's.......
Strangely, the question should be flipped on it's head:
If "sanctions" against only 200 functionaries of only ONE of the political parties are able to cause the economic devastation that we have all seen in Zimbabwe - what does this say about the distribution of wealth (Kapital for all you unreformed Marxists out there still) in Zimbabwe?
Why is it that these so-called "sanctions" against 200 people have wrought the economic implosion that is Zimbabwe?
If the 200 or so ZANU-Poofs under these "sanctions" control so much of the economy in Zimbabwe, then why do they continue to grab new farms?
One should question instead why such "sanctions" against 200 ZANU-Poofs have such an impact on Zimbabwe? Ask yourself who owns the wealth of Zimbabwe today? Is it the "people" of Zimbabwe or their ZANU-Poof overlords?
It would appear it's time for ZANU-PF to re-read their Marx...........
"Total Empowerment!"
Mr Julman, come sit at My right hand and Mr Mugabe and his 199 other sanctioned party stalwarts can be seperated to the goat pen. Mr Juhlman you do right a very good article.
Yes it might be tru that sanctions were imposed as a result of FAST TRACK LAND REFORM but the suffering of Zimbabweans was not a result of sanctions but was lack of vision and foresight by Zanu PF. 1) There was no need for FAST TRACK REFORM I mean why hurry as if we have been told the world is coming to an end in fifteen years-twenty years time we still have a long time to live so lets plan and execute out plans for the benefit of the country without compromising the quality of life and our national output GDP 2) How fast is the fast track land reform because it seems we are almost ten years after the land reform has started but still forms are still being invaded so is it still fast track or its something that we are going to live with for the whole of our lives