Mugabe: Terror at home and pariah abroad

Posted on http://mindtheglo.be on Tuesday 3rd June, 2008


President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe must have miscalculated the general feeling of the international community towards him by daring to go to Rome for the World Food Summit (WFS), which opens today.

He must have taken the patience that world leaders have had for his autocratic rule of 28 years - that has left his country in a comatose state and driven inflation to the highest in recent history - as a sign of endorsement of his atrocities.

But the reality must have dawned on him by now. While the British Prime Minister u-turned on hearing that Mugabe was already in Rome for the WFS, the Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, described the Zimbabwean head of state's presence in Rome as "obscene".

But make no mistake about his antics back home: he is a king that is being worshipped as a god and his word is supreme. Even as he is being taunted and treated as a leper by world leaders, his forces are fast-moving against Morgan Tsvangirai and his party in the run up to the June 27 presidential rerun.

On Monday, no fewer than two opposition law makers and 70 other supporters had been arrested and detained by Mugabe forces on trumped-up charges of inciting violence.

Mugabe is also threatening to deal ruthlessly with the American Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr. James McGee, for daring to insist democracy must take roots in Harare.

The unfortunate thing is that while the world expects a change of government in Zimbabwe, they have not done enough to encourage the forces of change to consolidate themselves in the country.

As it turned out, the UN and many of the world powers did not pile enough pressure on Harare to get the results of the May 29 election out on time thereby allowing Mugabe's sympathisers to come up with a 'result' on their own terms and at their own time, thus getting away with the true wish of the people.

Having recovered from Tsvangirai's pyrrhic victory, Mugabe now barks like a wounded lion eager to devour anyone on his way as the date for the rerun draws closer, his humiliation in Rome notwithstanding.