Showing posts with label African politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African politics. Show all posts

Saturday, 7 June 2008

A menace verbal onslaught can't clear





The lion of Zimbabwe is still barking and biting while the world is unbelievably and inexplicably watching. I make bold to say that the United Nations and other nations that have the political and economic nerves to keep Mugabe in check and bring about a popular government have lost a golden opportunity to effect that change. Let's face it, Mugabe himself knows that Morgan Tsvangirai defeated him on March 29 but he did not know how to take that other than to joggle with the results for over a month and nobody did anything to stall the stealing of that vote.
Neither the United Nations, which has a wide range of powers to call some nations and their leaders to order nor any of the world leading powers took a pragmatic step to get that result out on time and protect the opposition victory.
Now with barely three weeks to the rerun, Mugabe has gone full blast arresting and detaining anyone he perceives wound not support him. His agents have even stopped Tsvangirai from public rallies and prevented aid agencies from supplying food to the poor. As if that is not enough, his men are now arresting and insulting diplomats, a domain always held sacrosanct by world leaders.
In all this, it is as if Mugabe has sealed the lips of his victims' countries and tied their hands as well because only a few dare to speak out against the barbaric acts.
The latest wave of crackdown on the opposition and the international aid agencies in Zimbabwe raises fear about the safety of Tsvangirai.
Would he be alive to take part in the June 27 rerun? If he survives, would his supporters be able to come out and cast their votes for him? If they do and he wins, will Mugabe allow the electoral commission to release the result?
The state of tyranny ochestrated by Mugabe and his thugs demands more of action and less talk by world leaders and international bodies. This is the time to tame Mugabe and his mad dogs or the world should prepare for a bloody situation in the weeks ahead.


Links:

Sunday, 25 May 2008

The sign of things to come before Mugabe’s, Tsvangirai’s second clash




To borrow from Rev. Jeremiah Right, the controversial Barack Obama’s pastor, the chickens have come home to roost in Zimbabwe. These are the days of mayhem in the highly famished but repressive South African nation, as the leader of the opposition MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, returns home to prepare for the rerun of the disputed presidential poll, which many believe he won, but denied victory by Mugabe and his cohorts.
Tsvangirai, who spent six weeks in some African countries apparently to escape the wrath of his adverseries who see him as an agent of the West, returned to Harare on Saturday, thus setting the stage for the June 27 rerun.
However, Mugabe still roaring like a scourged viper, spit fire on Sunday against the U.S. Ambassador, James McGee .McGee incurred Mugabe’s anger for reportedly urging Tsvangirai to return from his six-week exile to prepare for the poll.
Mugabe said of the diplomat: He says he fought in Vietnam, but fighting in Vietnam does not give him the right to interfere in our domestic affairs.
"I am just waiting to see if he makes one more step wrong. He will get out. As tall as he is, if he continues to do that I will kick him out of the country."


Turning to the U.S. top envoy for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, Mugabe said: "You saw this little American girl trotting around like ... celebrating that the MDC had won. A disgraceful act."
Mugabe has bounced back and ready to sting any real or imagined MDC sympathiser. A broadcaster said to be aiding the opposition was sacked last week. Now, what gives the world the hope that Tsvangirai can survive and stand the election?

Links:

Observer

Guardian

U.S. State Department

Allafrica.com

Saturday, 26 April 2008

Mugabe’s tactics still don't add up




And it came to pass. The election-which was meant to humiliate the opposition as usual, and give the maximum leader for 28 years another five years, turned the other way. Mugabe lost, Tsvangirai won. Like a drama, Mugabe cannot believe the verdict of the people and that it is time for him to step aside.
Even when the opposition went to court to ask for the release of the votes, the judge acted as if he was reading a script drafted by Mugabe forces, saying there was no urgency to warrant early release.
Surprisingly, while the court did not see anything wrong in still keeping the result under wrap, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission began a recount of the parliamentary results in 23 constituencies without being prompted by anyone. At the end of the recount, which has not boosted Mugabe's electoral standing, the ZEC has merely released results from 13 out of the 23 constituencies, which show that the MDC still won by more than two seats. But there is fear that the remaining ten may be added to Mugabe to upturn the victory of the MDC.
One can easily understand why the police immediately raided the six-storey building headquarters of the MDC and arrested no fewer than 215 supporters of the party and independent election monitors and took them into detention. They are to be charged for committing 'political violence'.
The coast is even clearer for Mugabe and his allies to inflict more assaults on the opposition as the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has fled Zimbabwe, fearing for his safety.
It is heart-warming however, that the United States has already declared the opposition won the polls while the United Kingdom has called for >arms embargo on Zimbabwe. Gordon Brown on Saturday deplored the climate of fear in the country and called for a concerted effort by the international community to halt it. But will that force Mugabe to beat a retreat, as his tactics just don’t add up?




Links:

Tuesday, 22 April 2008

What does Mugabe want the world to believe?



There may be something seriously wrong with this man. However, being a country’s leader, many still think that Robert Mugabe is well and kicking. But could this really be true?
How can a leader who is in his real sense sit over the result of an election concluded about a month ago? The most annoying thing about the election is that the results were computed and pasted at all the pooling centres for all to see. It is an open secret that the results are now being tampered with by Mugabe’s agents, who not only seized and kept them in their own custody but also on their own started ‘recounting’ when the results are not yet officially announced.
The question then, is who ordered the recount? For what purpose is the recount when the ZEC has said that it is too ‘risky to declare the results’? The United Kingdom and the U.S. have become very uncomfortable with the atrocious delay in releasing the vote outcome while some monitors have said the recount is a fraud.
One can understand the desperateness and despondency of Mugabe and his clique in their unholy bid to hang onto power even though staples like bread and maize have since disappeared from the table of the ordinary people they claim to be serving. The unfortunate thing however is that there is no history of anywhere in Africa or elsewhere in the world that any leader sat on election result and ordered a recount on his own term just to be declared winner.
From the way things are going, Mugabe may soon be declared winner by ZEC but he by this open manipulation unwittingly dented whatever is left of his image and further carved in as a despot not willing to quit when the ovation is still loud. This may be one victory that he may be ‘given’ but I doubt if he can engage in an open dance after the declaration. The best he can get from his generals and war veterans is a muffled applause that will not endure in any case. I bet him.
Links:

Monday, 17 March 2008

Mugabe's despotic tactics




I read with disgust in the Guardian of March 17, 2008, the threat by the Robert Mugabe government to further denigrate the dignity of humanity and freedom of expression by expelling journalists from the Western world,whom it accused of spying for either the United Kingdom or the United States. It is understandable why the threat is coming barely a few days to the so-called elections in Zimbabwe. This has always been the regime's unpopular tactic and may not surprise those familiar with a desperate regime.If it is not the arrest and detention of Morgan Tsvangirai, it must be the eviction of opposition voters from their abode just before election is held. Now that Mugabe's repressive style is well known, he sees nothing good in any journalist outside his government establishment.What a disgust from a regime that has failed all forms of tests on human dignity and has lost face with all that is good and meaningful but is desperately hanging on?
He lost an opportunity to salvage the country when he drove away white farmers who were producing food for the dying masses and pretended as if nothing has happened. He has since lost touch with reality and stop wasting Zimbabwean scarce resources.Does Mugabe not know that he has caused his people more havoc than peace, headache than economic emancipation and hunger in place of bread? If he was a conscionable man, with the fear of God in him, he would have stepped aside long ago and paved the way for a charismatic, God-fearing leader with the Midas touch to salvage the famine-ravaged country from the throes of starvation, misery and squalour. He is an expired leader who has little or nothing to offer his people, who are dying for change.

Links:
Guardian

Infoplease

U.S. official website

Zimbabwe official website

BBC