The Insanity of the confused Confucius Peace Prize - PDP

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) secretary general Gorden Moyo has said his party is utterly disgusted that President Robert Mugabe was awarded by China the Confucius Peace Prize on grounds of his supposed sound captaincy of Zimbabwe's economic affairs and alleged promotion of peace and stability in the 1980s.

"We would like as a Party to put it on record that we are dismayed by this show of malice by the organisers and sponsors of this confused Award. We know Mugabe as a narrow minded sadistic midget disguised in a giant's robes who has run down Zimbabwe to its knees," said Moyo. "The people of Zimbabwe have experienced the most gruesome reign of terror under him hitherto unknown anywhere in Southern Africa. He is an insecure and cowardly power-hungry ruler who has waged senseless wars in the region in a desperate attempt to gain attention and recognition. Like a tyoival coward his feigned bellicose disposition has seen him poking his nose in the Congo war that literally sapped the country's economy."

Moyo said PDP would like to inform the Confucius Peace Prize sponsors that they totally got it all wrong.

"The 1980s that they are parading as Mugabe's most successful years were actually the worst years in the history of Zimbabwe during which Mugabe presided over ethnic cleansing atrocities which accounted for over 20 000 innocent lives of Ndebele speaking Zimbabweans," he said.

"It is an insult to the people of Zimbabwe for anyone to suggest that the 1980s were prosperous. While figures may indicate that the economy witnessed some growth and education and health expanded during that period, it must be equally noted that more lives were lost in that decade compared to any other period before and after independence in 1980."

He said homes were torched down, property destroyed, schools shut, and opposition leaders and supporters hunted down like wild animals by Mugabe's private army, the 5th Brigade.

"For this reason, the awarders of the Confucius Peace Award are guilty of the fallacy of ignorantia elenchi- they are missing the point by a very wide margin," Moyo said.

"In fact the rule of Mugabe is paved with blood, violence, arson and cruelty. Evidence of all this is too glaring to ignore. Operation Murambatsvina, operation mavhotera papi, operation red fingure, 3rd Chimurenga, violence of 2008 and the recent abduction of Dzamara have been reported internationally and it boggles the mind how the awarders of the Prize missed these or they simply chose to ignore them. If the Organisers of the Prize have any iota of moral rectitude,then they should hang their heads in shame for rewarding murderers who masquerade as peace makers."

Moyo said actually, one needs to be a fool to believe that the State managers and the managers of the economy of Zimbabwe deserve recognition, acknowledgement or a pat on their back.

"For years now Zimbabwe's economy has been suffering from liquidity crunch, deindustrialisation, informalisation, balance of payments deficits, unemployment, shrinked fiscal space and abjact poverty just to mention a few as a result of Mugabe's wrong-headed policies. Today Mugabe is presiding over a full blown economic dislocation and yet somebody is thanking him for that- God forbid," he said.

"While PDP acknowledges the role played by China during the liberation struggle, which role included assistance in the form of weapons, training and food for the freedom fighters, the party is concerned with the post-independence activities of China."

Moyo said China provided weapons of war worth millions of dollars in 2008 for Mugabe to emasculate the opposition.

"To date China is the leading supplier of weapons to Zimbabwe. China also looted Zimbabwe's mineral wealth in the form of diamonds in Marange with the help of Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe got nothing. Currently Zimbabwe is used as the dumping ground of cheap Chinese products thanks to Mugabe and his lieutenants in ZANU PF," he said.

"To this extent, the Confucius Peace Prize of USD$15 000 given to Mugabe is an insult to the people of Zimbabwe. PDP agrees with Moletsi Mbeki who earlier in the year noted that Mugabe deserves a 'bad leadership award'as he has succeeded in ruining the economy of Zimbabwe."

He said PDP is therefore calling upon all the members of the intellectual community-academia, faith based organisations, civil society and the political opposition society to denounce the Confucius Peace Prize awarded to Robert Mugabe with contempt it deserves.