Opinion / Columnist
Enoughof Uncle Sam's bullying
11 Sep 2018 at 06:40hrs | Views
The sanctions are indeed about the US's proclivity for regime change in order to achieve its goal to change the power matrix in Zimbabwe from Zanu- PF to the opposition MDC Alliance that will be subservient to it and give US access to our natural resources.
Since the United States of America renewed sanctions on Zimbabwe on the eve of the 2018 harmonised elections results, my circles have been agog with debate, theories and interpretations, most of them off the mark.
President Mnangagwa has done a lot to re-engage with the international community after the political hiatus that ended in November 2017 with the coming in of the new political dispensation.
President Mnangagwa gave the US and its allies unprecedented unlimited access to Zimbabwe's electoral processes for the 2018 harmonised elections in good faith.
They had access to the voters' roll. They had access to observe and monitor the elections. They had access to every polling station. They had access to every political party. They had access to virtually everything. Even the court challenge was beamed live on TV. What else would one want? But they remained contemptuous and brazenly unchanged.
In the end it turned out that what US diplomats and representatives and those of its allies say on the ground is different from what their capital says. One wonders if those diplomats serve a purpose. They indicate left and their countries turn right.
Surely, the new Zimbabwean leadership has done enough to be respected and acknowledged. The new political leadership has done too much in a short space of time to open up the country.
President Mnangagwa's efforts must not be abused as we have seen them being abused by the US in particular when it renewed sanctions in brazen bad faith. The sanctions are not about democracy, good governance or accountability, as the US wants the gullible in the world to believe.
They are not about free, fair and credible elections. NO! They are about US's brazen lust for Zimbabwe's natural resources. They are part of the US bully tactics to cow the Zanu-PF Government and enable it to lay its hands on Zimbabwe's natural resources.
The sanctions are indeed about the US's proclivity for regime change in order to achieve its goal to change the power matrix in Zimbabwe from Zanu- PF to the opposition MDC Alliance that will be subservient to it and give US access to our natural resources.
Zanu-PF is a great afrocentric revolutionary party that has made it impossible for the US to plunder Zimbabwe's natural resources at the expense of the autochthons of this country. For that reason the US has tried everything in its power to get rid of the Zanu-PF Government.
It is common knowledge that even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has continuously been throttled by US influence in its structures when it comes to real financial assistance to Zimbabwe and yet Zimbabwe has done all it can to remain in good books with the IMF.
It is common cause that Zanu- PF, whose policies are premised on empowering the black majority, has been a thorn in the flesh of US foreign policy that seeks to advance US hegemony on other countries' natural resources at the expense of everyone else.
Zanu-PF has remained resolute and unapologetic on its position that Zimbabweans have a right to determine who exploits their resources and not be subservient to other countries. The sanctions that were illegally imposed by the US in 2001 and have been periodically renewed, have taught Zimbabwe that there are other options.
I was particularly impressed that the BRICS summit held last month in South Africa is another viable option outside the restrictive and bully tactics of the US and its allies. BRICS can offer different and viable options.
Zimbabwe can surely use the BRICs Development Bank to seek financial assistance for its projects and forget about the IMF. Zimbabwe can capitalise on BRICS. As it stands, it is a waste of time for Zimbabwe to think that US and the Bretton Woods institutions will soon mutate to become useful friends.
NO.
BRICS countries are not as manipulative as the US and its allies. That the BRICS invited President Mnangagwa to its summit speaks a lot of goodwill on its part. It therefore means that Zimbabwe should come up with comprehensive proposals and present them to BRICS, leveraging on its good relations. Certainly BRICS is the best alternative at the moment.
After doing his best to thaw relations with the West, President Mnangagwa was not treated fairly by the same countries that see themselves as the gods of the world. The US did not have even the courtesy to wait for Zimbabwe's election results. It just renewed the sanctions on the eve of results announcement. That is very contemptuous. It speaks a lot about the US attitude. BRICS therefore provides itself as the best alternative under these circumstances while the US continues playing Big Brother.
Zimbabwe urgently needs to fix its economy and needs countries that understand its plight and history. It needs old and new partners who are flexible and sensitive to its urgent needs and not the ultra-arrogance displayed by the US.
The BRICS offer a vast and wide variety of areas of co-operation such as mining, farming, manufacturing, technology, ICT, health services and capacity building, among others. BRICS also has a history of dealing with emerging markets and Zimbabwe can leverage on the BRICS experience.
Since the United States of America renewed sanctions on Zimbabwe on the eve of the 2018 harmonised elections results, my circles have been agog with debate, theories and interpretations, most of them off the mark.
President Mnangagwa has done a lot to re-engage with the international community after the political hiatus that ended in November 2017 with the coming in of the new political dispensation.
President Mnangagwa gave the US and its allies unprecedented unlimited access to Zimbabwe's electoral processes for the 2018 harmonised elections in good faith.
They had access to the voters' roll. They had access to observe and monitor the elections. They had access to every polling station. They had access to every political party. They had access to virtually everything. Even the court challenge was beamed live on TV. What else would one want? But they remained contemptuous and brazenly unchanged.
In the end it turned out that what US diplomats and representatives and those of its allies say on the ground is different from what their capital says. One wonders if those diplomats serve a purpose. They indicate left and their countries turn right.
Surely, the new Zimbabwean leadership has done enough to be respected and acknowledged. The new political leadership has done too much in a short space of time to open up the country.
President Mnangagwa's efforts must not be abused as we have seen them being abused by the US in particular when it renewed sanctions in brazen bad faith. The sanctions are not about democracy, good governance or accountability, as the US wants the gullible in the world to believe.
They are not about free, fair and credible elections. NO! They are about US's brazen lust for Zimbabwe's natural resources. They are part of the US bully tactics to cow the Zanu-PF Government and enable it to lay its hands on Zimbabwe's natural resources.
The sanctions are indeed about the US's proclivity for regime change in order to achieve its goal to change the power matrix in Zimbabwe from Zanu- PF to the opposition MDC Alliance that will be subservient to it and give US access to our natural resources.
It is common knowledge that even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has continuously been throttled by US influence in its structures when it comes to real financial assistance to Zimbabwe and yet Zimbabwe has done all it can to remain in good books with the IMF.
It is common cause that Zanu- PF, whose policies are premised on empowering the black majority, has been a thorn in the flesh of US foreign policy that seeks to advance US hegemony on other countries' natural resources at the expense of everyone else.
Zanu-PF has remained resolute and unapologetic on its position that Zimbabweans have a right to determine who exploits their resources and not be subservient to other countries. The sanctions that were illegally imposed by the US in 2001 and have been periodically renewed, have taught Zimbabwe that there are other options.
I was particularly impressed that the BRICS summit held last month in South Africa is another viable option outside the restrictive and bully tactics of the US and its allies. BRICS can offer different and viable options.
Zimbabwe can surely use the BRICs Development Bank to seek financial assistance for its projects and forget about the IMF. Zimbabwe can capitalise on BRICS. As it stands, it is a waste of time for Zimbabwe to think that US and the Bretton Woods institutions will soon mutate to become useful friends.
NO.
BRICS countries are not as manipulative as the US and its allies. That the BRICS invited President Mnangagwa to its summit speaks a lot of goodwill on its part. It therefore means that Zimbabwe should come up with comprehensive proposals and present them to BRICS, leveraging on its good relations. Certainly BRICS is the best alternative at the moment.
After doing his best to thaw relations with the West, President Mnangagwa was not treated fairly by the same countries that see themselves as the gods of the world. The US did not have even the courtesy to wait for Zimbabwe's election results. It just renewed the sanctions on the eve of results announcement. That is very contemptuous. It speaks a lot about the US attitude. BRICS therefore provides itself as the best alternative under these circumstances while the US continues playing Big Brother.
Zimbabwe urgently needs to fix its economy and needs countries that understand its plight and history. It needs old and new partners who are flexible and sensitive to its urgent needs and not the ultra-arrogance displayed by the US.
The BRICS offer a vast and wide variety of areas of co-operation such as mining, farming, manufacturing, technology, ICT, health services and capacity building, among others. BRICS also has a history of dealing with emerging markets and Zimbabwe can leverage on the BRICS experience.
Source - the herald
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