Opinion / Columnist
Keep your Europe and we keep our Mugabe
27 Feb 2015 at 11:15hrs | Views
The European Union (EU) has resolved to extend the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe's First Family to February 2016. However, the extension is inconsequential, as life will go on for the First Family.
The First family had been under the illegal sanctions since 2000 and to the dismay of the West, they failed to achieve their mandate of regime change. Consequently, President Mugabe has increasingly become the darling of the nation, let alone the region and continent.
The illegal sanctions were principally meant to inspire a revolt against Cde Mugabe, the people's choice. Nevertheless, the discerning people of Zimbabwe refused to yield to the coercive measures.
Ordinarily, a method that fails to bear the desired results, time after time, must be thrust aside. Fifteen solid years of dismal failure, the 28-member bloc should have realised by now that the sanctions are not effective in the Zimbabwean context. Nonetheless, history has taught us that the EU does not learn from history.
EU is just failing to swallow its pride and accept the failure of the illegal sanctions in Zimbabwe. As they continue to maintain the embargoes on President Mugabe, the later also continues to be formidable and viewed as an icon, hero and diplomat in Africa.
He was chosen as the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Furthermore, he was elevated to the chairmanship of the African Union (AU). This alone is a show of confidence that the whole continent has in the African statesman.
The eyes of the 55-nation continent, plus other progressive nations in the Asian continent, view President Mugabe as a hero and a legitimate leader of the Republic of Zimbabwe. They all endorsed the 2013 plebiscites in which President Mugabe whitewashed the opposition.
On the other hand, the eyes of the paltry 28 nations of the EU and the United States view him to the contrary. The world cannot be forced to view things the way EU wants. The skewed view of a mere 28-member bloc against the whole world can never be a worldview whatsoever.
The issue of human rights violation that was used as the basis for extending the sanctions are groundless. If the EU wants the world to take it seriously, it must pinpoint incidents where human rights were trampled in Zimbabwe during the period under review.
It must not leave people second-guessing. The world needs to know what exactly motivated the extension of the illegal sanctions, unless EU wants us to believe that the purging of the rogue elements from the revolutionary party constitutes human rights breach.
One of the EU diplomats told the Mail and Guardian newspaper that "it is difficult to remove the restrictive measures when Zimbabwe is attracting negative headlines."
It is folly for the whole bloc to base its collective decision on newspaper articles. How many times did the media retract stories after it emerged that the so-called headlines pervert the truth. How many times did Mugabe "die" in the media that the EU relies on.
The extension of the sanctions shows that the bloc is in disarray. It indicates right but turns left. Zimbabwe has been receiving high profile business delegations from some EU member states such as Britain, France and Denmark. German and Belgium delegations are also set to jet in the country in April.
The bloc has just signed the National Indicative Programme (NIP) under which it will assist Zimbabwe with $270 million for socio-economic programmes until 2020. The money, for the first time since 2002, will come through treasury.
We had all thought that the inflow of the delegations from Europe and the funding, were attempts to thaw relations with Zimbabwe.
The extension of the illegal sanctions on the head of state who is the face of Zimbabwe, defeats the whole essence of the re-engagement endeavours. It also exposes the duplicity of the EU. You cannot claim to have the people of Zimbabwe at heart while you hate their leader.
Who amongst sane human can proclaim to have unfailing love on a family whose father you have declared a sworn enemy.
The EU is not sincere in its attempt to re-engage Zimbabwe. There must be a hidden agenda behind these re-engagement attempts. EU is only after the resources of Zimbabwe.
It knows for sure that it cannot expropriate Zimbabwe's God given natural resources while Cde Mugabe is still at the helm. Thus, the extension of the sanctions is a desperate attempt to remove the visionary leader out of their way. Gone are the days when Europe used sugar to entice our ancestors to surrender their heritage.
Some of the EU member states have realised that they are maintaining the illegal sanctions at the expense of their economies. They have realised that the ineffective sanctions are unrewarding and maintaining them is wild goose chase. This explains why Belgium lobbied for the removal of sanctions on state-run Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC). This put it at odds with countries such as Britain.
Other EU member states must adopt this spirit for it is rewarding. Belgium was rewarded when the Zimbabwe diamonds were auctioned at its auction centre, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. After all, what invited the illegal sanctions is a bilateral issue between Zimbabwe and Britain.
China and other Asian countries are enjoying sound trade relations with Zimbabwe and other African countries while EU maintains its fruitless sanctions. Time will come when the political leadership will labour to answer their children who will demand to know why they did not benefit from Zimbabwe's rich natural endowment.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London who is tipped to take over from David Cameroon, has already set the tempo when he blamed Tony Blair's labour administration for the problems in Zimbabwe.
We hope that when he takes over, he will turn his back on the retrogressive foreign policies and get rid of the useless sanctions. EU needs Zimbabwe as much as Zimbabwe needs EU.
Sanctions or no sanctions, life will go on for the First family and Zimbabweans in general. Innovative Zimbabweans have found ways to circumvent the illegal sanctions, hence their futility.
President Mugabe himself made a statement to Europe in 2002 in South Africa during the 2002 Earth Summit. In his own words, he said; "We do not mind having and bearing sanctions banning us from Europe.
We are not English, we are not Europeans. We have not asked any square inch of that territory. So Blair keep your England let me keep my Zimbabwe."
That statement still resonate to-date. President Mugabe has not asked any square inch of Europe. The EU must keep its Europe and we will keep our Zimbabwe and our revered leader.
The First family had been under the illegal sanctions since 2000 and to the dismay of the West, they failed to achieve their mandate of regime change. Consequently, President Mugabe has increasingly become the darling of the nation, let alone the region and continent.
The illegal sanctions were principally meant to inspire a revolt against Cde Mugabe, the people's choice. Nevertheless, the discerning people of Zimbabwe refused to yield to the coercive measures.
Ordinarily, a method that fails to bear the desired results, time after time, must be thrust aside. Fifteen solid years of dismal failure, the 28-member bloc should have realised by now that the sanctions are not effective in the Zimbabwean context. Nonetheless, history has taught us that the EU does not learn from history.
EU is just failing to swallow its pride and accept the failure of the illegal sanctions in Zimbabwe. As they continue to maintain the embargoes on President Mugabe, the later also continues to be formidable and viewed as an icon, hero and diplomat in Africa.
He was chosen as the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Furthermore, he was elevated to the chairmanship of the African Union (AU). This alone is a show of confidence that the whole continent has in the African statesman.
The eyes of the 55-nation continent, plus other progressive nations in the Asian continent, view President Mugabe as a hero and a legitimate leader of the Republic of Zimbabwe. They all endorsed the 2013 plebiscites in which President Mugabe whitewashed the opposition.
On the other hand, the eyes of the paltry 28 nations of the EU and the United States view him to the contrary. The world cannot be forced to view things the way EU wants. The skewed view of a mere 28-member bloc against the whole world can never be a worldview whatsoever.
The issue of human rights violation that was used as the basis for extending the sanctions are groundless. If the EU wants the world to take it seriously, it must pinpoint incidents where human rights were trampled in Zimbabwe during the period under review.
It must not leave people second-guessing. The world needs to know what exactly motivated the extension of the illegal sanctions, unless EU wants us to believe that the purging of the rogue elements from the revolutionary party constitutes human rights breach.
One of the EU diplomats told the Mail and Guardian newspaper that "it is difficult to remove the restrictive measures when Zimbabwe is attracting negative headlines."
It is folly for the whole bloc to base its collective decision on newspaper articles. How many times did the media retract stories after it emerged that the so-called headlines pervert the truth. How many times did Mugabe "die" in the media that the EU relies on.
The extension of the sanctions shows that the bloc is in disarray. It indicates right but turns left. Zimbabwe has been receiving high profile business delegations from some EU member states such as Britain, France and Denmark. German and Belgium delegations are also set to jet in the country in April.
The bloc has just signed the National Indicative Programme (NIP) under which it will assist Zimbabwe with $270 million for socio-economic programmes until 2020. The money, for the first time since 2002, will come through treasury.
We had all thought that the inflow of the delegations from Europe and the funding, were attempts to thaw relations with Zimbabwe.
The extension of the illegal sanctions on the head of state who is the face of Zimbabwe, defeats the whole essence of the re-engagement endeavours. It also exposes the duplicity of the EU. You cannot claim to have the people of Zimbabwe at heart while you hate their leader.
Who amongst sane human can proclaim to have unfailing love on a family whose father you have declared a sworn enemy.
The EU is not sincere in its attempt to re-engage Zimbabwe. There must be a hidden agenda behind these re-engagement attempts. EU is only after the resources of Zimbabwe.
It knows for sure that it cannot expropriate Zimbabwe's God given natural resources while Cde Mugabe is still at the helm. Thus, the extension of the sanctions is a desperate attempt to remove the visionary leader out of their way. Gone are the days when Europe used sugar to entice our ancestors to surrender their heritage.
Some of the EU member states have realised that they are maintaining the illegal sanctions at the expense of their economies. They have realised that the ineffective sanctions are unrewarding and maintaining them is wild goose chase. This explains why Belgium lobbied for the removal of sanctions on state-run Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC). This put it at odds with countries such as Britain.
Other EU member states must adopt this spirit for it is rewarding. Belgium was rewarded when the Zimbabwe diamonds were auctioned at its auction centre, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. After all, what invited the illegal sanctions is a bilateral issue between Zimbabwe and Britain.
China and other Asian countries are enjoying sound trade relations with Zimbabwe and other African countries while EU maintains its fruitless sanctions. Time will come when the political leadership will labour to answer their children who will demand to know why they did not benefit from Zimbabwe's rich natural endowment.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London who is tipped to take over from David Cameroon, has already set the tempo when he blamed Tony Blair's labour administration for the problems in Zimbabwe.
We hope that when he takes over, he will turn his back on the retrogressive foreign policies and get rid of the useless sanctions. EU needs Zimbabwe as much as Zimbabwe needs EU.
Sanctions or no sanctions, life will go on for the First family and Zimbabweans in general. Innovative Zimbabweans have found ways to circumvent the illegal sanctions, hence their futility.
President Mugabe himself made a statement to Europe in 2002 in South Africa during the 2002 Earth Summit. In his own words, he said; "We do not mind having and bearing sanctions banning us from Europe.
We are not English, we are not Europeans. We have not asked any square inch of that territory. So Blair keep your England let me keep my Zimbabwe."
That statement still resonate to-date. President Mugabe has not asked any square inch of Europe. The EU must keep its Europe and we will keep our Zimbabwe and our revered leader.
Source - Tafara Shumba
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