Opinion / Columnist
PM May's overdrive to re-engage vote rigging Zanu PF, are Brits on the wrong side of history, once again?
02 Feb 2018 at 02:16hrs | Views
"Britain is looking forward to working closely with Zimbabwe's new administration led by President Mnangagwa in various areas, including opening a new page where investments beneficial to both countries can be made," reported Zimeye.
"British Minister of State for Africa Harriet Baldwin said this after meeting Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired) in Harare yesterday. She is scheduled to meet the President today."
The single most important issue in Zimbabwe today is that the country must hold free, fair and credible elections. The country is in this economic mess with unemployment soaring to nauseating heights of 90% and 3/4 of our people living on US$ 1.00 or less a day. The poor are living cheek and jowl with the filthy rich ruling minority whose mansions, wealth and extravagant lifestyles are a crying injustice against man and God Almighty Himself! For nearly four decades now, the nation has been stuck with this corrupt and incompetent regime unable to remove it because it rigged elections, used violence including mass murder and stage coups to remain in office against the democratic will of the people. The internal factional fighting within the ruling party, Zanu PF, resulted in the removal of the one tyrant, Robert Mugabe, but only to have him replaced with another tyrant, Mnangagwa. President Mnangagwa has promised free and fair elections but has not implemented even one democratic reforms agreed with SADC leaders during the GNU, the last time the regime was censored by the regional group for failing to hold free and fair elections.
Zimbabwe's economic recovery is totally dependant on the country holding free and fair election and thus get rid of this corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging Zanu PF regime. The British government must not re-engage this Zanu PF, not until the regime has delivered on its promise to hold free and fair elections.
"Now, following Zimbabwe's apparent change of leadership last year, many in the international community are eager to invest (in Zimbabwe). The United States and other long-time supporters of Zimbabwe's democratic forces should not, however, fall for a poorly veiled charade of a military junta," wrote Todd Moss, a former USA deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs. See "Don't Whitewash Mnangagwa And The Military Junta" Zimeye opinion.
"The rush to assist a country as it emerges from the clutches of a brutal dictator is understandable, even praiseworthy. In such situations, the United States and its allies should support the forces of freedom and economic opportunity. This was the response in many places across Africa, including Ethiopia after the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Liberia following the ouster of Charles Taylor, and most recently in Gambia. These were true historical transitions. Zimbabwe's is not.
"In November 2017, Mugabe was placed under house arrest and ultimately ousted by his own army. Thousands of people flooded the streets, alongside tanks and uniformed soldiers, to celebrate. But this was no popular uprising restoring democracy; rather, it was a well-orchestrated coup designed to maintain the status quo. In Zimbabwe, sadly, the dictator may be gone, but the dictatorship remains."
There have been many cases, far too many as far as I am concerned, when successive British governments have found themselves on the wrong side of history as far as the people of Zimbabwe are concerned. The British government of the day should have acted more decisively to rein the rebel white minority regime of Ian Smith; it did not. The British government had its military advisors on the ground; they turned a blind eye to Robert Mugabe's Gukurahundi massacre, "moment of madness", as the tyrant has since admitted. The British government will hang its head in shame if it restored normal relations with the Zanu PF thugs in Harare and at the very time the regime is going into overdrive on its vote rigging activities!
"British Minister of State for Africa Harriet Baldwin said this after meeting Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired) in Harare yesterday. She is scheduled to meet the President today."
The single most important issue in Zimbabwe today is that the country must hold free, fair and credible elections. The country is in this economic mess with unemployment soaring to nauseating heights of 90% and 3/4 of our people living on US$ 1.00 or less a day. The poor are living cheek and jowl with the filthy rich ruling minority whose mansions, wealth and extravagant lifestyles are a crying injustice against man and God Almighty Himself! For nearly four decades now, the nation has been stuck with this corrupt and incompetent regime unable to remove it because it rigged elections, used violence including mass murder and stage coups to remain in office against the democratic will of the people. The internal factional fighting within the ruling party, Zanu PF, resulted in the removal of the one tyrant, Robert Mugabe, but only to have him replaced with another tyrant, Mnangagwa. President Mnangagwa has promised free and fair elections but has not implemented even one democratic reforms agreed with SADC leaders during the GNU, the last time the regime was censored by the regional group for failing to hold free and fair elections.
Zimbabwe's economic recovery is totally dependant on the country holding free and fair election and thus get rid of this corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging Zanu PF regime. The British government must not re-engage this Zanu PF, not until the regime has delivered on its promise to hold free and fair elections.
"The rush to assist a country as it emerges from the clutches of a brutal dictator is understandable, even praiseworthy. In such situations, the United States and its allies should support the forces of freedom and economic opportunity. This was the response in many places across Africa, including Ethiopia after the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Liberia following the ouster of Charles Taylor, and most recently in Gambia. These were true historical transitions. Zimbabwe's is not.
"In November 2017, Mugabe was placed under house arrest and ultimately ousted by his own army. Thousands of people flooded the streets, alongside tanks and uniformed soldiers, to celebrate. But this was no popular uprising restoring democracy; rather, it was a well-orchestrated coup designed to maintain the status quo. In Zimbabwe, sadly, the dictator may be gone, but the dictatorship remains."
There have been many cases, far too many as far as I am concerned, when successive British governments have found themselves on the wrong side of history as far as the people of Zimbabwe are concerned. The British government of the day should have acted more decisively to rein the rebel white minority regime of Ian Smith; it did not. The British government had its military advisors on the ground; they turned a blind eye to Robert Mugabe's Gukurahundi massacre, "moment of madness", as the tyrant has since admitted. The British government will hang its head in shame if it restored normal relations with the Zanu PF thugs in Harare and at the very time the regime is going into overdrive on its vote rigging activities!
Source - https:// zsdemocrats.blogspot.co.uk
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