Mugabe's Statesmanship embarrasses the West

President Robert Mugabe is a pronounced and decorated statesman who is propelled by a bedrock of principles which are built on a foundation of firm, unchanging, fundamental truths that form the very core of his over-arching philosophy. In the face of changing times, opposition and challenges facing Zimbabwe and Africa, President Mugabe remains steadfast with his exceptional levels of vision for the entire of Africa. He is a pragmatist that changes the details of his policies and his methods, but his expedient tactics serve to further his bedrock principles in the long run.

President Mugabe does not govern by public opinion polls, but instead makes decisions by following his own unwavering moral compass that is rooted in a sense of absolute right and absolute wrong. Since his youthful days he was under impetus to fight white colonial systems which deprived the black Africans of their fundamental freedoms. He participated as a formidable fighter that eventually brought independence to Zimbabwe. The ultimate victory of the black liberation movements shamed the British colonial master and relegated it to the dust-bins after a century of exploiting the local resources that were shipped abroad to foster development in the West.

The achievement of independence angered the white men who tried any form of trickery to discredit President Mugabe who nevertheless continued to embarrass them as he continued to apply policies that benefitted the local people. He is the only leader in Africa who is famous for achieving both, political and economic independence for his people.

When the liberation struggle recorded victory in 1980, he went a step further that all his predecessors in African states could not achieve. He engaged into land reform programme that corrected colonial imbalances by redistributing land to the landless peasants. This instantly made him a living hero who was envied by the rest of Africa, and all other former colonies across the globe. He created the spring-board upon which all African leaders are re-organizing their land reform programmes. Among his admirers, is South Africa which is contemplating the same for purposes of transferring the wealthy to its rightful people, the indigenous people.

At the moment, Zimbabwe is enjoying another crop of new commercial farmers that benefitted by gaining fertile land under the land reform programme. Prior to the land reform programme, only 4 000 white farmers occupied over 80% of the prime farming land in this country. President Mugabe disbanded this unjust system. This embarrassed the local white community and their home countries badly. Up to this day, they are still trying anything to reverse this programme to no avail.

These are some of the factors that compelled the West to impose illegal sanctions upon the country, as well as pursuing the regime change agenda. Unfortunately, the formidable leader, Cde Mugabe did not bow down to this pressure. Instead, he faced the new dispensation head-on by promulgating sanction-buster policies that propelled the country to the next level of development with more vigor. This enabled the country to become self-reliant as it ceased to depend on donor funds to service its budgetary requirements, a thing which most African States failed to extricate themselves from. Now that he has assumed African Union (AU)'s Chairmanship, we hope he will assist the rest of Africa to engage policies and strategies which facilitate them to acquire total independence similar to his achievements in Zimbabwe.

The only cardinal aspect that Africans need to do at the moment is to rally behind President for the period he has the tenure of office at AU. Certainly, his presence on this post will make a difference to the rest of Africa. President Mugabe is a rare breed of a leader who when he believes something is wrong, he plainly says so, and does everything in his power to fight against it. When something is right, he is willing to overcome any opposition to preserve and spread it without fear for any subsequent consequences, as long as he is aware that it is in line with what is good for his people.

He is a statesman who is ambitious and curious to obtain a position of power, but there are things he simply will and will not do to get to the top. He is a man of integrity; he speaks the truth always no matter how much is frustrates the victim. He is popular for that, each time he addresses delegates at the United Nations platforms. He leads by moral authority and represents all that is best in his citizens. President Mugabe has a clear vision of what his country and his people can become. He knows where he wants to take them, and what it will take to get there. He is never side-tracked by trivialities that he is ready to smash at all costs.
 
President Mugabe recognizes problems on the horizon and finds solutions good for both the short term and long term, as well as keeping in mind not only the here and now, but the world that future generation will inherit. This justifies his propensity, and impetus to repossess land, and parceling it out to the rightful indigenous people as their birth-right. Surely, under President Mugabe's leadership, the interests of the future generation are being taken care of.

President Mugabe is a statesman that is a cut above ordinary politicians.  Even the US intelligence services are scared of him. He managed to deflate Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation through Simon Mann, a mercenary, whom they had assigned to stage a coup de tat in Equatorial Guinea. They were nabbed here in Zimbabwe to the embarrassment of the global super-power. This shamed the West so much that they sustained global ridicule.

The same ridicule applies to Christopher Dell, the former US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, who came to Zimbabwe with the special mission to effect regime change. Dell had achieved the same with easy in Yugoslavia when he spurred the dislodgement of Milosevic Slobodan by mass protests. He faced a surmountable hurdle when he tried it locally as President Mugabe was a better strategist that managed to out-maneuver him, and then he exited Zimbabwe a frustrated man. On his day of departure after the expiry of his term of office, he even failed to bid farewell to the President as he was an embattled bitter man.

The West have selfish interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), therefore, they are always posing artificial problems in that region by meddling into internal affairs of that country. President Mugabe made a difference which embarrassed the West when he deployed forces in an operation code-named, "Operation Sovereignty Legitimacy." The Zimbabwean forces that are known in the region, and beyond saved the DRC regime which was under threat by Western funded rebels who eventually retreated paving way for the legitimate government to rule. This is a show of military prowess by President Mugabe who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

The West is scared of this iron man in Southern Africa as he is the best leader; Africa has ever had in its history. He is resilient and does not bow down to pressure easily. To the continent, I say rally behind President Robert Mugabe for Africa to jump-stride to the next level of development!