Opinion / Letters
Open letter to Ambassador Charles Ray: Psychology Maziwisa
30 Jan 2012 at 09:24hrs | Views
Dear Ambassador Charles Ray
I read with interest your speech on the state of Zimbabwe-US relations and have decided to share my opinion on the matter, if only in brief. You have achieved many wonderful things during your term in Harare as American Ambassador, including helping in the battle against HIV and Aids and bolstering agricultural production. That's very commendable work indeed and I can only wish you equal success in your future efforts.
But, for all your admirable accomplishments, Charles, one fundamental issue has remained woefully unresolved.
The willingness or otherwise of the American government to recognise Zimbabwe as a truly independent nation, capable of charting its own future without external interference, will determine whether Zimbabwe-US relations will succeed or, just as likely, fail.
No reasonable person can ever question the significance to any nation of cultivating good relations with the international community, especially with a country of such huge economic importance as the United States.
But here is the thing: The current tensions between Harare and Washington are neither unreasonable nor unexpected, they cannot be wished away. They are a direct result of America's intention and desire, over a very long period, to topple the government of President Robert Mugabe and to replace it with a regime more amenable to its predatory economic interests.
The facts speak for themselves. In 2001, and acting purely on uncorroborated evidence, the United States government imposed financial sanctions on Harare on the bogus grounds that President Mugabe's Government was violating the civil liberties of its people. Of course that was nonsense.
The political situation in Zimbabwe at the time was anything but deplorable; it did not warrant the imposition of sanctions. The opposition MDC won the majority of the seats in the House of Assembly around the same period. Those on the bench interpreted the law impartially and judiciously, without fear or favour.
But let's suppose for a minute, Charles, that America's concerns about Harare are genuine. Washington's own track record on human rights is very poor. President Obama, an otherwise great statesman who has my best wishes in his re-election bid, has since reneged on his undertaking to shut down Guantanamo Prison where some of the most sickening and barbaric acts of torture since World War II are taking place on a daily basis, and have been for the past 10 years.
Furthermore, the Obama administration, of which you are an integral component, has broadened its definition of war powers ostensibly in order to silence critics around the world and, presumably, to take any such critics to secret locations like Guantanamo where they cannot see an attorney or invoke any of the constitutional rights ordinarily available to detained persons.
Charles, most people would regard a nation that acts in this repressive way, not as a champion of human rights or democracy or any of that self-serving rubbish but, ipso facto, a dictatorship. Accordingly, your government is in no position, moral or otherwise, to talk of rights abuses anywhere in the world let alone in a peaceful and God-fearing country like Zimbabwe.
President Mugabe's only crime, and I hope you know this in your heart of hearts, is that he has decided to stand for what is right: the economic independence of his people. In doing so, he has rattled many including the US government whose preference has long been to perpetuate white-skin privilege in Zimbabwe.
For this reason and this reason alone, they now want him gone and the imposition of sanctions is part of their means of achieving just that. Regrettably, ordinary Zimbabweans are the ones who have been caught up in the meat grinder. But does your country give a damn? I didn't think so.
I'm sorry Charles, but if you cannot see what a rogue state America has become, then you are not thinking straight.
Instead of helping ameliorate the plight of our people by removing these sanctions, the US is looking to increase pressure on the government of President Mugabe by imposing even more.
I am personally aware that your government is secretly pressuring Russia and China, as members of the United Nations Security Council, to agree to further sanctions on Zimbabwe in addition to those already enforced by the European Union and the United States.
Fortunately, Russia and China will not be duped into committing heinous crimes against humanity. As far as they are concerned, there exists no reason to warrant the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe. God bless the people of Russia and China. Yet the evil of your government knows no bounds. With or without Russia or China, Washington is intent on imposing increased sanctions on Zimbabwe in further attempts to send Harare's economy to the gutter and to overthrow the regime of President Mugabe.
In that regard, and as you are well aware, they have since placed Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources on their new sanctions list despite an earlier decision by the Kimberley Process to allow the sale of Zimbabwe's diamonds without further encumbrance. Charles, this speaks of a very sinister agenda and demonstrates quite clearly that America is concerned merely about its own interests and not much else.
With these bolstered sanctions in place, and hopefully with the support of South Africa and other Sadc countries with which your government has lately held numerous meetings on Zimbabwe, Washington hopes to extend Zimbabwe's isolation.
It expects, too, that it will continue to render financial and tactical support to the Movement for Democratic Change project, MDC aligned civil society organisations and the so-called independent media, in the misguided hope that this time the Government of President Mugabe will fall.
But you see Charles, Zimbabwe's problems, no matter how outrageous, are for the people of Zimbabwe to fix. Certainly it is not for a western country with the blood of millions of innocent Iraqis and Libyans on its hands - and soon of Syrians and Iranians, to direct us as to how to go about solving our challenges especially if that help has not been solicited.
I am prepared to assume that, personally, you mean well and that part of your New Year's resolution is indeed to help improve Zimbabwe-US relations. That is very good, Charles, except for one small problem: the same could not be said of the United States of America.
In the circumstances, your call for our two countries to look more at areas of mutual agreement is great, but, I'm afraid, because it ignores some underlying truths, it will remain just an idea.
The only practical way by which to measure your country's sincerity is if she stops all attempts, covert and overt, to impose a government on the people of Zimbabwe and to forthwith abort any relationship whatsoever with any Zimbabwean political party outside of accepted government protocol.
If America can commit to this civilised way of doing things, I have no doubt in my mind that that would go a long way in our efforts to mend a damaged relationship that now faces the ever-increasing possibility of breaking down permanently and irretrievably.
You have my best wishes for the remainder of your tenure here.
Yours sincerely,
Psychology Maziwisa.
I read with interest your speech on the state of Zimbabwe-US relations and have decided to share my opinion on the matter, if only in brief. You have achieved many wonderful things during your term in Harare as American Ambassador, including helping in the battle against HIV and Aids and bolstering agricultural production. That's very commendable work indeed and I can only wish you equal success in your future efforts.
But, for all your admirable accomplishments, Charles, one fundamental issue has remained woefully unresolved.
The willingness or otherwise of the American government to recognise Zimbabwe as a truly independent nation, capable of charting its own future without external interference, will determine whether Zimbabwe-US relations will succeed or, just as likely, fail.
No reasonable person can ever question the significance to any nation of cultivating good relations with the international community, especially with a country of such huge economic importance as the United States.
But here is the thing: The current tensions between Harare and Washington are neither unreasonable nor unexpected, they cannot be wished away. They are a direct result of America's intention and desire, over a very long period, to topple the government of President Robert Mugabe and to replace it with a regime more amenable to its predatory economic interests.
The facts speak for themselves. In 2001, and acting purely on uncorroborated evidence, the United States government imposed financial sanctions on Harare on the bogus grounds that President Mugabe's Government was violating the civil liberties of its people. Of course that was nonsense.
The political situation in Zimbabwe at the time was anything but deplorable; it did not warrant the imposition of sanctions. The opposition MDC won the majority of the seats in the House of Assembly around the same period. Those on the bench interpreted the law impartially and judiciously, without fear or favour.
But let's suppose for a minute, Charles, that America's concerns about Harare are genuine. Washington's own track record on human rights is very poor. President Obama, an otherwise great statesman who has my best wishes in his re-election bid, has since reneged on his undertaking to shut down Guantanamo Prison where some of the most sickening and barbaric acts of torture since World War II are taking place on a daily basis, and have been for the past 10 years.
Furthermore, the Obama administration, of which you are an integral component, has broadened its definition of war powers ostensibly in order to silence critics around the world and, presumably, to take any such critics to secret locations like Guantanamo where they cannot see an attorney or invoke any of the constitutional rights ordinarily available to detained persons.
Charles, most people would regard a nation that acts in this repressive way, not as a champion of human rights or democracy or any of that self-serving rubbish but, ipso facto, a dictatorship. Accordingly, your government is in no position, moral or otherwise, to talk of rights abuses anywhere in the world let alone in a peaceful and God-fearing country like Zimbabwe.
President Mugabe's only crime, and I hope you know this in your heart of hearts, is that he has decided to stand for what is right: the economic independence of his people. In doing so, he has rattled many including the US government whose preference has long been to perpetuate white-skin privilege in Zimbabwe.
For this reason and this reason alone, they now want him gone and the imposition of sanctions is part of their means of achieving just that. Regrettably, ordinary Zimbabweans are the ones who have been caught up in the meat grinder. But does your country give a damn? I didn't think so.
Instead of helping ameliorate the plight of our people by removing these sanctions, the US is looking to increase pressure on the government of President Mugabe by imposing even more.
I am personally aware that your government is secretly pressuring Russia and China, as members of the United Nations Security Council, to agree to further sanctions on Zimbabwe in addition to those already enforced by the European Union and the United States.
Fortunately, Russia and China will not be duped into committing heinous crimes against humanity. As far as they are concerned, there exists no reason to warrant the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe. God bless the people of Russia and China. Yet the evil of your government knows no bounds. With or without Russia or China, Washington is intent on imposing increased sanctions on Zimbabwe in further attempts to send Harare's economy to the gutter and to overthrow the regime of President Mugabe.
In that regard, and as you are well aware, they have since placed Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources on their new sanctions list despite an earlier decision by the Kimberley Process to allow the sale of Zimbabwe's diamonds without further encumbrance. Charles, this speaks of a very sinister agenda and demonstrates quite clearly that America is concerned merely about its own interests and not much else.
With these bolstered sanctions in place, and hopefully with the support of South Africa and other Sadc countries with which your government has lately held numerous meetings on Zimbabwe, Washington hopes to extend Zimbabwe's isolation.
It expects, too, that it will continue to render financial and tactical support to the Movement for Democratic Change project, MDC aligned civil society organisations and the so-called independent media, in the misguided hope that this time the Government of President Mugabe will fall.
But you see Charles, Zimbabwe's problems, no matter how outrageous, are for the people of Zimbabwe to fix. Certainly it is not for a western country with the blood of millions of innocent Iraqis and Libyans on its hands - and soon of Syrians and Iranians, to direct us as to how to go about solving our challenges especially if that help has not been solicited.
I am prepared to assume that, personally, you mean well and that part of your New Year's resolution is indeed to help improve Zimbabwe-US relations. That is very good, Charles, except for one small problem: the same could not be said of the United States of America.
In the circumstances, your call for our two countries to look more at areas of mutual agreement is great, but, I'm afraid, because it ignores some underlying truths, it will remain just an idea.
The only practical way by which to measure your country's sincerity is if she stops all attempts, covert and overt, to impose a government on the people of Zimbabwe and to forthwith abort any relationship whatsoever with any Zimbabwean political party outside of accepted government protocol.
If America can commit to this civilised way of doing things, I have no doubt in my mind that that would go a long way in our efforts to mend a damaged relationship that now faces the ever-increasing possibility of breaking down permanently and irretrievably.
You have my best wishes for the remainder of your tenure here.
Yours sincerely,
Psychology Maziwisa.
Source - Chronicle
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