ly the truth and I want to tell Zimbabweans that it was not Tsvangirai and he will never do that he is a man of steel.
The MDC executive failed to put the record straight, maybe because of ignorance or it was a wilful act to hook the asylum seekers who were in the meeting.
To correct this misinformation I will quote from Home Office Policy Guidelines issued on 13 January 2006 regarding Asylum Seekers from Zimbabwe reference note 3.6.3
‘Genuine MDC membership cards are easily obtained and do not in themselves indicate any significant degree of political involvement or activism. On 7th August 2003 Secretary-General of MDC Welshman Ncube, issued a statement confirming that MDC would not assist any person in seeking asylum abroad, and only the Secretary General was authorised to confirm a person’s membership or to confirm from party records and incident of political violence against that person or property.’
The statement also confirms that no other MDC official had any authority to make a recommendation in support of asylum claim and only the Secretary General is authorised to write letters of recommendation.
My fellow colleagues, the truth is now in the open but also learn to forgive Welshman
Jacob Rukwanda, UK
When greed, ambition rule
EDITOR – Enemies of freedom who argue that democracy is not suited to all societies and that US President George W. Bush was wrong in principle as well as in practice in fighting to allow Iraqis to choose their rulers should read the recent report on Zimbabwe.
Millions have fled Zimbabwe or died from hunger, disease and violence. The life expectancy is barely half what it was 15 years ago and the economy has shrunk by 40 per cent this century. And it is all the work of dictator Robert Mugabe and his partners in crime who have entrenched their political power and economic authority by torturing, starving and killing their own people.
As with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe is a warning to the world of what happens when a state is run as a family or personal fiefdom. As in Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, in Zimbabwe the state and the dictator’s political party are all but combined.
Moreover, as with all states where democracy is ruined and official corruption flourishes, Mugabe ensures he will not be called to account for his evil incompetence. He allows his henchmen to loot the state.
China is happy to fill the aid and investment vacuum left by Western nations. And the prospect of the West removing Mugabe by military action is unlikely given and the US disaster in Iraq following the removal of Saddam.
Zimbabwe’s best hope is that the 82-year-old Mugabe’s regime will die with him, or collapse earlier under the weight of its own incompetence. Neither are morally acceptable solutions—but Zimbabwe’s tragedy is being played out at a time when appeasing or ignoring evil is politically popular in many of the countries that have the economic and military power to do something about it.
Francis Rugema & Dean Karemera, Kigali
SA media repugnant
EDITOR – I find it repugnant that some sections of the South African media have become so obsessed with making fun of the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. It puzzles the mind how people who have been through the harrowing apartheid era could now idolise Robert Mugabe, and even arrogantly observe his code of ruling by iron-fist. People have short memories.
It creates an impression that our calls for international help shall forever fall on deaf ears. Everyone knows that the political and economic decay we see around us today is man-made. I have begun to believe that our African brothers, who claim to sympathise with us, are merely shedding crocodile tears. They actually revel in our misery.
Time and again, reports of “economic turnaround” scream at us from the pro-Mugabe media domains down south. There are countless examples of such news distortions, churned-out by SABC and the Daily Sun newspaper. We strongly resent being arm-twisted to believe in such propaganda delusions of “Look East” policies that only exist in Gideon Gono’s fairy-tales.
We need to be our own liberators. International support should be the icing, not the cake. We now all know that we are hostage to an obdurate tyrant, who has managed to resist international pressure, with backstabbing hypocrites such as Thabo Mbeki relentlessly backing him, in spite of the misery he has continued to inflict on us.
JAY-ZAT, Jozi
Mukasa is right
EDITOR – It would seem appropriate for a Scot to be responding to Stanford Mukasa’s article (11-17 Jan) with the title reference to the Johnnie Walker Whisky label AND on the day after the anniversary of the birth of our National Poet, Robert Burns.
I heartily agree with his recommendation that the opposition leader could learn from Bishop Desmond Tutu’s non-violent strategies against South Africa’s apartheid regime! Indeed, there are lessons to be learned from other remarkable world famous leaders who found themselves in similar situations, Mahatma Gandhi and his great Salt March, for instance.
That, of course achieved results, not least because it attracted world media attention. So Mukasa’s point that, “When thousands of unarmed citizens take to the streets and confront their armed oppressors they are actually exposing the violence. AND THAT EXPOSURE CAN HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT, BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY,” is very true INDEED!
Why not a mass walk following the Zimbabwean boundary with South Africa – the oppressed following the Zimbabwean perimeter while their Zimbabwean diaspora living in South Africa following suit in solidarity on the South African side?
People power is what is undoubtedly the most likely possibility of moving stagnation and I endorse Mukasa’s own conclusion, “Mass action remains Zimbabwean’s strongest weapon against Mugabe.”
E Hope, Scotland
Pamberi ne new Zanu
EDITOR – This is an open letter to Edgar 2-Boy Tekere.
There has been an SMS doing the rounds that you, Welshman Mabhena and Enos Nkala are on the verge of forming a party called New Zanu.
This development is more than welcome as we are sick and tired of the overrated, lethargic Morgan Tsvangirai and the self-important Arthur Mutambara, who think their egos are bigger than the people of Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai thinks that the presidency is his and therefore should be handed over to him on a platter, while AGO Mutambara thinks he is still a UZ student out to cause trouble for the fun of it.
They are selfish and hopeless. They don’t put the people first.
Zimbabweans are suffering more than they did in 1999 when MDC was formed and all MDC have to show for their existence are two factions, which talk about unity but go on to field different candidates against each other.
Only people like you Tekere can stand the heat and stay in the kitchen. After all, you said Zanu was you, and you were Zanu. If I remember correctly, you used to be called Murambatsvina. Your nickname is more relevant today than it has ever been.
ZUM broke up because the CIO infiltrated it but hopefully you have learnt your lesson. You should also take on board people like Margaret Dongo, Roy Bennet and Elias Mudzuri. 2010 belongs to Edgar Tekere. Tatambura vaTekere tinunureiwo from the evil clutches of Robert Mugabe. Pamberi ne New Zanu!
Taneta Woye, Harare
They can’t kill us all
EDITOR – I am a first time contributor to you newspaper. It is now so very obvious that the Mugabe regime has absolutely nothing meaningful to contribute to revive the complete meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy. First he came with his war cabinet, which war he has been fighting and with whom? I think all Zimbabweans are still in a quandary.
Then he came with the silly and really unbelievable LOOK EAST POLICY. East to where? We all know that the Chinese, or whichever Asian country he will be selling Zimbabwe to will want a whole lot more than what poor Zimbabwe can offer. Zimbabwe, always goes on sale, wholesale and retail, at a give away price just to sustain and feed Mugabe’s greedy appetite for power.
Rudyard Kipling said “Here lies a fool who has died trying to hustle the EAST”. Mugabe has brought so much destruction, disease and poverty to the masses of Zimbabwe, we can only hope and pray that God in his ultimate wisdom will come through for all the people who have suffered so greatly.
I urge all Zimbabweans to use civil disobedience as a means of getting the Mugabe regime OUT. If he wants to shoot and kill then the army and all its weapons can only kill so many innocent people. They cannot kill everyone. We need to be brave and fight to the bitter end to bring about his downfall.
Johanna Charles, UK
Gono’s statement ‘disgusting’
EDITOR – I was disgusted to see that The Standard, following the joyride by some of its senior staff in Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono’s new Benz, has become increasingly friendly toward the governor. Almost an entire page of this week’s issue was taken up with Gono’s lengthy statement about the debacle over his new car.
Of course the statement did include his magnanimous forgiveness of the newspaper for originally stating that the car was a Brabus and not a S600. Perhaps that is what won the heart of The Standard’s editors and staff. I wonder how many Zimbabweans know the difference – I for one do not. Neither do I care. I have far too many other things to worry about – such as where to find the next meal for my family, whether there is going to be any water in the tap today, and what will happen if, God forbid, my kids need medical care in the foreseeable future.
It was pathetic to read Gono’s voluble prose about the personal suffering he claims to have been caused by the story of his luxurious and insensitive purchase. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word suffering. I’d like him to spend just one 24-hour day in the life of an ordinary Zimbabwean – one of the 99,9% of us who are not Zanu (PF) chefs or hangers on.
Disgusted, Mutare