It was a forlorn cry by Robert Mugabe at the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly last week. It is surprising that with the nation as bankrupt as it is currently, Mugabe insists on flying to New York for the annual talk show purely for selfish reasons. (Pictured: John Makumbe)
Mugabe once again pleaded for the lifting of sanctions, the swan song that his part has been chanting for years. He questioned the motives of those countries that he accuses of imposing the targeted measures against him and some 200 of his minions. Their motives are clearly that Zimbabwe should be governed in a humane manner that ensures that human rights are observed, the rule of law is upheld, democracy is allowed to prevail, and justice is pursued to the fullest extent of the laws of this nation. These are all the very issues on which Mugabe and his outgoing Zanu (PF) government have failed dismally. Crying for the removal of sanctions is therefore like crying for the moon.Mugabe threatens that if sanctions are not removed then Zimbabwe will go it alone. We have all seen what that has done to this nation in the past ten years. We have seen this country being devastated to the extent that schools and hospitals have had to close down, unemployment has exceeded 90%, and inflation has reached astronomical twelve digit levels under Mugabes go it alone approach.
Does the old man think that he can have the next 10 years to repeat the same sort of bad governance of this country while the international community watches listlessly? Zimbabweans have now reached the stage where they are prepared to stop Mugabe in his tracks by any means possible. The personal sanctions must stay firmly in place until Mugabe and Zanu (PF) behave themselves politically. Indeed, the fact that Mugabe is crying for the removal of sanctions is adequate testimony that the embargo has been outstandingly effective in curbing the outgoing regimes excesses. Good old Mugabe claims that the inclusive government has defined its priorities as the maintenance of conditions of peace and stability, economic recovery, development, promotion of human rights, blah, blah. Really? Then where are the conditions of peace when Mugabe is secretly meeting with the members of the now defunct JOC behind closed doors? What conditions of peace exist in Zimbabwe when the Zanu (PF) militia and the soldiers are setting up inexplicable bases and no go zones in some rural areas?
What peace is Mugabe talking about when selected MDC legislators are being harassed and harangued on trumped up charges? What promotion of human rights has been witnessed in Zimbabwe since the inauguration of the impotent inclusive government?
For some reason, Mugabe thinks that all the people who will be listening to him in these international forums are not aware of the realities on the ground in Zimbabwe. This failure to appreciate the impact of the information highway on global developments is a sad handicap for the long over-due commander in chief of defence forces. Western powers are not engaged in any divisive antics against the inclusive government. They have nothing to gain from such practices. The truth of the matter is that democratic countries always seek to work closely with other democratic forces in Zimbabwe. But when they do so, Mugabe thinks that they are undermining his inclusive government. His reluctance to fully implement the GPA is the sole reason why sanctions against him and his ilk should not be lifted. SADC can scream all it wants to, but progressive forces are not going to pay any attention to them until the GPA is fully implemented.
Post published in: Opinions