Zimbabwe Election

[Bruv]

Two views on the present situation.

Firstly from an African point of view

And from a European

[Bruv]

African view of Mugabe's position (First link above)

A view from an african perspective, the writer questions why Mugabe has been demonised for daring to confront the remains of colonialism within his own country, while other far worse trangressors of human rights and more brutal regimes have escaped. He contends it is because the other regimes crimes were against its own peoples, while Mugabe dared to confront
Quote: "the white way of life in Africa, with all its odious colonial arrogance, was under attack.Mythologising the corruption and tyrannical crimes of Mugabe is hypocritical, given the then huge racial inequalities in the distribution of land"
Daniel Arap Moi, the former dictator and tyrant of Kenya was OK because he towed the western line
Quote:
"Wars in Congo, Sudan, Angola and Burundi did not get the coverage Zimbabwe got because they did not involve whites."

John Howard the ex-Prime Minister of Australia waged a war of attrition against black Aboriginal people, denying them land rights, led a bitter campaign of Commonwealth exclusion against Mugabe.
Howard is still a good guy, Mugabe a tyrant.....why ?

Second Link
Is from an English writer and is even more critical and explains more of the external pressures exerted on Mugabe, and the bias shown against him.
Quote:
"No doubt Mugabe is a nasty piece of work, but then so are some of the government heads that the West is more than happy to work with. Indeed, one could argue that, over the past decade, there was more choice and openness in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe than there was in Rwanda and Uganda, both close political allies of America and Britain. No, Zimbabwe was labelled the demon of Africa, not in response to events on the ground in Zimbabwe itself, but in response to the needs and desires of governments in the West looking for a purposeful mission in international affairs."

He believes the Farm policy was only minor in the crash of the economy
Quote :
"A key driver of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has been the West’s attempts to bring down Mugabe by turning the financial levers."

A list of these sanctions is shown in the article

Quote:
"Western governments have put Zimbabwe into an economic straitjacket and warped its internal political process. If the sanctions, blackmail and withdrawal of trade have helped to push Zimbabwe’s economy into freefall, then the relentless backdoor political interventions have disempowered the people of Zimbabwe."

At the bottom of the page there are links to back up the article.
Reading both and making your own judgement comes closer to the real truth.....I believe.

[Sweetpea]

So, by posting these two pieces of information, you are saying you agree/admire Mugabe?

[Bruv]

My comments copied and pasted from another site......sorry if its too long.

I honestly have mixed feelings about Mugabe.
I have listened open mouthed at some of his speeches, spoken in his peculiarly clipped tone. Much of what he says, appears to be the paranoic ramblings of a nutcase.
But he has lived through the events that gave his country a semblence of independance, and he still sees his own internal powers thwarted by multinational concerns, the riches of his country filtering away to far off lands, much the same as pre independence. Africa still does not play on a level field, too many trade tariffs stifle any potential growth.
Like many politicians he has hung on too long, out stayed his usefulness and welcome.
His aim was to rid his country of the trappings of colonial rule, to break away from western influence, but lined up against the interested parties that would loose so much he has lost.
His methods have been suspect, his integrity too, and any decent statesman would bow out.
I admire what he wanted to do, but not the way he ended up being forced to do it, and then continueing to go the same route even when it was wrecking the country he is said to represent.

[Sweetpea]

Mugabe, is a tyrant, a murderer, a thug, the most corrupt of the corrupt.

I too know a white Zimbabwean, what her family has had to endure is beyond belief.

Anyone who would openly support this man is beneath contempt.

[Bruv]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

So, by posting these two pieces of information, you are saying you agree/admire Mugabe?

I am posting two links with many pieces of information from many sources.
Can you sum up thirty years of history in a simple agree/admire yes/no format ?

[Sweetpea]

I can.

Robert Mugabe once was hailed as a symbol of the new Africa, but under his rule the health and well-being of his people have dropped dramatically, which is as much an abuse of human rights as arbitrary arrest and torture. According to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the world’s shortest life expectancy—37 years for men and 34 for women. It also has the greatest percentage of orphans (about 25%, says UNICEF) and the worst annual inflation rate (1,281% as of last month). He last allowed an election in 2002 but “won” only after having his leading opponent arrested for treason.

[poppy]

As I see it Robert Mugabe was once a great symbol of freedom for his people, as Mandela was and still is. There unfortunately the similarities end in my opinion.
Hitler appeared great and did many good, yes I mean good things for his country most corrupt leaders start off full of good intentions. Hitler was greatly admired in some of the countries surrounding Germany, as was Mugabe by those countries close to Zimbabwe.
But unfortunately after liberating his country, (and Yes I believe he did just that). He became totally bound up in himself and power. In my opinion he was completely corrupted by the power, by his own success. He became and now is a megalomaniac. I think the parallels between him and Hitler strong. The only saving grace he had is that he kept within his borders unlike Hitler.
He has destroyed his country, there are millionaires there who are starving because of the monstrous inflation.
If his people do still want him why hasn't he revealed the election results which would clearly show this, If they do.
If they don't then regardless of what he may or may not have done in the past, he has no right to rule now.
He has placed himself above the law of his own people. Why have elections at all if you are just going to grab power by any means.
No what was once a great leader is now a thug and a dictator there is no point in even pretending he cares what his people think, they have to do it his way or no way.
This is purely my opinion of the situation as I See it.

[Bruv]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I can.

Oh no you can't !!

‘Zimbabwe is Africa’s second-longest stable democracy. It is multi-party. It had elections last year [in 2001] where the opposition [the MDC] won over 50 seats in parliament. It has an opposition press which vigorously criticises the government and governing party. It has an independent judiciary which issues decisions contrary to the wishes of the governing party.’

You base your view on biased reporting in a biased press, from information from a biased government that you say is shite (The British Government that is)

Editing posts after posting is not fair.....

[Sweetpea]

You are biased Bruv, no doubt about it.

Editing posts after posting is not fair.....

What?