Maravi

Mugabe's proclamations of sovereignty

Mugabe's proclamations of sovereignty
By Editor
Friday December 14, 2007 [03:00]

The proclamation by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe that their sovereignty, today and in the future, is not negotiable and that the economic empowerment of their indigenous people cannot be compromised cannot attract any disquisition. The subordination of one country to another must disappear before any democracy can exist. How can a country that is dependent, that has lost sovereignty be democratic?

It can't be democratic, nor can a country be democratic if it has a land distribution system under which the majority have very little land and count for nothing economically, a country that has deep social differences, inequality and social injustice; a country where people don't have access to wealth, well-being or anything else.

In those conditions, there can't be any kind of democracy, because there isn't any participation by the people or any cooperation among them.

What obtains under such circumstances is permanent civil war - the society is divided into countless parts, so the nation can't tackle basic problems, and the whole system becomes a tool of imperialism for maintaining its domination. In such conditions, political plurality becomes nothing but an artifice aimed at dividing the people.

But no matter what proclamations are made if they don't result in increased unity, if they don't promote unity in the nation very little, if not nothing, will be achieved.

Therefore, democracy implies the defence of all the rights of citizens, including the right to independence, freedom, national dignity and honour.

In a world in which peace truly reigns and in which the respect for the sovereignty of other countries is high, democracy can take many forms of expression.

In a world in which the hegemony of the mightiest reigns and the peoples' sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence are threatened, democracy won't have many different forms of expression.

It is true many countries and governments in the world are starting to have a different view of the Zimbabwean situation.

The involvement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and through it the African Union (AU), is starting to give the Zimbabwean political crisis a different dimension. Instead of President Mugabe having to explain the situation in Zimbabwe, South African President Thabo Mbeki who has been tasked by SADC to find a solution to the political differences in that country is speaking for them.

President Mbeki articulates the Zimbabwean issues very well and has the courage and conviction to do so.
We think President Mbeki is defending certain principles of tremendous value at a time of confusion and opportunism in the world, a time when many politicians are prostituting with imperialism and are feathering their own nests.

President Mbeki has been under a lot of pressure to turn his back on Zimbabwe, denounce Mugabe and help secure a regime change in that country. All this under the guise of human rights protection and promotion of good governance.

But one would wish what President Mbeki is doing now was started much earlier. If this was so, Zimbabwe would not have been battered to the poor economic state it is in today.

The political divisions that where unleashed in that country and allowed to deepen have opened a fissure for imperialist intervention. Some Zimbabweans allowed themselves to be manipulated and used in the destruction of their own country.

They went around campaigning on behalf of imperialism for sanctions to be imposed on their country. And indeed the sanctions and isolation of Zimbabwe came and helped to achieve what we see in that country today.

But surprisingly, the same people who campaigned and introduced sanctions in that country are the ones in the forefront today bemoaning how Mugabe has destroyed the economy of his country and subjected his people to immense suffering.

There's a contradiction here. Truly Zimbabwe is facing an economic and political crisis for which President Mugabe and his comrades, opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangerai and his colleagues must answer for.

It cannot be denied that the policies and political practices of ZANU-PF helped divide the people of Zimbabwe and gave birth to elements, agents of imperialism like the ones we see today in that country's opposition and certain sections of its civil society.

For this reason, the political leaders of that country are responsible for the hardships that the people of Zimbabwe are today enduring. And for that reason Tsvangerai should also be made to answer for his helping imperialist schemes to be effective in the destruction of that country.

Zimbabwe is an incredible case of self-destruction and its leaders both in the ruling ZANU PF, opposition MDC and the civil society are responsible for this destruction. Some destroyed it wittingly; others, unwittingly.

Everything they did led to the destruction of Zimbabwe's economy; all the phenomenon and all the tendencies that were unleashed there led to destruction. If one starts a process in which all of a country's values begin to be destroyed, that process is very negative.

It is a matter not of the analysis or criticism of problems, but of the destruction and negation of all the values, merits and history of that country's political struggles. We think nobody envisaged or could conceive of such a thing. We can't believe that all the political leaders of that country who initiated that process had that intention.

They did make enormous mistakes by failing to foresee the consequences of what they were doing and by not doing the right thing to reach the goals and purposes they proclaimed - which, of course, were necessary and legitimate. Many of the strategic and tactical mistakes that where made were viewed as the correct way of doing things.

Then, when all those negative tendencies were unleashed, opportunistic elements were also introduced, plus all of the elements that wittingly acted to aid imperialism destroy that country. Naturally, the United States and Britain and their allies helped to destroy Zimbabwe's economy, urging on the opportunistic forces there.


The United States and Britain couldn't have destroyed Zimbabwe's economy if the leaders of that country themselves hadn't destroyed it first, if those responsible for the political leadership and government of that country hadn't already destroyed that country, which is what happened. Zimbabwe's economy didn't die a natural death - it was assassinated.

But there can be a reverse of fortunes if a correct political strategy is deployed to leverage the positive results arising from the SADC and AU intervention. The support of SADC and other AU countries is something that leaders of Zimbabwe, both in the ruling ZANU-PF and opposition MDC, should capitalise on to create new opportunities for promoting unity and political stability in the country so that their people can cooperate to solve the problems facing the country.

It will not help matters much if while SADC and AU leaders are urging imperialism to ease up on Zimbabwe, some citizens of that country are trotting Western capitals urging them to tighten the squeeze until there is a regime change. It should not be forgotten that governments and politicians with a revolutionary history are never dealt with like that, they can't be ordered or pushed around.

One must negotiate with them and reach some compromises - but not to try to blackmail them because they can never be blackmailed into submission, they would normally rather die than face such humiliation. This is what British Prime Minister Gordon Brown should try to understand in his dealings with the leaders of that country.

As for the leaders of Zimbabwe, there's need to put more efforts in promoting national unity as they consolidate what would appear to be political gains at the international level. Measures should be taken to ensure that imperialism does not have any new basis for opening new political offensives in that country to regain the ground it is today losing.

But this requires humility and respect for the humanity of others, be they political allies or opponents.

There's need to ensure that all Zimbabweans of goodwill are allowed to participate freely in the affairs of their country and in the manner they deem fit. Again, this requires daily negotiations and compromises.

They should never get tired of talking to each other and compromising with each other. There has to be unending accommodation of each other. This does not only apply to the ruling ZANU-PF, but to opposition MDC as well.

Labels: MUGABE, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 7:42 AM