Maravi

(HERALD) Suspension of NGOs right

Suspension of NGOs right

EDITOR — Some people are wondering why the Government recently suspended the activities of all non-governmental organisations. Maybe the following observations from Jono Waters that appeared in an article in the Business Day of June 30, 2003 entitled "Failed ‘big push’ on Mugabe exposes hubris of MDC", would give them some of the answers to the allegations being levelled against some of these NGOs by the Govern-ment.

There now exists what Zanu-PF rightly calls anti-government NGOs that pour thousands of American dollars into opposition coffers. I would go as far as to say that these NGOs have been a major contributor to the downfall of democracy in Zimbabwe.

For two reasons: the Government has capitalised on it by making the link with "meddling in Zimbabwe’s affairs"; more importantly, people do not see an opposition leadership that struggles and thinks and feels with them.

They see a bunch of greedy, US dollar salaried, Pajero drivers.

The foreign Press also gives MDC more credit than it deserves.

Whether or not these "correspondents" were sitting in Johannesburg or London (where it appears most now are), or even Harare, they would draw the same pro-MDC conclusions.

When the most recent "action" (final push march) failed, MDC-T was then able to hide behind an easy excuse for their inability to organise — with the foreign Press being their apologists — "Mugabe’s brutal and despotic regime".

But the point that keeps getting missed is that most of Zimbabwe’s cowed and subjugated population appear to feel MDC-T is not worth being beaten up or, let alone dying for.

Repressive regimes ultimately implode, but what sustains this one to some extent is a general lack of belief MDC-T will be any better running the country.

This is food for thought, and people should not expect the Government to be so naïve.

A few years ago, former Russian President Putin curtailed some NGOs’ operations.

They know the covert and overt operations that are employed by friendly and enemy forces.

Many years of an armed struggle and 28 years of governance cannot make any government so acquiescent as some of us would want the Government of Zimbabwe to be.

Some in the academia and international community are aware of a report on the military activities of Renamo and how resour-ces used to be channelled to them by unlike-ly people such as Christian organisations doing crusades in Mozambique.

Another keen observer.
Harare.

Labels: COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, NGOs

posted by MrK @ 4:12 AM