Maravi

Zim can never be allowed to die, vows Mugabe

Zim can never be allowed to die, vows Mugabe
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday June 13, 2008 [04:00]

ZIMBABWE can never be allowed to die, President Robert Mugabe has said. During the National Economic Consultative Forum (NECF) at Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), President Mugabe said there was need to put Zimbabwe back on its feet and move forward because the country was not meant for the grave.

"We should not wait for the country's death. We should work for the country wherever we are. There should be more commitment and dedication to produce according to our people's expectations as Zimbabwe can never be allowed to die," he said.
President Mugabe said Zimbabweans needed to accept the fact that their country was under sanctions that had consequently affected productivity.

"The European Union (EU) does not like us and sanctions imposed are not personal, they are saying they are personal, but we are not benefiting from balance of payments support from the Bretton Wood institutions," President Mugabe said.

"It is now time that we accept that we have been left by ourselves, we have been abandoned by people who used to rule us."

President Mugabe explained that the Zimbabwean government held meetings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Tanzania, where the two institutions accepted that the country deserved financial assistance.

"The IMF said we could get funding and the World Bank, which would fund development projects, said we deserved to get money if London and Washington approves but the two countries did not approve. The US has come up with the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act.

The British do not allow their companies to deal with Zimbabwe," President Mugabe said. "All these are full sanctions, they are not covert but overt sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe with no facilities advanced to Zimbabwe from their institutions. We must accept that people do not like us but shall we let the country die because we are under sanctions?"

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe was a free nation that could be developed by Zimbabweans and that the country must make independent decisions.

"Not decisions from other people but own decisions that would benefit our people. Forget the British who ruled a long time ago, they are gone.

We live as a nation together," President Mugabe said. "We should fight for our freedom and independence and make decisions that would earn us wealth that will make us prosper as individuals and as a nation."

President Mugabe also said the government would continue to support the agriculture sector, which he said had been affected by droughts.

He further urged people not to lose focus because of the challenges facing the country.
"Some are crying because they cannot get sugar but these problems can't make you deny yourselves and let the country go back to former colonialists," said President Mugabe.

"We are masters of our country and destiny. Let's do everything to keep our country. We got it for us, for those who died and for the future generations."

Labels: INDEPENDENCE, MUGABE, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:34 AM