(TALKZIMBABWE) Afghanistan, Germany elections expose western hypocrisy

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

(TALKZIMBABWE) Afghanistan, Germany elections expose western hypocrisy

Afghanistan, Germany elections expose western hypocrisy
Tendai Makomva - Opinion
Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:54:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR - Latest news - hot off the press: US accepts Hamid Karzai as Afghan leader despite poll fraud claims (Times Online, 29 Sept. 09). Who woud have thought that given the hallaballoo by the United States, United Kingdom and their allies about the 2008 Zimbabwean elections?

Ballot stuffing, ballot boxes disappearing, inflated votes and fraud are all alright when the outcome meets the West's approval. Aren't elections supposed to be transparent, free and fair, and a reflection of the electorate wishes?

Are elections not supposed to be monitored by the "international community" to ensure that the required standards are met and the election results given a clean bill of health? This has not happened in Afghnistan, has it? There have been many claims of poll fraud there. Welcome to exported democracy, Western style.

Surely, this is the time for the West to reflect and stop imposing its type of democracy on other nations whose culture, values and past are different from their own.

In Germany, Chancellor Merkel has won only 34 per cent of the vote and intends to go into a coalition government with a smaller party (the Freedom Democrats with 14 percent of the votes).

This coalition will represent only 48 percent of the electorate and yet Merkel and her allies are busy undermining the inclusive Government in Zimbabwe which represents more than 95 percent of the electorate.

In a related issue, CNN's Christiane Amanpour was a joke in her interview with President Mugabe. It was all propaganda and very little substance. Her lack of knowledge about Zimbabwean issues was simply appalling.

Nobody should interview President Mugabe when ill-prepared. He will run rings around you like he did with Amanpour.

In this battle of the titans, President Mugabe won hands down.

Labels: ANGELA MERKEL, HYPOCRISY, NEOCOLONIALISM