Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Miliband on Zimbabwe: Arrogance or ignorance?

Miliband on Zimbabwe: Arrogance or ignorance?
Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:50:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR - I read on your website a recent statement by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband regarding lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe by Britain and the European Union. It was unfortunate that a man of his supposed stature could demonstrate such arrogance or ignorance, or both.

Miliband denied that sanctions were hurting the people of Zimbabwe. I wonder what planet the British Foreign Secretary has been living for the past 5-10 years. I wonder if he ever reads the news or cares to find out about the struggle of the black person on the African continent.

Sanctions are responsible for thousands of deaths in the country and countries in the region have said time and again that they should be lifted as they are neither helpful nor effective in altering the policy of the government of Zimbabwe.

They are hurting everyone in the country including the weak and vulnerable.

Zimbabwe went through a protracted Liberation War that is about to be trivialised by the likes of Miliband who have never been to Zimbabwe, nor bothered to read in depth, the history of the country.

Miliband also said: "Some of them (sanctions) refer to individuals, others to so-called parastatal organisations."

"Different sanctions have been brought in at different points, and different sanctions are the responsibility of different ministries in the Zimbabwean system. Some are controlled by the MDC."

These are very disturbing statements exposing the Foreign Secretary's sheer arrogance or ignorance.

We do not know how sanctions imposed by Britain and the EU can be "the responsibility of different ministries in the Zimbabwean system."

We do not know what he means by "so-called parastatals".

It is also troubling to hear also that "Some (of the sanctions) are controlled by the MDC".

Maybe the British Foreign Secretary would care to explain to the thousands of Zimbabweans living in poverty what he means by these statements, and whether he wishes to see a few whites own former ancestral lands of the black population.

PM Tsvangirai could help him in that process as he "controls some of the sanctions".

*Peter Chimutsa writes from the United States of America. He can be reached via peterchimutsa@yahoo.com

Labels: DAVID MILIBRAND, HOUSE OF COMMONS, SANCTIONS, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 4:32 AM