FOCUS ON ZIMBABWE, (July 20, 2003)

THE ISSUES:

Time was when the world community and the people of Zimbabwe isolated and condemned Administrations (in the then Rhodesia, and later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, when Ian Smith and Bishop Muzorewa were in power) simply because such Administrations were illegitimate.

Time has come for the world community to demonstrate an absence of double standards by joining the people of Zimbabwe in a campaign (outlined in the Liberty Party of Zimbabwe Petition dated, June 19, 2002, and circulated recently) to isolate and condemn an equally illegitimate Administration—irrespective of whether such illegitimate Administration is led by a rich and powerful Black African despot or not.

Time will be when history might harshly judge the world community for what appears to be a racist bias in favor of unconscionable recognition and acceptance of an illegitimate and evidently racist Administration (racist against White African farmers) simply because such Administration is led by a rich and powerful Black African despot (White African land owners are not the only African land owners with land which could be used for resettlement programmes—Mugabe’s cronies are also African land owners with idle land which could be used for resettlement programmes, if racism was not the issue).

THE DEBATE:

Should the world community and the Commonwealth leaders in particular recognize and respect the findings of the Commonwealth Observer Mission to the recent Zimbabwe Presidential Elections?

Should democratically elected world leaders be allowed to unconscionably recognize and patronize an illegitimate Administration when the victims of such illegitimacy are calling for the isolation and condemnation of such illegitimate Administration? And should such unconscionable leaders not be booed and consigned to a rogue’s gallery?

Should such an illegitimate Administration be allowed to get away with politically motivated atrocities even though the world community and the leader of such illegitimate Administration would not have allowed the previous illegitimate Administration (the Ian Smith Administration) to get away with such atrocities if such atrocities had been visited upon the new illegitimate leader when he was imprisoned by the previous illegitimate Administration (i.e. Had the new illegitimate leader been killed in politically motivated atrocities when he was imprisoned, would his powerful friends of doubtful democratic credentials not now be calling for a War Crimes Tribunal to indict the leader and members of the previous illegitimate Administration?)

“Zidli’ ingqondo mfowethu lodadewethu”.

(Food for thought)

By: Thabo Siziba.