]I have issues with Mugabe.
Initially about five years ago, while in Zambia looking at all those currency sellers on the road side, ignoring Zimbabwe currency and hearing the stories of "Land Grab" my sympathies lay firmly on being anti Mugabe.
I don't know the in's and outs of the Country, but the issue of Land distribution was always so from the time Ceil Rhodes and his pals forged and forced Traditional illiterate rulers to sign over their lands to the British.
The Lancaster House agreement acknowledged this unfair distribution of Land and worked with Mugabe to resolve the issue. However Britain stopped the compensation to Zimbabwe around 1997 and this was instrumental to this Policy of "Land Grab" .
The spectere of White Farmers ( of which I had the pleasure of speaking with back then) being forced off the land because , Claire Short renaged (sp) on previous Governments pledges with the " We don't do Colonialism" forced Mugabe to be active in this area. This action brought about Labours policy of sanctions. And in turn economic hardship.
I am not a great fan of Democracy, and I do remember a White Zambian telling me that the reason African Leaders hold on to Power, more so than Western ones, is that in Africa the notion of a Traditional Ruler giving up Power within a few years is not part of our Culture. His views I might stress.
This leads me to explore the imposition of Parlimentary Democracy thrusted on newly African States at the time of "Independance" a sort of a One size Democracy fits all. Hence the problems.
Democracy, as Christianity used to be, is now the so called benchmark of Civilised society. But it is largely the product of an Industrialised nation. Also it playes beautifully in the hands of Neo Colonialists. In so far that if the main party in Power doe'snt abide by what the West tells it, then it will sponsor the opporisition party to change it, hopefully without much blood shed. The problems was that African countries were and are too underdeveloped to have Democracy policies that would be subject to change every 5 years, i.e Nigeria and the existing Presidents policy towards the Chinese proposed 8 Billion Dollar contract signed by the last Adminstration but suspended through this one!
This was a theory of mine until this year, when I was told by a Power that be prior to the election that they were actually going to do that, by supporting
Makoni. As mentioned I did not pay any attention to this information until the aftermath of this election.
Let's look at the moral indignation of the West towards Mugabe and constrast it with the Machinations of Simon Mann and Mark Thatchers "Democractic" bid for Power over EQ!!!!! Fcuking Hypocrites
Mugabe's sin is that he is his own man, He is an anti-Colonialist of the old school, his 84, imagine what life was like back in 1944 for him? How was his people regarded by the ruling elite back then?
It is right that African nations under the umbrellia (sp) of the African Union seek ways to resolve the crisis. But let's be in no doubt the Crisiss in my opinion started with Britain, back in 1997 breaking it's Lancaster House pledges to Zimbabwe on compensation and redistribution of Land.
I am very suspectious (sp) of this "opporisition" Leader. From my understanding Simon Mann and Thatcher also were going to bring one along if their coup was successful. In whose interests will such a leader really serve ?
I am happy to be informed and enlightened by others views on the matter.