Keep Mugabe out of Commonwealth councils

Daily Telegraph ^ | December 6, 2003 | uncredited

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Robert Mugabe has sought to justify his egregious misrule by depicting it as a black struggle against white neo-colonialism. The prime target has been Britain, the former metropolitan power and the supposed ally of the white farmers whose land has been seized. But, in the run-up to the current Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria, the Zimbabwean president has added Australia and New Zealand to his list of demons, claiming that the three countries have formed an unholy alliance against him. Mr Mugabe has canvassed the support of other African members for Zimbabwe's readmittance to Commonwealth councils, from which it was suspended after last year's grossly fraudulent presidential elections. Having sought to portray the domestic crisis in black-white terms, he is now trying to do the same within the Commonwealth by pitting African and Caribbean members against Britain and the old white Dominions.

His characterisation is as crude as his political methods. Among black Commonwealth countries there are widely diverging views about Mr Mugabe, a rule of thumb being that the further you get from Zimbabwe the weaker the support for him. And at home the main victims of his tyranny have been not the small white population but the black majority. Who among the politicians and judges and journalists have borne the brunt of savage political persecution? Who face starvation because of the president's wrecking of the country's agricultural base? Who have no work as a result of that demolition? Who are suffering from the disintegration of healthcare and the educational system? Who have fled in their hundreds of thousands to neighbouring countries? The answer in all cases is, overwhelmingly, black Zimbabweans. Rather than standing up for the majority, the president has cruelly betrayed it. Since the shock of his defeat in a referendum on a new constitution in 2000, he has cynically played the race card to stay in power.

South Africa, Zimbabwe's all-important neighbour, has failed to counter Mr Mugabe's spurious characterisation of the crisis. President Thabo Mbeki has, rather, sown the false idea that talks are taking place between the ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and to insist, against all the evidence, that things are getting better. Unfortunately, his wilful misrepresentation of the facts has not dimmed Tony Blair's admiration of him as the potential leader of an African renaissance. Even George W Bush deferred to him as the "point man" on Zimbabwe during his visit to South Africa in July. The Prime Minister and the President are lauding someone who has the means to cut the ground from under Mr Mugabe but, out of misplaced solidarity with another former freedom fighter, has chosen to do nothing. It is that chain of mistakes that has made Zimbabwe into such a divisive issue at the Commonwealth conference.

Given that country's rapidly deteriorating political and economic situation, there should be no question of re-admitting it to Commonwealth councils. The failure by some African countries yesterday to have the New Zealander Don McKinnon replaced as Secretary General, on the phoney grounds of bias against Zimbabwe, was encouraging. Messrs Mugabe and Mbeki must be prevented from riding roughshod over the Commonwealth's commitment to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Double blow for Mugabe's allies By Anton La Guardia in Abuja (Filed: 06/12/2003)

The decisions amounted to a victory for Tony Blair, who came to the Commonwealth summit in Nigeria determined to ensure that Zimbabwe was not re-admitted before it had halted the repression of political opponents.

The battle now moves to the terms and conditions that Zimbabwe will have to meet before it can be re-instated.

A committee of six countries, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Mozambique, India and Jamaica, has been told to draw up a proposal for a "mechanism" for Zimbabwe's re-admission. It will report to Commonwealth leaders in Abuja over the weekend.

Mr Mugabe has been visibly offended by his exclusion. Speaking at the annual conference of his Zanu-PF party, he launched another tirade against Britain.

"Mr Blair, listen to what we are saying, Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans," he ranted. "If the choice was for us to lose sovereignty or be a member of the Commonwealth, let the Commonwealth go, it is just a club, and there are many other clubs we can join."

5 December 2003: Blair mauls Mugabe as Commonwealth faces black-white split

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Sydney Morning Herald Sword hangs over Mugabe's pariah state

[cloud8]

I find it incredible that the "Commonwealth" has stood by while Mugabe singlehandedly has ruined his country. Zim used to show some promise. What a tragedy!

[Jakarta ex-pat]

I find it incredible that the "Commonwealth" has stood by while Mugabe singlehandedly has ruined his country.

Why?

Most commonwealth countries are ruined.

Canada? New Zealand? South Africa? "Britain"?

Australia remains a bastion of intillegence, but for how long?

[cyborg]

Not all commonwealth countries are ruined. However, all that is needed is a few bad apples to spread the rot to everywhere else.

[cloud8]

> Why?

> Most commonwealth countries are ruined.

Africa will self destruct in a generation if four destructive forces are not eliminated from the continent: war, famine, lawlessness, Aids. Several former British colonies appear to have achieved steadily improving conditions: Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa (though crime and Aids), Nigeria (though unstable in oil country); possibly Zambia, Botswana and Uganda. The moral imperative rests on these guys to rid Africa of its Mugabes.

> Canada? New Zealand? South Africa? "Britain"?
>Australia remains a bastion of intillegence, but for how long?

These countries need to elect decent leaders, and plus the US should form a treaty pact to replace NATO and enforce the Bush doctrine. Well, South Africa when it gets its act together. This has been talked about occasionally on FR.

[bert]

The Africans lack the ability to improve their situation until they become adept at corruption. Total corruption leads to failure.


Moderate corruption, that is up to a reasonable limit, can be tolerated. Until the Africans learn to moderate the corruption by following the examples of Venezuela, or Ecuador or the Philippines they will fail.

The white countries can do nothing but watch the failure. There is no reason to do otherwise. Death and diseased corruption is the only path in Africa.