Letters From Zimbabwe: NOT Cathy Buckle

7th May 2010

Dear Friends.
The apparent tragedy of some five million Zimbabweans exiled from their own country may not be as great as it appears if those of us in exile are able to gain something from the experience. Providing one has an open mind, seeing how thing are done in another country can be a positive learning experience and something that will ultimately benefit Zimbabwe when or if the exiles return to the motherland.

Watching the electoral process in the UK over the last few weeks has certainly made me think about the nature of democracy and how it works. The one factor that was very clear was the huge influence of the media. From the television debates to the daily discussion programmes on radio, to the print and electronic media, it was very clear that the media was a crucial part of the democratic process, allowing people from all walks of life to participate in discussion of the issues involved. By the time UK voters went to the polls on Thursday they were reasonably well-informed about the issues thanks to a relatively free press and broadcast media. Each of the political parties had been given the opportunity to air their views and it was then up to the electorate to choose which party they supported and where they would place their crosses on the ballot papers. (How different it is in Zimbabwe where a state-controlled media ensures that only one point of view is heard and where only this week Robert Mugabe re-appoints Tafataona Mahosa as CEO of the Media Commission!).

While the UK was gripped by election fever, something was happening in Greece which was profoundly worrying for democracy. Literally thousands of Greeks took to the streets of the capital to demonstrate their anger at the Greek government's decision to cut jobs and wages and increase taxes. All this was the condition the Greek government had to agree to in return for a massive loan from the EU to rescue the bankrupt country. People on the streets vented their anger at the politicians demanding to know why they, the people, should pay for the corruption and misgovernance of their rulers which had been going on for over thirty years. The people blame the politicians, not only in Greece but all over the world. "We voted for you" the people say, "but you have failed us". Nothing illustrates better the truth that democracy does not end at the ballot box. Voting is merely the start of the democratic process. Democracy requires that the electorate remains constantly vigilant that the politicians they vote for behave properly. If politicians are corrupt and dishonest then the people need to let them know in no uncertain terms that their behaviour is being closely monitored by the electorate and civil society. In a true democracy, the will of the people remains paramount.

Sadly, as we see in Zimbabwe, democracy cannot flourish where a political party is led by a dictator who refuses to relinquish power - despite losing an election. In this regard, the comments this week of Stan Mudenge, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, are very revealing. "Zanu PF" he said, "is still in and will remain in control of the country's affairs. The set(ting) up of the inclusive government does not mean we surrendered power to the MDC. T. The inclusive government was just administrative" and he added that "his party would never hand real power to the MDC." Mudenge was clearly echoing his master's voice but he would do well to remember that, as in Europe, it is the economy and the hardships of ordinary people that will light the fire of public anger in the end. This week the CCZ calculates that a family of six needs $492.34 merely to provide their basic food needs. Add to that the $344 for rent, water electricity health and education and you have a total which is way out of the average wage earner's reach. As for the 90% unemployed, God only knows how they survive. While in this year of 2010, children of the poor are still being turned away from school for non-payment of fees, Zimbabweans well remember that it was Robert Mugabe, a teacher himself, who promised free education for all. That was before he and all his faithful party parasites had grown rich at the country's expense and forgotten - if they ever knew - that they rule, not through the barrel of a gun but through the democratic mandate of the people.

For Zimbabweans in exile all over the world in countries with very different cultures and beliefs, it is sometimes hard to hold onto hope that our country will ever become a democracy. It is indeed a long road to freedom and for the present, Morgan Tsvangirai is our only hope. Every struggle has its iconic face, commented an MDC official this week, for South Africa it was Nelson Mandela and for Zimbabwe it is Morgan Tsvangirai. "He is the face of the struggle against Zanu PF." It's hard to believe that a face alone is enough to deliver democracy to Zimbabwe but if it is the face, mind and spirit of a genuine democrat, a genuine man of the people who has the whole-hearted support of ordinary Zimbabweans, then perhaps our hope is not misplaced.
Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH.

Pauline Henson author of Case Closed

Obama gave 73 billion of America’s tax dollars (while Americans are losing their homees and their jobs) to that sh*t hole, Zimbabwe plus:

Obama’s 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and “passed by the full committee.” Not sure what the next step is, but based on the summary, it gives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies.

Read the summary from David Obey’s office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.

• $3.6 billion, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces

• $400 million, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces

• Afghanistan: $1.52 billion, $86 million above the request

• West Bank and Gaza: $665 million in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

• Jordan: $250 million, $250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance

• Egypt: $360 million, $310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance, $50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance

• Pakistan: $1.9 billion, $591 million above the request

• Iraq: $968 million, $336 million above the request

• Oversight: $20 million, $13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

• Lebanon: $74 million

• International Food Assistance: $500 million, $200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis

• Refugee Assistance: $343 million, $50 million above the request, …including humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)

• Disaster Assistance: $200 million to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia

• Peacekeeping: $837 million for United Nations peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic

• Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

The mainstream media remains silent on this but the International News has now picked up the story — and then there is Obama’s $108 billion IMF bailout scheme in addition to the Supplemental.

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