What "unity"!?

[mahnmut]

Officials release 1st result in Zimbabwe election recount

Nearly four weeks after the unresolved presidential election, a state-run newspaper said Wednesday that a national unity government led by longtime leader Robert Mugabe could end Zimbabwe's deepening political and economic crisis.

In a prominently displayed editorial in the Herald, considered a government mouthpiece, columnist Dr. Obediah Mazombwe called a unity government "the most viable and safest way forward."

He said regional leaders, along with "the progressive international community," could bring together key players: Mugabe's party, the opposition, former colonial ruler Britain and the United States.

"The West, particularly the Anglo-American establishment, should stop insisting that President Mugabe and ZANU-PF cannot be part of a future prosperous Zimbabwe," Mazombwe said.

Comments

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Here we go, another stolen election in Africa, after Kibaki...

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Indeed, many similarities could be found between the two cases, especially if the whole thing in Zim turns into an ugly ethnic conflict.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Except for the fact that Mugabe ruled his country for decades with an iron fist, much unlike Kibaki.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

"We'll have 'democracy' until we can't force enough people to vote for us, then we should look at an imposed unity government"

Makes me sick. What a megalomaniac. He could step down now and preserve his posterity as a revolutionary who saved the country, instead, he'll hang on to power by whatever means possible and destroy it.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

so many questions.

[ramsesthesecond.livejournal.com]

Do you think that this is one of the last trials of Mugabe's party to keep their hope in remaining in power especially that last elections' results will throw Mugabe out of power?

speaking of which,, I heard in the news that the president of South Africa doesn't see a benefit of a weapons exporting banning to Zimbabwe. of course I know that the west is running for such a decision in the UN but what their reason is remains the unknown thing for me..
Do you think that Zimbabwe is danger to its neighbors?
I know that South Africa has the strongest army in the region.. but is Zimbabwe's army strong?
or maybe they call for such a decision to prevent Mugabe from using these weapons against his own people!! I mean like what happens here in Egypt but if that so, then they should prevent only light weapons not all weapons!!
does the country have any history of civil war? or is it near any one?

Sorry for asking too much but I read your entries about Zimbabwe and I feel really enlightened about the problems there especially that all media here ignores it and deal with it as secondary case as it is so far from Egypt.

Re: so many questions.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I think Mugabe will survive one more time now but not for too long. These are the last days of his reign because he is getting old, the international pressure is increasing, and it now includes his closest allies like South Africa (there's a shift in power in SA as well)... and also, most importantly, the internal pressure is immense (in his own party, not so much from the opposition). Also the economic conditions are pressuring him. I fear he might respond with a bloodbath, but if he is so insane to do it, this will be his political suicide. In any case, his grip on power is slipping away with every day. The question is, how much this process will cost to the people of Zimbabwe...

Mbeki (the president of SA) wants to let the weapons through, for two reasons: one, a financial benefit (and not for his country, but for him personally) and two, he still believes he can help Mugabe and Mugabe can help him. Mbeki is a desperate man. He has bet on the losing horse. Zuma is coming, and Zuma is quite different. He is a popullist and pretends to be listening to his people, while he regularly visits London to talk to his political mentors there. And they want MUgabe out. So, come autumn, Zuma will come to power (he actually has started removing all pro-Mbeki elements from the ANC party, which has weakened the president), and then we might expect some major shift in the situation in Zimbabwe. As I said many times before, the two countries are interconnected, and Zim depends on SA almost entirely. So we cannot expect a big change in Zim before we see a change in SA.

It is impossible for Zim to be a danger to its neighbours. Its economy is in shatters, and its military police is mainly occupied with taming the inner tensions in Zimbabwe itself. Besides, South Africa is a military juggernaut compared to its neighbours, and has obtained (at least officially) a position of a peace-keeper and policeman of the southern portion of Africa. But more importantly, no country in southern Africa can afford to attack its neighbours without risking to anger the mighty South African political apparatus, and losing a political ally is a bigger disaster than losing a military ally in this region - the proof is that Mugabe has stayed so long in power thanks to SA's silent support.

As for civil war, there are two main ethnic groups in Zim, and the situation could quickly deteriorate like in Kenya if the oppression against the Ndebele people increases. And Mugabe knows this and is still very careful. The difference from Kenya is that the people are more occupied with their terrible living conditions, which affect all ethnicities without a difference. And if there is a civil war in Zim, it's more likely to be on a social basis, not ethnic.

It's my pleasure to share my opinions about Zimbabwe. As you know I'm personally interested about the matter because I have so many strong links there. I want the situation to improve as soon as possible! And it's normal that most media ignore Zim, because they either lack the information they need in order to report appropriately, or they just don't care and they think the situation doesn't affect them directly. Which is sad. The situation anywhere affects everyone else, this is a global world!

Re: so many questions.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

If the government had let these arms to reach Harare there would be a massacre in Zimbabwe and this is the last thing which South Africa wants. It is totally against the interests of the country.