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Zimbabwe: a state the West loves to hateIt has become highly fashionable in the Western media to draw far fetched parallels between the architect of the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, and Zimbabwe's current incumbent, Robert Mugabe. Of course, such comparisons are complete fantasise which says far more about those who use such terminology to describe Mugabe, than it does about the current situation on the ground in Zimbabwe. In the rush to demonise Mugabe, many have forgotten that it was in fact the white supremacist and former Rhodesian leader Ian Smith who first coined the phrase 'Black Hitler' to describe Mugabe and his national liberation movement - and many in the West have also ignored how the Great Western powers, their governments and fiscal institutions have played the most important role in bringing the Zimbabwean economy to its knees. Indeed, it has been the outside interference in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe that have twisted and distorted the countries economy. It is difficult to imagine how back in 2001, The New York Times gave Zimbabwe the title of the 'worst government on earth' - yeah, right, as if - what, worse than China? Such statements actually betray the narrow and highly selective nature of criticism directed against Zimbabwe by its opponents in the West. Some Western observers (former colonials) seem to lose all sense of proportion when talking about Zimbabwe, for one writer of the The Times (London), what appears to be unfolding in Zimbabwe is nothing less than a 'silent genocide'. Even the organisation Genocide Watch rightfully argue that such claims can appear 'ridiculous' given the fact that there have been relatively few deaths due to conflict in Zimbabwe. Much of what I see and read about Zimbabwe is no more than unsubstantiated junk propaganda. As the astute political journalist Brendan O'Neill kindly reminds us, there are a few honourable exceptions, like the US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who had the temerity to question received Western wisdom on Zimbabwe. McKinney rightfully argued that Zimbabwe is 'Africa's second-longest stable democracy', it is a country that has 'multi-party' elections, the opposition has 'over 50 seats in the parliament. It has an opposition press which vigorously criticises the government and governing party. It has an independent judiciary which issues decisions contrary to the wishes of the governing party'. That's more than can be said about Egypt, Rwanda, or the Congo. Yet all three of these countries are allies of the West who receive serious amounts of funding from the United States. Zimbabwe, viewed from the perspective of Western colonial, 'Eton-educated' bi-focals appears more like a horrific symbol of African arrogance and cockiness. It is a point of view that cannot comprehend how 'our last white man in Rhodesia' Ian Smith was humiliated and forcefully jettisoned out of office, by a ‘Black Hitler’ to boot.
Submitted on Sun, 2008-04-06 19:58
Why defend him?
Courtney You're quite right to draw attention to the West's hypocrisy with regard to support for other terrible dictatorships in Africa. But this doesn't detract from the fact that Mugabe is a monster and Zanu PF a gang of crooks. I'm sure that Western governments have played their part in distorting the Zimbabwean economy but the main cause is undoubtedly the disastrous land reforms. They could have carried out land reform early on, after de-colonisation. Equitable distribution of land could have happened in an orderly and effective fashion but the opportunity was missed. It only came onto the agenda when his war veterans found themselves in reduced straits and started to present a law and order problem for the regime. The solution? Tell them that they can take any land they want by force from white owners. Don't forget this move displaced black agricultural workers as well as the white owners. And it resulted in previously productive land being turned over to subsistence farming. And I'm amazed that you've fallen for the opposition represented in parliament trick. The electoral system works in such a way that it is very difficult, if not impossible for the opposition to take power - so it's freedom to function (limited as it is) becomes meaningless.
Personally, I can't see
Personally, I can't see where this 'defence' is. The article appears to be suggesting that there is a full-blown propaganda offensive being orchestrated against Mugabe, and that as well as being inconsistent in how other politicians with similar records are being reported, a number of the claims against Mugabe are exaggerated (eg 'Black Hitler' - he certainly hasn't gassed 6 million). Very little reportage is given to the crushing effects of international sanctions, and Mugabe is thus held entirely responsible for the economic nightmare that Zimbabweans face. Land redistribution has angered the West, but there is no justice in maintaining a situation where most of the best arable land is in the hands of white settlers.
Has anyone here been to
Has anyone here been to Zimbabwe? 
Quote: ...but there is no
...but there is no justice in maintaining a situation where most of the best arable land is in the hands of white settlers.
Of course, it now lies fallow in the hands of those unable make it productive. That's preferable? That's why Zimbabwe has gone from the bread basket of Africa to merely becoming an African basket case. 
Joe.Bloggs,
No, I haven't
Joe.Bloggs, No, I haven't been to Zimbabwe - and in any case, I don't need to go there either in order to have an opinion about it. I never went to South Africa either during the horrors of apartheid, does that make me unfit to comment on South African apartheid then? As far as I'm concern, no black person on Earth needed to actually go to South Africa during those times in order to have a legitimate opinion about it. Has anyone been to Zimbabwe? What point are you trying to make? Indeed, have you ever been to the Gaza Strip? As I've noticed that you have something to say on that particular forum.
Aah so, taking land from
Aah so, taking land from white farmers has turned Zimbabwe into a basket case? Heres a clue to why that might be:
"Agriculture is the most significant sector of Zimbabwe's economy. Western news reports encouraged the notion that land reform has harmed economic performance, implying that efficient farming was best left in the hands of the few wealthy white farmers, while discounting the plight of the millions of blacks who struggled for bare survival. The unspoken assumption was that only white farmers could be efficient. The concern expressed in the West for "efficiency" was in reality a mask for the preservation of white privilege.Efficiency is a relative term. Temporary economic dislocation is an unavoidable byproduct of land reform, but the only path to genuine and lasting progress is through land redistribution. There can be nothing efficient about a gross concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, while millions are condemned to lives of hopeless despair and poverty. No mainstream journalist has ever described the grotesque inequality of the situation inherited from colonialism and what this meant for those on the bottom." http://www.counterpunch.org/elich05072005.html Sanctions, coupled with the banks refusing to give loans to the new farmers have something to do with it. And I have been to Zimbabwe - whatever the revelance of that is supposed to be
Quote: Aah so, taking land
Aah so, taking land from white farmers has turned Zimbabwe into a basket case?
Nope. That's not what I said because it's not a race issue. The land lies fallow because those who now own it, do not have the resources to develop it and make it profitable. If you take a large-scale mechanized farm and break them up into small, unmechanized subsistance farms, you do not have the same level of productivity. Make them small enough and devoid of knowledge and resources, you may not even have enough to make them self-sufficient, much less generate enough to export as they did in the past. It would be irresponsible for a bank to make such a risky loan without significant capital. It's not a race or moral argument; it's efficiency and economy of scale. Combined with reckless fiscal stewardship of the government leadership and yes, the country has become a basket case. Unless you consider this evidence of a grand socialist success! Three cheers for land reform...while the people starve. The murdering bastard lost
The murdering bastard lost the election per the results announced by the Electoral Commission. Let Mugabe now resign. not land reform
Mike
not land reform Mike Unless you consider this evidence of a grand socialist success! Three cheers for land reform...while the people starve.
Land reform would have worked had it been carried out properly. This is anything but land reform. It is simply a bribe to disgruntled war veterans to support him and a punishment for those who don't. Land reform involves the transfer of ownership of land to those who work it - not grab what you can for those who fought for the ruling party. And I'm not one of those who believe that things were better under the old post colonial regime. Wages and living conditions were appalling and white farmers often beat, raped and even murdered workers with little fear of the law.
Fair enough!
I'm not against
Fair enough! I'm not against land reform or for the colonial abuses. I take issue with the corrupt and inept manner land reform was implemented. Courtney,
As with arseholes,
Courtney, As with arseholes, everyone has an opinion - and we don't all like each others. You seem to have written off quite easily all negative western opinion based on articles from western media. You sound much like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: When there's a Right wing Coalition in Parliament, the ABC is most definitely Left wing, and when the coalition is Left wing, then vice-versa - despite the fact that the very government they're haranguing is the one paying their bills. Plus the fact that 90% of what they show is simply regurgitated from another source... Oh, and can you please
Oh, and can you please explain how the Mugabe government is Africa's second-longest stable democracy? If that means that it's one of two countries in Africa that has managed a 'Regime-Change' without a bloody coup, then please accept my humblest apologies!
Zimbabwe, how about keeping
Zimbabwe, how about keeping your nose out! Owly - Yes, Mugabe lost the presidential election, he only had a mere 42% per cent of the national vote - that's nearly half the voting population of Zimbabwe who decided to vote for the 'murdering bastard'. Which begs the question, if Zimbabwe is as bad as people like Owly & Joe.Bloggs make out it is, why did nearly half the electorate vote for 'more of the same'? The most important question for me, is why can't the West keep its busy-body noses out of Zimbabwean internal affairs? If Mugabe is to go, than that is for the Zimbabwean people to decide - for themselves. You cannot tell the people of Zimbabwe how they should properly conduct their internal affairs, that is not democratic - is it?
Be glad to do as you
Be glad to do as you suggest, BUT only if the borders are sealed and the 'murdering bastard' does not receive food aid from the West. As we are not to stick our 'busy-body noses' into their internal affairs, they wont want our 'hand-outs' either. And why should we have to put up with people fleeing this veritable paradise. By the by when you off to live there ?? You could become one of 'Capt. Bob's' cheerleaders. I'm sure this is something at which you would excel. The murdering bastard needs your tunnel vision and mindless views. Byeeeeeeeeeee. People vote for him out of
People vote for him out of fear, just as with many dictatorships, plus the fact that he seems to have a history (if you believe everything you read) of rigging elections. I have to admit: I'm with owly on this one. If we're going to keep our noses out of their business, then their useless farmers can try to produce enough food for the nation by themselves, cos they'll get none from us. Now that all the useful white farmers have been driven off the land - violently, mind you, in some cases - we'll benefit from their experience as many of them have emigrated here.
I hear echoes of
I hear echoes of Rhodes... Cecil John Rhodes "the native is to be treated as a child and denied the franchise. We must adopt a system of despotism in our relations with the barbarians of South Africa."
Joe.Bloggs "If we're going to keep our noses out of their business, then their useless farmers can try to produce enough food for the nation by themselves, cos they'll get none from us."
The likes of Owly & Joe.Bloggs are not what I would call your common garden white supremacists - but their criticisms of black Zimbabweans do share a few common characteristics.
Joe.Bloggs wrote:
Now that
Now that all the useful white farmers have been driven off the land - violently, mind you, in some cases - we'll benefit from their experience as many of them have emigrated here.
Well, except that a number of them have gone to Nigeria (http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080502/wl_csm/ofarmer) - where, unlike in Rhodesia, they haven't taken the land by erm violence.........
The idea that the West was providing food aid to ameliorate the worst effects of the rigid sanctions it opposed seems unlikely.
Owly and Bloggs do indeed seem to have the same kind of mindset as that brutal thug, Mr. Rhodes Courtney,
I hear the voice
Courtney, I hear the voice of the moral hypocite - and a racist - in your view. You are so keen to stand shoulder to shoulder - YES that is what you are busy doing - with that murdering bastard Robert Mugabe because he is black and a Marxist. How you can write the drivel you have is frankly amazing. The man has destroyed his own country during his almost 30 years in power and no amount of black wash from you will alter that fact. Your views are formed through the prism of race: mine are formed from reality regardless of race. Therein lies the difference. You ought to remember that a tyrant is a tyrant no matter the colour of his skin.
So because I criticize one
So because I criticize one country, that automatically makes me racist, right? And what about all the other countries in africa, asia and south & central america? The governments of western countries are the ones providing sanctions, not aid agencies. If you're so keen on Mugabe - and dislike your fellow countrymen who don't approve of him - then why didn't you go live their and support his regime?
'I'm not a racist
'I'm not a racist but....' The point my dear fellow is to ask why this despot in particular is being demonised, and whether we are being given a truthful and accurate account of him. Who is providing the aid? Who are my fellow countrymen and why does questioning whether the media portrayal of Mugabe is accurate and fair mean I should uproot and go there to live?
All despots are demonised,
All despots are demonised, if you haven't noticed. Mugabe made the spotlight recently because of the elections, before him it was Putin because of him switching positions with the alleged intent on maintaining some kind of power, with the latest flavour being the idiots in charge of Myanmar.Yes, the west's portrayal of Mugabe would be biased, but that doesn't mean he's a saint. If you don't like the way the west portrays him, find a better source of information. He's a bastard at the helm of a sinking ship who's intent on taking his crew down with him. And yet you still praise him. The last comment was meant for Courtney, as he managed to tar everyone whom share the same view as myself and owly with the same brush. If he thinks they're narrow-minded white supremacists, then why doesn't he go live with the culturally enlightened Zimbabweans? Fair enough, I shouldn't have jumped on the efforts of the current farmers, as their has been a severe drought recently and tight sanctions - but farming is still possible, depending on how they do it. Hell, every other year here we have a drought, but we still manage to continue. The west made it hard for Mugabe, but that was after he had already dug his own grave. |
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