African Summit Ignores Zimbabwe's Woes

President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo[left], Robert Mugabe and President Kikwete

Zimbabwe's neighbours wound up a two-day regional summit yesterday without discussing the turmoil in the country under Robert Mugabe.

The Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, who earlier this year described Zimbabwe as a "sinking Titanic", proposed a review of its political and economic crisis but other leaders did not respond positively.

Mr Mugabe had been loudly cheered when the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit opened on Thursday.

The failure to confront him despite his people's suffering under hyperinflation, poverty and malnutrition was not unexpected, even though the area's leaders regularly stress that the solution to Zimbabwe's problems must be regional.

Zimbabwe's presidential spokesman, George Charamba. said: "There was nothing extraordinary to warrant a discussion on Zimbabwe. SADC nations are mandated to help Zimbabwe and we will not go beyond those parameters."

Mr Mugabe retains a high standing in much of Africa for his role in Zimbabwe's independence struggle. The ruling Zanu-PF party has run an effective propaganda campaign to convince many Africans that Western sanctions are to blame for the country's plight. These are, however, limited to a visa ban and asset freezes on named individuals and have no effect on the economy.

Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, who is mediating between Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change on SADC's behalf, told his fellow leaders that some progress had been made, but no details were made available.

The Portuguese deputy foreign minister signalled that Mr Mugabe would be invited to an EU-Africa summit in Lisbon in December, despite the sanctions. Portugal had "no intention of discriminating" against Zimbabwe, he said. "It is not up to Portugal, current head of the EU, to invite some people rather than others."

Britain strongly supports the sanctions and a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We want a summit that delivers real results for Africa and we don't want anything to overshadow that agenda, including Robert Mugabe."

•The Ministry of Defence is reviewing contingency plans to evacuate Britons from Zimbabwe. Existing plans would advise Britons to drive to South Africa, but the department was considering chartering planes to remove them from the region should it become more volatile.

Doens't really count as ruling themselves, does it? No need to let that stand in the way of your smug sense of self-superiority of those brown folk, though.
Who let all the nuts into MY Free Republic?

Ah yes, the “racist” gambit. How clever of you.

If I may be allowed to comment as just another "nut" here on YOUR Free Republic (?), there have been several "elections" all just about as free as the one shoved down Rhodesia’s throat courtesy of the UN butt smoocher Carter at the demanding of the “majority” at the time. In the light of the fact that the election was demanded by the majority populace then it is that very same majority that is responsible for the current state of that nation. Sorry, but there is no way to attempt to blame anyone else for what that majority population brought upon themselves.

When the situation with Mugaby is SO bad that even Zambian President Mwanawasa said things are out of hand then folks, it's B-A-D. And "things" have got to change. And the first on is to not let a small tribal-rule culture attempt to run an entire nation.

IT IS NOT WORKING.

Given that the tribal rule has existed probably several thousands of years and produced little to nothing has clearly demonstrated over recent generations that in order to have an actual productive society as a nation, not a cluster of tribes, it is best that in that area the locals not be put in charge.

This is clearly demonstrated in three major screw-ups. The abolition of seats reserved for whites in the country's Parliament in 1987; the abolition of the office of Prime Minister in 1987, and the creation of an all executive presidency with the abolition of the Senate in 1990 which pretty much wraps up the argument as to what the current "government" is all about. It is about dictatorship. AND it is wholly (and stupidly) supported by the majority population.

Of course one could sat that the best thing for "those people" is to let nature take it's course, much as it has for over twenty years now and if, IF anything worth salvaging is left then perhaps it might be worth the effort for a force from a reasonably civil society to go in and establish a sane government.

Odds are that left to their own devices for another 10 years there will be absolutely nothing left except for a few migrant drifting tribes. Which not surprisingly is EXACTLY what was there before the actual development began by the hated "minority rule" and took that region to its pinnacle as the shining star of the continent, the "breadbasket of Africa."

Until then and given that most of Mugabe’s "peers" wish to continue in their course of "nothing wrong here, nothing to discuss" I would have to say that the lot of them, not just the rulers but all of the majority are equally guilty and equally responsible for the current state of that nation. This is clearly demonstrated here…“Mr Mugabe had been loudly cheered when the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit opened on Thursday. Until such time as this is recognized as insanity by the participating population not a trillion dollars in aid will do a single bit of good and not one dime should be sent or one day’s labor wasted.

That being so, then your answer is a very "smug" (as you put it), No; they are not capable of ruling themselves. Or perhaps you think one of the other tribes can do a better job at overseeing the idiocy they call "Zimbabwe?" Personally, I knew the country was doomed in `91 when friends that were in RLI were coming here to the US with stories of the local pops digging up the copper water lines that fan out from the community wells. Why? For beer money. They destroyed their own clean water supply for a couple of night worth of beer money…

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