Don't brush Zimbabwe under the carpet

ZWNEWS ^ | May 23, 2002

[Clive]

author/source:ZWNEWS
published:Wed 22-May-2002
posted on this site:Thu 23-May-2002

Get involved - Let the G8 know that the Zimbabwe problem is not solved, and cannot be brushed under the carpet

It is vital that at the 26-27 June summit in Kananaskis, Canada of the G-8, the world’s most powerful nations do not promise financial aid and investment under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) while Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party remain in power.

The South African and other African leaders argue that Nepad’s pledge of democracy and good governance in Africa is on course, and that the Zimbabwe crisis is being sort-of-dealt-with through now-stalled talks about a government of national unity.

Even more worrying are signs that summit host Canada is going along with this pretence. Canada’s High Commissioner in South Africa, Lucie Edwards, said in a breath-taking statement recently that the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth following the disputed March presidential elections was “a sign of real political will to apply the principles of good governance within the region.’’

First, Mbeki, whose country is heavily subsidising Mugabe, did his best to stop Zimbabwe being suspended from the Commonwealth. Second, the scale of repression, violence, seizures of farms by Zanu PF chefs, and the general gross violations of human rights has got even worse since the rigged election.

In addition, millions face starvation and Mugabe’s officials are denying food aid to areas which voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Even to mention “principles of good governance’’ in the region while this situation continues is a travesty.

The G8 groups the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

If you live in one of these countries, please contact your elected parliamentary representatives.

Give them a simple message: the Zimbabwe problem is not solved, and should not be swept under the carpet at the Kananaskis Summit.

Protests can be sent to High Commissioner Edwards at the following addresses:

The Canadian High Commission
Private Bag X13
Hatfield
0028
Pretoria
South Africa
27-12-422-3000 (phone)
27-12-422-3071 (fax)
pret@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Please also lobby Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrietien. The Prime Minister has a website - www.pm.gc.ca – and can be contacted at the following addresses:

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON Canada
K1A 0A2
1-613-941-6900 (fax) pm@pm.gc.ca

There is also a Canadian Government website dedicated to the Kananaskis G8 Summit at www.g8.gc.ca. On that site (under “Contact Us”) is a facility to send your comments regarding the forthcoming G8 Summit

Please seek assurances that the Zimbabwe crisis will not be brushed aside, and that aid and investment under the Nepad plan will be withheld while Mugabe is permitted to hang on to power.

[Clive]

Please pass this on.

Does anyone have relevant addresses for UK and US freepers to attempt to influence their own governments?

[Clive]

Please pass this on.

[backhoe]

Clive, at the end of this I'll add my boilerplate "to activists," which if you follow the links within links leads to ways to contact various elected representatives, besides a lot of other people.

Just my 2 cents? The only way this issue is ever going to come to the fore is by grassroots pressure "from the bottom up" instead of from the top down. The subject of how ridding southern Africa of its Evil White-Minority Governments not only did not solve the existing problems but made them far, far worse is political poison in our oh-so! PC countries.

The media ( which was very vocal 20 years ago ) will stay silent- they "just won't talk about it..."

I really think we are in a race we are doomed to lose- if you could inform enough citizens of the facts minus the spin, fast enough, maybe something could be done- but we have 20 years of propaganda to undo. And the silence of the media, and the celebrity-types who claimed 20 years ago to want to free Africa, remains thunderous.

Here's a Note to Activists:

Want to do something? Go here:

Ignorance Making You Ill? Cure It!

for links, tools, & instructions about how to contact a pile of different people, and how to send a link to this story right here ( or anywhere else ) to a "mass email" using Outlook Express.

---

Do be advised that since I increased my volume of mass emails to letters to editors I have gotten return volleys of virus attacks- my ISP filters them out before the get to my PC, but if yours does not, take appropriate precautions to guard your PC.

I take this as a positive- my emails are simply links with no editorial content; so the other side must fear & loath the information even reaching the public.

[shaggy eel]

BUMP

[cavador]

Zimbabwe as a country is finished.This is because Mugabwe has kicked all the white people off their land and given it to the blacks.The countries agriculture depend on the white farmers to grow crops.Now there is no farmers there is NO crops.(The blacks don't know how to run the farms).

Everybody will now starve to death.(DON"T GIVE MONEY TO CHARITIES FOR FOOD TO ZIMBABWE)It will only end up in Mugabwe's pocket.