Posted on 08/15/2002 12:37:18 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
About 3,000 white farmers in Zimbabwe are waiting to see if the government will make good its threat to evict them without compensation and turn the land over to blacks. The deadline passed last Thursday for the farmers to voluntarily leave their land, and President Robert Mugabe announced on Monday that he was standing by the eviction order. White farmers reported yesterday a wave of threats and intimidation by government officials and ruling party militants trying to force them off their land. If white farmers do not leave, they can now be legally evicted. The world waits to see if Mr. Mugabe's government is ready to fully carry out its ruthless policy to the letter of the law.
All this marks a new low point in the career of Robert Mugabe. Over the last two years, he has subverted practically all the institutions of democracy to satisfy his relentless drive to stay in power. Political foes have been killed, presses bombed, courts threatened. An election in March was widely condemned as a farce.
His campaign to seize about 95 percent of white-owned farms and redistribute the land has already brought Zimbabwe to economic ruin.
The official reason for the policy is to correct of the injustice of colonialism. Fair enough, say many of the farmers themselves. But they want to be compensated and say letting gangs of thugs take over the farms -- as in some instances -- is not the way to go. There has been bloodshed, and some white farmers and their black workers have been killed.
Until two years ago, when the land seizures began, Zimbabwe had had a prosperous history (by African standards) since independence from Britain in 1980, in large part because of crops such as corn, wheat and tobacco. Agriculture accounted for 20 percent of the nation's gross domestic product in 1999 but is now below 10 percent -- and declining.
But no one starved. However, the United Nations now estimates that 6 million people face starvation, partly because of a drought but mainly because of political chaos and its ruinous effect on agriculture. And the subversion of basic property rights threatens the political stability not only of the nation but also the region.
Mr. Mugabe may hope Western charities will bail him out with food. But the old leader, once revered for his ability to rule a nation of whites and blacks with relative harmony, does not seem concerned if thousands of men, women and children are sacrificed for his power. And, sadly, no African government has had the courage to come out and openly condemn Mr. Mugabe.
Nigerian president asked to resign - Troika member who joined S. Africa's Mbeki on Mugabe's fate***Summoned from their recess, the 360 members of the lower chamber House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a motion asking the president to step down in two weeks or face impeachment. The resolution, moved by opposition member Mohammed Kumalia, accused Obasanjo of mismanagement, disrespect for the rule of law and nonimplementation of approved budgets. Presidential spokesmen were unavailable for comment.
The gruff former military ruler has survived similar parliamentary actions in the past, but political analysts say the mood in the oil-producing country had changed dramatically amid mounting charges of government corruption. Local elections, the first polls since military rule ended in 1999, were postponed indefinitely last week, raising doubts over presidential and general elections next year.***
Australian prime minister wants to discuss Zimbabwe with other Commonwealth leaders *** SUVA, Fiji - Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday it was premature to discuss expelling Zimbabwe from the British Commonwealth but expressed anger at the lack of democratic reforms in the south African nation. Howard led a three-nation Commonwealth delegation that in March suspended Zimbabwe from the organization's decision-making councils - as a punishment for unfair elections.
The suspension was seen by some as a slap on the wrist for President Robert Mugabe following his victory earlier this year in an election observers said was marred by intimidation of opposition candidates and voters. Speaking on Australian television from the Fijian capital Suva, where he is attending a summit of Pacific island nation leaders, Howard said Mugabe ignored the suspension. ***
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