zimfinalpush
Greg Houle would like you to see the following article.
Keep up the excellent work Radical Soldier!!
All My Best,
Keep up the excellent work Radical Soldier!!
All My Best,
Greg Houle
Title: Is there anybody worse than Robert Mugabe?
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Is there anybody worse than Robert Mugabe?
More than a dozen key figures from Zimbabwe's main opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were arrested on Sunday after holding an 'illegal' prayer rally (for a rundown of the events go here). MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is reported to have been severely beaten and tortured by the police—some reports claim that he's fighting for his life—and it's probably a pretty safe bet to assume that most of the people arrested weren't exactly treated hospitably by Robert Mugabe's thugs.
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained majority rule twenty-seven years ago. Zimbabwe currently has the highest rate of inflation in the world (at over 1,700% and climbing) and the lowest life expectancy in the world (at 34 years for women and sinking). It also has an 80% unemployment rate. Mugabe's poorly conceived land reform activities have directly led to massive food shortages that could result in the deaths of thousands of innocent people and his "Operation Drive Out Trash" in 2005 affected, according to the United Nations, at least 2.4 million people in Zimbabwe (most of whom were politically opposed to Mugabe) by destroying their homes and places of employment.
The media is often criticized for reporting only bad news from Africa. It's sometimes a legitimate criticism but, then again, when you have people like Robert Mugabe running things in Africa what is the media suppose to do? Things are so bad in Zimbabwe that it is almost incomprehensible. Mugabe may not be Hitler, he may not even be Saddam Hussein, but he is without a doubt one of the worst human beings on the planet and he has been that way for a very long time. He may have had good intentions thirty years ago, he may have even had good intentions twenty or twenty-five years ago, but his current intentions clearly do not serve the vast majority of people in Zimbabwe and they haven't severed the people of Zimbabwe, or the people of Africa, for a very long time.
Mugabe is a cancer. He is one of the biggest reasons why most of the news reported from Africa is bad news—another reason is because the giants on the continent, people like South African president Thabo Mbeki, refuse to speak out against Mugabe.
Perhaps one day soon Mugabe will be gone and perhaps one day soon the citizens of Zimbabwe will be able to taste what real democracy is like. Perhaps there won't be four-digit inflation, an 80% unemployment rate, and a rock bottom life expectancy. Perhaps Zimbabwe will hold legitimate elections and have an opposition party that doesn't fear for its life. Perhaps there will no longer be a need for Thabo Mbeki or any other legitimate African leader to speak out about the monstrous president of Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately that day has yet to arrive. But it might be equally unfortunate that we hear nothing but silence from the rest of Africa. As long as absurd 'leaders' like Robert Mugabe are sitting in state houses across Africa there will always be colossal, incomprehensible, problems on the continent. Wholesale, enduring change will never happen until the true leaders and the people of Africa stop putting up with the likes of people like Robert Mugabe.
Greg Houle
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Yes, there is something worse than Mugabe. It is civil war and anarchy, as occured in Liberia. It is Mugabe killed but his youth groups directed to kill everyone on a list, as occured in Ruanda.
March 19, 2007 | 
Nancy Reyes
Nancy Reyes
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