Hi Mr. Jones,
I partly agree with your thoughts about Mugabe. The old man has gone a bit
senile. Evidenced by some of his statements against gays and whites and his
marriage to what looks like a young supermodel when the old man can hardly
walk. However, his reaction towards whites, particularly M. Smith, is
understandable.
Ian Smith fits the stereotypical definition of a racist. Around 1979, he
publicly proclaimed that black people were not intelligent enough to run
Rhodesia, and he hoped that they would never gain power. This directly led
to the civil war that resulted in Zimbabwe's independence. Mr. Smith should
have been convicted as a war criminal immediately after independence. Yet he
not only escaped punishment, but holds a seat in parliament today. If I were
in Mr. Mugabe's shoes, I would also be suspicious of this "reformed
ex-racist."
You also mentioned that the country had a buoyant economy under the rule of
Mr. Smith. I am no economic expert, but how can an economy that benefits the
few at the expense of the masses, ALA post-independence South Africa, be
considered buoyant? Whites in Zimbabwe profited from unfair land practices
and prejudice against blacks. Hence Mr. Mugabe's attempt to pass the land
reform act which would have redistributed the farm lands in a more just
manner.
On a final note, statistics show that only 26% of the registered voters
actually cast their ballots. Of this 26%, 100,000, a suspiciously high
number, were white. The sad fact is that most of the people in rural areas
where farming is a way of life, did not cast their votes. These are the
people that would have benefited the most from the reform act. In certain
aspects this loss should be a wake up call for Zimbabwe's one party state,
but the defeat of the land reform act is a serious setback to the dismantling
of some of the old barriers that were setup by the old colonial guard like
Mr. Smith.
Yus
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