But for this distorted view of Gambia's recently held National Assembly elections, the article is a good one.

Have a good day, Gassa.

>From: saikss <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Zimbabwe after the elections >Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 17:23:37 +0100 > >(G/L this is an article I wrote for a newspaper,want to share it with you >too) > > Zimbabwe After The Elections > > >U.S. President George W. Bush, who came to power not through the ballot box >but through a Supreme Court > decision, was among the first Western leaders to condemn the recent >Zimbabwean elections. The reaction of > the British Prime Minister was not unexpected either. One begins to wonder >if it is accidental that the > democratic rights of Zimbabweans are of more importance to Western leaders >than that of other Africans. > > One wonders why the people of Madagascar are taking to the streets to regain >their stolen election victory > while the West stands by and looks on. The people of the Ivory Coast fought >and won back their stolen > election, resulting in much destruction of property and loss of life, >without the West reacting at all—other than > to claim that the political victory of the Ivorians was undemocratic. > > And even after the U.S. State Department criticized the recent parliamentary >elections in Gambia, it failed to > react to the situation. Within a short period it announced a normalization >of relations between the two > countries. > > Many other elections on the African continent are criticized for not being >free and fair—like Kenya's—without > these countries suffering from talk of western-imposed sanctions. Western >leaders are practicing a double > standard. It appears that their interests in Zimbabwe are the motivating >factor for all this political noise, and > not the interests of ordinary Zimbabweans. > > Mugabe himself will not suffer from any sanctions imposed on the country. >Had he cared much about the > suffering of the Zimbabwean people, the history of the country for the past >weeks and days would have been > written in another way. > > Mugabe often says that the British Prime Minister suffers from a “colonial >hangover." One could say that he > made the best use of this colonial hangover, not only by bringing up the >land issue so late in his rule but by > making use of anti-colonialist rhetoric. > > REACTIONS OF AFRICAN RULERS > > The Zimbabwean elections pose a real problem for the South African >government. This is not only because, as > many note, South Africa is striving to bercome a superpower in African >political and economic life. The South > African agenda is much more complicated than that. South Africa has not >solved its own land problem, which > was the backbone of the struggle against the apartheid regime. There is no >doubt that the Zimbabwean land > crisis is being closely followed by black South Africans. Sooner or later >the South African government will > have to react to the pressures building up on this issue. > > Arab Moi, the President of Kenya, has always insisted that Western >imperialism manipulates the opposition > against his corrupt and brutal government. By no accident he was one of the >first to congratulate Mugabe for > his election victory. Whether Nigeria's half-hearted support for Mugabe is >part of manipulating its relationship > with both the West and Zimbabwe, or a line of confrontation with South >Africa in its drive to assume the > leading position in African political and economic affairs, will beome clear >sooner rather than later. > > One thing is certain—both South Africa and Nigeria have the economic >potential to stand up to Western > pressure. Nigeria is a significant trade partner of the U.S.; almost 36% of >its export trade is with the U.S., > mainly in oil, which accounts for 40% of its GDP. Nigeria and South Africa >provide the West with a huge > market, playing a significant role in the trade growth of the U.S. and the >West. At the same time, South Africa > and Nigeria are growing industrial nations that look to the African >continent as a potential market. Hence the > importance, in their eyes, of having political influence in it. > > If Nigeria or South Africa try to stand up to Western pressure in favor of >Zimbabwe, they will do so both for > domestic consumption and their broader continental interests. The position >of these two countries on the > Zimbabwean crisis will have great impact on how the continent confronts the >issue. > > COMPROMISED OPPOSITION IN ZIMBABWE > > The opposition MDC failed to pose a tangible opposition to the Mugabe's ZANU >party. It seems to have shied > away from the land issue and never took it as a serious problem for ordinary >Zimbabweans. Most > Zimbabweans live in rural areas. Solving the land issue is seen by many of >them as a way forward in dealing > with the country's crushing poverty. > > They have a right to believe this, since those who took the land from them >remain the most prosperous people > in the country. This has endured for decades. The ordinary Zimbabweans are >the laborers on these farms, the > nannies and housekeepers for their owners, who though a minority remain the >country's dominant economic > force. > > The MDC seems to have been more interested in addressing issues of concern >to the white minority. These > are without doubt serious concerns and no Zimbabwean will deny this. The >long queues for a litre of petrol; the > hunger; and the widespread corruption is a daily fact of life that >Zimbabweans have been experiencing for > many years. But the reason the MDC has not become the favorite of the most >deprived is that it has not linked > the land issue to the poverty situation and political oppression. > > That Mugabe tried to make use of the masses' anger with the colonial/white >minority rule of the past should > not have prevented the MDC from defending the interests of the most >deprived. Yet it could be expected to do > so since it seems to represent the interests of the middle class, who are >worried more about political than > economic matters. That is to say, even if the elections were free and fair, >the MDC might not necessarily have > emerged victorious. > > The white minority support for the MDC and the involvement of past colonial >masters in the elections was a > heaven-sent blessing for the dictator Mugabe. He made a calculated move by >having MDC members arrested, > detained, and charged on the eve of the elections, on the grounds that they >were collaborating with the former > colonial rulers. The failure of the MDC to provide a historical perspective >to explain the suffering of the > Zimbabwean people may be the reason why we did not experience another Ivory >Coast or Madagascar after the > election results were announced. > > Things are not going to get better for ordinary Zimbabweans, who have >suffered a great deal even without > sanctions. The election results might do no more than force Mugabe to use >his powers to solve the land issue in a way > that might not be in the interests of the legal owners of the land. > > Redistributing the land to its rightful owners and turning them into private >farms might be a shortcut to solving > the economic problems facing Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe still would need new >capital, which Mugabe does not > have. The appetite of the corrupt bureaucracy might not survive sanctions, >especially if Mugabe decides to > interfere with its criminal activities. Even if he decides to do so, he will >act with the full knowledge that his > power will be undermined. > > The elections and its results present a new objective situation to >Zimbabweans. It only confirms a suspicion > long held by many Africans,that Imperialism is still alive. > >For Freedom > >Saiks > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~