Dear Editor,
Mugabe loses, not the Commonwealth
Zimbabwe’s abrupt withdrawal from the Commonwealth on Monday underlined the isolation of the illegitimate President Mugabe’s regime, rather than a failure of the Commonwealth.
Robert Mugabe has used the pseudo struggle against ‘white power’ since his defeat in the referendum of February 2000 to try to mobilise support against his political opponents, the Movement for Democratic Change. MDC, like the Zimbabwe population, is overwhelmingly black, and is committed to a democratic, multi-party system of accountable government. It is strongly based on the trade unions, women and student organisations which once were part of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF.
Mugabe has failed to crush MDC, although in his effort he has crushed the Zimbabwe economy, undermined its judiciary, largely crushed freedom of speech and assembly, and perhaps fatally compromised its police and armed forces as national institutions.
The Commonwealth at Abuja has for its part refused to succumb to Mugabe’s fakery, and insisted that its members must be functioning democracies, as stated clearly in the Harare Declaration of 1991. It is a sign of strength in the Commonwealth that, despite strongly differing views about how to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis, it upheld its basic principles.
Prime Minister Howard and the majority of Heads of Government played a positive role and deserve the full support of the Australian people on this issue.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Murphy
Secretary
Zimbabwe Information Centre Inc
PO Box K824, Haymarket NSW 1240
0418 312 301
|
|
You can make a difference
|
|
 |
Make a donation |
|
Support Zimbabwe at an event |
|
Lobby your local Government member |
|
Become a member of the ZIC |
|
