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Zim-s detractors either uninformed or afraid
Obi Egbuna
January 12, 2007

http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=13851&cat=10

WITH the fascist execution of Saddam Hussein in Iraq on December 30, not only is resistance growing against the Bush and Blair administrations in every corner of the world, it makes all countries the US has targeted this century much stronger.

This was inevitable because Saddam-s murder showed the entire world that when the world-s most violent and repressive governments target you, you must have a multi-dimensional strategy to defend your people and sovereignty.

In the case of President Mugabe; his wisdom, experience and political sophistication is the most valuable weapon Zimbabwe has at its disposal, the US and Britain understand the bond between Sadc countries, therefore instigating a military conflict like they successfully did between Iran and Iraq is out of the question.

The Anglo-Saxons cannot even find any Sadc country willing to be their extended mouthpiece. With the retirement of Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania), Joachim Chissano (Mozambique), Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia) and Sam Nujoma (Namibia), Bush and Blair thought they could either bribe or intimidate the new Sadc heads of state and government.

But they were in for disappointment as they discovered that the new generation of Sadc leaders respect President Mugabe, the same way he and his generation of liberation fighters looked at their predecessors among them Kwame Nkrumah, Kwame Ture, Julius Nyerere, and Amilcar Cabral, to mention just a few.

When President Mugabe invited Kofi Annan to come to Zimbabwe in the wake of the controversial manner in which UN special envoy Ms Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka handled her report over Operation Murambatsvina, Sadc made it clear that it stood behind Zimbabwe.

This is why Annan took President Mugabe-s word.

Because of the involvement of Arab-s in the slave trade, anti-imperialist forces in the Arab world had difficulties convincing Africans in sub-Sahara Africa and the Diaspora that they could last the course.

This reality caused African organisations in the US many sleepless nights when they attempted to organise support and solidarity efforts for Palestine, Libya and Iraq.

A look at our history shows us it is the correct course of action as Malcolm X embraced Ahmed Shukary, the PLO-s first chairman along with Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Ahmed Ben Bella in Algeria. We can even go back to the bond between Marcus Garvey and Abdel Kareem of the Moroccan Independence Movement.

Continental and Diaspora Africans must be grateful to Saddam Hussein for resisting neo-colonial domination; both he and Libya-s Muammar Gaddafi proved that Nasser-s anti-imperialist legacy was alive, and now Arabs and Muslims have to harmonise their political and religious strategies to defeat the US/Israeli axis of evil for good.

President Mugabe and Zanu-PF have always understood that African-Arab unity is essential. This is why at the UN General Assembly every September, and no other African head of state has condemned the US and Britain-s intervention in Iraq with more conviction.

Zanu-PF-s secretary for information and publicity, Dr Nathan Shamuyarira-s, commitment to the Zimbabwe-Palestine Friendship Association is also another practical example of the party-s appreciation of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Kwame Ture also taught Africans all over the world that maintaining an alliance with revolutionary Arab forces ensured that we would remain committed to fighting against Zionism because Israelis are direct enemies of Africans, too.

There are many factions in the reparations movement who feel forming an alliance with the Palestinians will serve in the long term as a distraction, but because Zimbabweans are a mirror reflection of our people in the Diaspora, it feels more natural to them to embrace President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.

While the Baath Party under Saddam-s leadership did provide asylum for PAC and Azapo comrades who would have been killed in cold blood if they remained in South Africa, and also maintained ties with African liberation movements at key points in their struggles, allowing Ronald Reagan to persuade them to help him depose Ayatollah Khomeni after he overthrew the most hated puppet in the Muslim world — the Shah — never sat easy with anyone.

The tension between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq plays into the hands of the divide and conquer tactics, which have benefited imperialist forces for far too long, they hope in Zimbabwe the recent ploy by opportunist elements who have resurrected Gukurahundi will result in violent clashes between the Shona and Ndebele people.

This is wishful thinking because the Unity Accord signed between President Mugabe and the late Vice President Nkomo in 1987 shows Zimbabweans wish to come together reigns supreme and there is truly light at the end of the tunnel.

President Mugabe-s decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth also shows that his Government and party were extremely brave and understood that winning a protracted armed struggle means nothing, if your enemy can use diplomatic pressure to strip you of your human dignity while the whole world is watching.

Zimbabweans also never let anyone forget that sanctions are the cause of all their major challenges, while Saddam mainly because of his military experiences seemed to be primarily focused on fighting the British and Americans on the battlefield, even though the sanctions against Iraq have killed more women and children than years of bombs and bullets.

Many people often overlook the fact that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF have done a magnificent job in highlighting Zimbabwe-s gains in the fight against HIV and Aids, women-s empowerment and education, while if you ask people about the Baath Party-s main achievements under Sadaam, the most common answer will be the oil reserves.

Inside the US the main difference between how we view Iraq and Zimbabwe is with Iraq we see blatant opportunism by many who are merely attacking Bush on his policy mainly to win the White House back for the Democrats and when it comes to Zimbabwe, one can see that at the core of patriotism in the US presently is a combination of fear, bribery and ignorance.

Zimbabwe-s detractors are either uninformed, afraid or have been bought by groups like the National Endowment for Democracy.

The truth is they seem to find comfort in helping Democrats like John Kerry who won his party-s nomination for president by advertising killing people in Vietnam, continue to show when it comes to political hypocrisy no one comes close.

In the case of Zimbabwe and Cuba, all imperialist countries have left to hang their hats on is the succession debate, which is foolish because countries like these are judged by how long they have been independent not how long an individual has been in power, this important point can never be overstated because a revolving chair of candidates who endorse policies that represent a cycle of poverty, racism and violence all over the world is not a viable alternative.

Commandante Fidel Castro is just as dangerous in his hospital bed as he was in the Sierra Maestra fighting Batista and President Mugabe is the glue of the nation that holds Zimbabwe together.

Zimbabwe-s anti-imperialist resistance shows the world that a people who are underestimated by their enemies, will never succumb to defeat.

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