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2008 harmonised elections - Index of articles
MDC promises free Zimbabwe that includes gays
Nthateng
Mhlambiso, Behind the mask
May 14, 2008
http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=zimbabwe&id=1857
A positive twist
towards human rights for Zimbabwean citizens, including lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community, seems
imminent if elections favor the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
While President Robert
Mugabe has over the years condemned homosexuality in Zimbabwe, MDC
spokeperson Nelson Chamisa revealed that the his organization will
build a new Zimbabwe for all its citizens irrespective of their
social associations or even sexual orientation.
Chamisa, however, included
that individual choices should be defined by societal norms, consideration
and the national feelings of the country.
"Our vision is
to build a Zimbabwe that has sufficient space and comfort for all",
he explained.
While the LGBTI organizations
in Zimbabwe are not sure if it's just a lip service to garner
support, they have raised concerns about the present state of governance
in relation to homosexuality and explained why these elections are
important to them.
"Since the problems
and sufferings facing LGBTI people are the same as those facing
the majority of Zimbabweans, these elections are obviously of great
importance to us. Our greatest hope is that the outcome is free
and fair since it is vital that Zimbabwe gets back its feet",
a Zimbabwean LGBTI activist said.
He added that his organization
is completely non-partisan and it encourages members to register
and vote. "However, I doubt that any self respecting lesbian
or gay person would want to vote for Mugabe given his record of
hate speech about gays. Do turkeys vote for Christmas?", he
questioned.
The activist added that
although Mugabe is on record as saying that everyone in Zimbabwe
has rights except gays; "he has never said that he does not
want our votes.
We believe that although
conditions for a free and fair elections do not exist, the opposition
has to be admired for its tough and determined campaigning",
he said.
Meanwhile, a South African
LGBTI organization, the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP)
is concerned about what it termed a 'democratic crisis in
Zimbabwe'.
In her 16 April
press statement, Director
of LGEP Phumi Mthetwa said the Zimbabwean government is responsible
for social and economic crises facing that country.
"The homophobia
promoted by ZANU-PF is not divorced from the oppression of women,
the exploitation of workers and the gross violation of human rights
that the same government has been responsible for. Beyond majority
numbers, democracy is also about progressive values of equality,
freedom, human rights and non-discrimination", she said.
She also expressed solidarity
with the lesbians, gay men, women, workers and all the people of
Zimbabwe at this time and urged them to be involved in the struggle
for democracy.
"We call on the
lesbian and gay community in Zimbabwe to emerge and add their principled
voice in the struggle for democracy, freedom and equality",
urged her.
Presently all eyes are
on the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) to announce the date
for the controversial election run-off following the 2 May official
results that showed MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai winning with 47.9%
with Mugabe trailing at 43.2%.
It remains to be seen
whether the MDC will recognize and protect the rights of LGBTI people
in that country even after 28 years of Mugabe's rule which
despised the rights of this marginalised community.
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