generalspeaking

An Awakening

It has been said that all things shall come to pass in the fullness of time. Even, we dare hope, the political and social maturity of the African Continent. There have been abortive starts now and again, throughout that vast continent, where one country after another has sought to shed its primitive status quo as a tribal-based society focused on the advancement of the ascendant tribe, ignoring the needs of those other, lesser tribes within their geographies.

What's more, behaving generally, once ensconced in power, as though the avails of whatever natural resources, trading commodities and production become the personal banking system of the coterie in power. Ignoring the general plight of the population needful of sufficient food, adequate shelter, safe drinking water, life-sustaining medicines - because it's too much of an effort to enact laws guaranteeing same, and supporting the infrastructure providing them.

A waste of attention, of energy, of the national treasury. Put to much better use installing a guaranteed lifestyle of privilege for family, friends, cronies and supporters of the administration in power. Administrations that tend to look with a jaundiced eye at what neighbouring states' administrations have been able to accomplish for themselves. Still, a collective conscience does stir in there, waiting to be released by authentically humane and responsible leaders.

Who do, from time to time, busy themselves to some degree, attempting to bring their nations into the newer world order that demands attention to the needs of the greater populace. To tend to their direst and most direct human needs in the provision of the wherewithal to become gainfully employed so they might to partake of the goods of the earth and the countries' emerging economic promises. Secure from time-honoured traditions that gave assent to bitter tribal enmities resulting in violence.

It appears now that the extent of the horrible failure of Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe has finally penetrated the consciousness and the consciences of his neighbours, too long trepidatious about treading on his authority and his reputation as a colonialist-era-basher, championing the need for Africa to rule itself. Independent Africa has tried to do just that, and in the process has succeeded to a degree, while receding from time to time to the inadequacies inherent in tribal culture.

However tardy, though, it would appear that absent Thabo Mbeki - Robert Mugabe's staunchest ally and supporter - South Africa is finally awakening to the necessity of action, and bringing along with it, as an elder-state-nation, other African countries to finally demand that Zimbabweans be rescued from the dire depredations of its president. Other impoverished and struggling nations can ill afford to take in more refugees fleeing that country.

And the dire conditions of starvation and rampant disease inevitably spreading; both untreated for lack of currency and governmental action, are threatening to cross borders inflicting other states with the scourge of the cholera epidemic now raging across Zimbabwe. The plight of Zimbabwe and its people is so stark that the 'elder statesmen' represented by Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and Graca Machel attempted intervention to no avail.

Millions of Zimbabweans are on the cusp of starvation and death; fully one-half of the population is imperilled, while also facing the very real prospect of rampaging disease overtaking starvation in a race toward death. The situation, dire as it is, can only become steadily worse if nothing is done. The United Nations food agencies give a figure of 5.1-million Zimbabweans facing starvation.

In a desperate attempt to force Robert Mugabe to succumb to the necessity of power sharing with Morgan Tsvangerai and instilling some level of confidence in moving the country toward relief and potential investment from abroad, South Africa's parliament voted to withhold US$23.3-million in emergency agricultural aid. A hard choice to make, one that will ensure further suffering for the unemployed and desperate masses.

Kenya, which not so long ago fought an internecine war of tribal aggression when its president, Mwai Kibaki, refused to acknowledge the slim margin of victory of his opponent Raila Odinga - and who was complicit in his followers launching a brutal retaliation against Mr. Odinga's supporters, finally settling things by agreeing to shared administration - is calling vociferously on the African Union to send a peacekeeping force into Zimbabwe "to bring President Robert Mugabe back into line."

All attempts by southern African leaders up until now to negotiate an end to the deadlock between Robert Mugabe and his election-winning opposition, have failed. Thabo Mbeko, as the main negotiator, trod delicately, unwilling to step on his recalcitrant friend's toes, but managed, time and again, to wrest a grudging acquiescence to agree to power sharing.

But when it came to actually allocating key government posts to Morgan Tsvangirai and others of his party, Robert Mugabe simply reverted to form, and stood fast, refusing to allocate any meaningful ministries and with them, political power, to his adversaries. The end result being further chaos and down-spiralling in the economy of a country long before having suffered a mortal wound as a result of its president's ill-considered and internationally illegal moves.

Some hope can finally be found in the determination of South Africa's ruling African National Congress leading the way for the condemnation of Zimbabwe's president, in the hopes he can be unseated - by force if necessary. For it is necessary that he be taken away from his position of command, before his country collapses in a final agony of wide-spread depredation and death.

Labels: Heroes and Villains, Justice, Troublespots, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, November 26, 2008