By Florence Chideya
Your unfair criticism of President Robert Mugabe as a worst dictator is based on disrespect for democratic choices made by Zimbabweans and Africans, and ignorance of the political situation on the ground. President Mugabe enjoys a majority of total support from Zimbabweans as the 2008 elections show, and this victory is the basis for other political parties in Zimbabwe accepting to form a coalition government. A continent-wide survey by New African magazine rated President Mugabe as one of the most influential people in Africa, in a list that also included Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah. In Africa, he is revered as a hero, a fact also acknowledged by the European Union in New African magazine’s winter edition for his role in the liberation struggle and his fight against neocolonialism and neo-imperialism.
It is his stand against these two evil pursuits that have earned him demonization from those who seek to protect vested minority economic interests while pretending to protect the interests of the majority of Zimbabweans.
Zimbabweans are not disengaged from the political process as suggested. On the contrary, the majority, regardless of class, are the vanguard of the struggle in defending the national interest, with President Mugabe providing unwavering support to this cause.
President Robert Mugabe’s struggles align with those of Zimbabweans against neocolonialism, indigenous economic empowerment, and fighting the illegal economic sanctions that are causing deaths and unprecedented suffering to ordinary Zimbabweans. President Mugabe cannot be fearful of any North African-like revolution alluded to in your article because his cause promotes the national interest. The same cannot be said of Western interests in that region.
The native-led land reform program vigorously pursued by President Mugabe despite the demonization from the West, has recorded strong growth of 19 percent, coming second after mining in an economy expected to grow by 9 percent this year. Further growth and foreign investment is expected within the context of balancing investment and national interests.
It is preposterous to think that Robert Mugabe, the individual, cares about being restricted from travelling to Western countries, other than that it undermines Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, from fulfilling his international governance responsibilities as mandated by Zimbabweans.
Florence Chideya is Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Canada.
