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Add to FavoritesRobert Mugabe attends UN summit
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe is attending the United Nation's Food summit in Rome this week.The summit which begins on Tuesday June 3rd will bring all political leaders around world together.However the presence of Zimbabwe's political pioneer Robert Mugabe is a matter of great concern to the world leaders attending the Rome summit.Robert Mugabe and his entire cabinet ministers are ban from traveling to all the countries within the European Union due to his abusive human rights record.Now the question should president Robert Mugabe attend the United Nations Food summit in Rome is a question which the west has tried to ask but has no choice but to just let ''sleeping dogs lie''.as the proverb says.President Robert Mugabe should attend this summit because the sanctions and the travel ban against him cannot apply here because the United Nations is the forum for the meeting.
President Robert Mugabe attending the UN Food summit will raise many eyebrows not only in Rome but also across the globe.It will mark the first visit to Europe by Mr. Mugabe since his party lost the majority in the parliamentary election held late March.The presidential election which the opposition has claimed to have won will be forced into a run-off on 27 June against Morgan Tsvangirai the leader of the Movement of Democratic Change[MDC].The EU,US,and Uk are all against Robert Mugabe's Human rights record including the way he manages the economy of Zimbabwe.The West belief Robert Mugabe is using the food aid to Zimbabwe in a politically motivated way.Many leaders attending the summit especially those from the UK are outraged at Mr. Mugabe's presence.Some leaders and Representatives opt out in any attempt to shake hands with Mr. Mugabe or meeting him personally
The sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe due to the continues iron-grip rule of Robert Mugabe and his human rights abuses has continue to slump Zimbabwe's economy.The inflation is running at an annual rate of 165,000%.The most saddest part of all is, only one in five adults in Zimbabwe has a regular job.So the west that will be glade to see President Robert Mugabe resign has no interest in seeing him at the UN Food summit currently going on in the Rome.
Mr. Mugabe's presence will also force many to recall a similar stir made by the Zimbabwean leader in Rome in 2005 when he denounced the former UK priminister Tony Blair and the US president George W Bush as ''unholy men''.He continue accusing the West as ''foisting food''on the Zimbabwean people.So it should not be another surprise when the lion hearted Robert Mugabe utters anything similar or worst.When Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980,it was a wonderment of joy for the entire African continent but no one in Africa at that ever predicted that Zimbabwe will be the way it is today.Poverty,severe human rights abuse,poor economy and above all killings and jailing of political opponents and journalists has turn the one time paradise on earth to the worst country in Africa.This summit will help the world leaders to speak of their minds of the political instability in Zimbabwe and give Mugabe advices to step down for the good of the Zimbabwean people.Until the end of the summit president Robert Mugabe as he has promised will not be down trodden by the so call power of the west.
Learn more about this author, Karamo Nimaga.
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When Zimbabwe won its independence in 1980, the world was filled with hope. The man who led the new nation, Robert Mugabe, seemed to be an intelligent and dedicated leader who could bring prosperity and peace to the new country. In 1980, the Zimbabwe dollar was roughly equal with the American one. Zimbabwe was regarded as one of Africa's most prosperous countries and a leader of the continent.
In 2008, Zimbabweans have to carry their money in wheelbarrows to buy bread; your average citizen is a billionaire. 3.4 million have fled to other countries. The average life expectancy for a Zimbabwean man is 37 years old and HIV infection rate for 15-49 year-olds is 20 percent. True, many of these statistics are similarly repeated in many other African countries. But no other African country experienced such a dramatic fall from riches to rags, and the blame for this crime falls on Robert Mugabe.
When Mugabe took office in 1980, it quickly became known that he was more interested in staying in power than in helping his people. His party, the Zanu-PF, frequently launches attacks on political rivals and is known for massive corruption. His program of land reform was ostensibly designed to help struggling peasants, but ended up causing an exodus of Zimbabwe's white population and the leftover land stolen by Mugabe's cronies. International criticism is always answered with a blanket charge of "colonialism" designed to distract people from the horrible job Mugabe is doing.
Mugabe has stolen, censored, bribed and killed to maintain his grip on the government of Zimbabwe. His throne is built on a tower of skulls. Like so many despots, he will likely die in luxury, knowing nothing of the way his countrymen perish starving on the streets. Allowing him to appear at the UN Food Summit is a slap in the face of the people of Zimbabwe. Mugabe knows nothing about ending world hunger, he is one of its greatest perpetrators. It is akin to inviting Bill Gates to an anti-technology convention.
It's hard for the international community to find a solution to this problem. Sanctions can only go so far. Starvation and despotism in Africa doesn't seem to be a reason for any nation to go to war. This seems to be a problem Zimbabwe must solve for herself, and many of her sons and daughters are resisting Mugabe and his thugs admirably.
But, one thing we in America, in The UK, in France, Russia, Japan, Norway or Egypt can do is to deny him any measure of prestige or sense of accomplishment on the world stage. If Mugabe can avoid facing our actions, he can at least be forced to deal with our disapproval. Banning him from the UN Food Summit is a good start.
Learn more about this author, Jake Lackner.
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