adminwill become Zimbabwe’s supreme law.
At a date yet to be announced, Zimbabweans will also vote in watershed harmonised elections that will choose a President, Members of Parliament and local government leaders. And, the world is interested, especially the West.
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi made it extremely clear while meeting the Swedish International Co-operation Minister Gunilla Carlsson, that while Zimbabwe will invite observers from friendly countries to observe the elections, European Union and the United States observers will not be allowed to monitor the electoral processes as long as the illegal sanctions were in place.
Britain as former colonial master has been quick to respond. The British ambassador to Zimbabwe Deborah Bronnert, yesterday called a press conference were she tried to justify why it was important for the EU to observe these electoral processes, while at the same time indirectly prejudging the polls that have to yet take place.
Yesterday’s press conference just like the one held by the United States’ Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State Reuben Brigety and Karen Hanrahan on February 22, give away the EU and the US election agenda.
In keeping with international best practices, Zimbabwe, which has been holding elections for the past 33 years, has said that it will invite observers, but observers of its choice from the African Union, Sadc, Comesa and others, and that it reserved the right to invite countries dangling sticks and carrots over its head.
But the underlying aspect is that the Zimbabwean Government is simply matching action for action.
As a sovereign state it does not need another sovereign state to reward and support it for what it does. Thus its call that the EU and US will not be invited unless they remove sanctions is “matching action for action”.
Ambassador Bronnert also argued that the EU has a “very good reputation”, thus its reputation makes it the best candidate to validate our polls.
Not only is it imperialism at its best, but it also smacks of racism. What the British envoy implies is that none but themselves have the capability to referee an election.
Africa, South America and Asia, most of whose countries are former colonies, have been independent for more than five decades.
Is the ambassador telling us that they still need this continued dictation and hand-holding from their colonial masters in order to pass the mark?
When will they be credible members of the international community with the ability to run their own affairs, and to also observe electoral systems in the US and the EU where we have also observed that the situation on the ground is not as rosy as they would want us to believe? We have seen elections being stolen there, observed violence and also seen that the playing field is not even.
Ambassador Bronnert also spoke of voter turnout and input. Is this because of what has just happened in Kenya, another British colony? Which country has accurately predicted high voter turnout before election day? And, for comparative purposes, how high are the percentages of voter turnout and input in Europe?
We also noted how she tried to address an issue they pay lip service to; a major issue that makes others fall into place — the illegal sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe more than a decade ago.
By making the gestures that they have made, removing some of the names on the so-called restrictive measures list, the EU believed that the Zimbabwe Government would buy this gesture hook, line and sinker.
But Zimbabwe has shown that it wants its pound of flesh — unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions, and failure to deliver means that it also flexes its muscles and match action for action. It is only fair.
The double standards being used on sanctions are abhorrent. Ambassador Bronnert argued that one of their expectations is the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement. Maybe the EU and US should revisit that document.
Unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions is one of the major items leading to the full implementation of the GPA. We cannot pretend that it is a non-issue, but it has become the major issue leading to who is and who is not invited to observe Zimbabwe’s elections.
While the US has made it clear that it will not lift sanctions until Zimbabwe does its bidding, the EU has made pretentious gestures to make it look like it is doing something.
The correlation is the Mosaic Law. You break one, you have broken all. Are they saying that by removing the few names on their list, they have also relieved the ordinary people who are suffering under this sanction regime?
We also need to reflect on election violence and its causal effects. When foreign nations, seeking to maintain their permanent interests meddle in the internal affairs of another state, and also start giving a laundry list of what they expect and do not expect, isn’t this a recipe for the disunity and violence that follow, actions that they will be quick to condemn?
The EU and US cannot expect Zimbabwe to walk their talk, when they are not reciprocating in like manner.
Online Reporter