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United States President Barack Obama’s utterances over the Zimbabwean issue while on a visit to South Africa at the weekend cannot go unchallenged. Mr Obama said leaders should take a cue from South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Mr Nelson Mandela, who served one term and passed on the baton.
He was obviously taking an aim at President Mugabe who has been at the helm of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, first as Prime Minister and now as Head of State and Government.
“If you look at Zimbabwe, it used to be one of the wealthiest countries on the continent and bad governance has led to an economic disaster,” Mr Obama said during his visit to South Africa.
He added: “. . . there is an opportunity now to move to a new phase where perhaps Zimbabwe can finally achieve all its promise. But that requires fair and free elections and it requires those currently in power in Zimbabwe to recognise that the interests of all people have to be served first.”
We believe Mr Mandela did what he did because that was in the best interests of South Africa.
But in Zimbabwe people have re-elected President Mugabe several times because there is a purpose they want him to serve.
Zimbabwe’s war of independence was premised not only on the need for political freedom but the skewed distribution of natural resources, notably the land which was in the hands of the white minority.
The reason Zimbabweans keep re-electing leaders of their revolution is because they want them to fulfill the objectives of their struggle for independence.
Zimbabwe managed to restore the land to its rightful owners about a decade ago and that is when the real economic empowerment of people started not the 1980s wealth, which was in the hands of the minority whites that Mr Obama is referring to.
Land reform has indeed been a noble and necessary programme for Zimbabweans and it needed resolute and principled leaders such as President Mugabe to champion.
Perhaps in South Africa, redistributing land to the majority blacks is not that necessary or noble and that could be the reason former President Mandela and his successors left or will leave office without implementing it.
In Zimbabwe, land redistribution has been accomplished and now we are moving to indigenise the economy by empowering locals to be principal actors in the mainstream economy.
Again that process needs visionary leaders and if Zimbabweans reelect President Mugabe and Zanu-PF to finish that process, it is their choice and that choice must be respected.
We would like to remind Washington of the undertaking it made late last year together with its ally Britain to stop meddling in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe.
Last year the British and US governments through their ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe pledged that the two administrations would not meddle in the internal affairs of the country including our elections. The ambassadors also pledged to heal the wounded relations between their countries and Zimbabwe.
Mr Obama must be reminded that he has no business poking his nose into the affairs of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe will never involve itself in internal American issues, so Mr President please, leave us alone.
It is not for you to lecture us on which leader should rule Zimbabwe, that is a privilege exclusively for us Zimbabweans.
Zimbabweans are quite capable of choosing their own leaders and do not need the assistance of anyone wherever those persons are from, to help them elect their leaders.
It is also not the duty of President Obama and the United States to tell us when our leaders should leave office or retire.
Zimbabwean leaders will leave office or retire as determined by the laws of this country and the constitutions of their political parties.
When the London and Washington ambassadors made their pledges last year, we questioned their sincerity.
And following Mr Obama’s comments in South Africa at the weekend, we continue to question the Western countries’ honesty up to this day.
Online Reporter