| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Africa Subsaharan | ||
| Defiant Mugabe rules out opposition rule in his lifetime | ||
| 2008-03-23 | ||
| President Robert Mugabe made a defiant campaign speech Saturday a week ahead of perhaps his toughest election battle, saying Zimbabwe's main opposition party would never rule during his lifetime. That's OK. Either time or man can solve this problem. Mugabe, 84, the only head of state Zimbabwe has known since independence ...
They still have companies there? Oh, I forgot. Kinko's is probably doing fine. The veteran leader, whose bid for a sixth term must overcome an economy crippled by record inflation, dismissed the electoral aspirations of Zimbabwe's main opposition party -- the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). "It will never happen as long as we are still alive -- those (of us) who planned the liberation struggle," Mugabe told thousands of supporters at his first rally in the capital since hitting the campaign trail last month. Liberation? Ah, you mean that time where you took over for personal gain through political means! He made no mention of Simba Makoni, who has broken ranks with the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) to stand against Mugabe as an independent. Mugabe has called Makoni a "prostitute" for taking him on and the former finance minister was expelled from the ZANU-PF last month after announcing his challenge. But on Saturday, his barbs were directed fully at the MDC and its leader Morgan Tsvangirai. "You in the MDC, it's treasonous to continue assisting the British to make sure they have a say here," he said -- although the opposition denies any direct links with Britain. Mugabe warned Britain to stay out of Zimbabwean politics if it wanted to safeguard the interests of British companies still allowed to work in the former colony. "They still have companies which are still here and we did nothing to them... 400 British companies and so they must take care, after elections," he said. Britain, which has led international criticism of Mugabe for violating political and human rights in his country and plunging it into a disastrous economic crisis, says only 40 British firms remain operating in the country. But Bob says . . . . Oh, nevermind. I think I see part of the problem. Mugabe's relations deteriorated with Western nations after he embarked in 2000 on a controversial land reform scheme that saw some 4,000 white-owned farms seized and handed over to landless blacks. Who have no clue WTF they are doing. Mugabe also urged Zimbabweans on Saturday to help acquire a majority stake in mining and manufacturing firms after a new equity law that only allows firms to restructure or merge if locals hold 51 percent of shares. 51% of soon-to-be nothing. There are fears the law could plunge the country even deeper into the economic mire. ??? Once a net agricultural exporter, Zimbabwe is currently reeling under food shortages, while the economy buckles under a mindboggling annual inflation rate of 100,000-plus percent. Schools are switching to logarithmic graphis in their economic textbooks. Both unemployment and poverty rates hover above 80 percent and at least a quarter of the population has fled misery to seek economic refuge elsewhere. Tsvangirai has warned that the March 29 poll could be rigged in favour of Mugabe and has threatened to pull out of the elections if presidential ballots are counted at a separate venue from concurrent legislative and local votes. Have Jimmy come over and make sure things are fair across the entire country. He told a news conference on Thursday that independent investigations had revealed that 90,000 names appearing on the roll for 28 rural constituencies could not be accounted for. His MDC has also deplored new electoral regulations passed this week by Mugabe which allow police officers into polling stations during the elections. The regulations allow policemen in polling stations to assist illiterate or physically challenged voters. What about voters who choose the wrong candidate?
Does voting for the wrong candidate count as a protest? | ||
| Posted by:gorb |
| #2 I would love to see lots of pictures of Mugabe dangling and dancing from a rope, while happy people celebrate beneath and throw road apples at him. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-03-23 14:53 |
| #1 "Mugabe rules out opposition rule in his lifetime" Ummm - there's at least one obvious way to fix that.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-23 12:06 |