Polls have already opened in the presidential rerun in Zimbabwe, and Mugabe is headed for sure “landslide win” – he has no opponent. Many will vote for Mugabe not because they adore his leadership but rather because of what he has led them to believe; the west is out to turn Zimbabwe into another failed state like Iraq and Somalia through western puppets like one Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They will vote for him because they have no other option – many Zimbabweans have known only one leader since independence. They will vote and do as he says because he is the only person fit to rule Zimbabwe. He is a war veteran with “unmatched qualities” anywhere in Zimbabwe. To call Zimbabwe "a failed State" is an understatement since the situation has spiraled out of control mainly because the world failed to act in time to stop Mugabe and his cronies from going too far. No words can exhaustively describe what Robert Mugabe has done to Zimbabwe. He has killed, maimed and raped his country. But what turned Mugabe into such a vicious dictator?
When Mugabe first ascended into power in 1980, he was the most popular president the world had ever witnessed. He exuded charm akin to the Democratic nominee Barrack Obama when he clinched the US Democratic primaries. Zimbabwe’s economy at the time was an envy of many countries due to its rapid growth. The country had great hope that no other developing country could march. ZANU-PF party was immensely popular, had no opponents (he destroyed them) until the 1990's when calls for democratizing Zimbabwe became so loud mainly from the commonwealth states.
To Mugabe, Democracy meant "Going back to colonial rule" - an ideology he did not subscribe to. It did not matter much until a few years later when Mugabe took a suicidal turn - he forcefully repossessed land from white Zimbabwean farmers (mainly from Britain) for redistribution to "black Africans". Britain could have let Mugabe rule for as long as he wanted had he not "robed" what they had fought so had to achieve during the colonial times. This “unpopular” decision gave birth to another equally “unpopular” movement (according to Mugabe) - MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe was not ready to allow "external pressure" to undermine the freedom and sovereignty he had helped Zimbabwe achieve from Britain. He will go to war if this ever happens.
Given the impressive economic growth of Zimbabwe during the 1980s, Mugabe didn’t care whether or not Britain supported him. He failed to reckon the power behind the commonwealth (read Britain). None of the members could go against the wishes of her majesty the Queen (Who is advised by the British Premier). How dare he takes land that is not his and hands it over to his friends?
This situation has put Mugabe between a rock and a hard place; there are growing calls for his ouster, which makes him even more determined to hold on to power - all African leaders are forcing him into "quite diplomatic" talks with the opposition. The UN, SADC and AU have all failed to stop him. He won’t let them.
In his time as British Premier, Tony Blair carefully crafted a western media circus that would later turn Mugabe into a villain. During the 1980's, Mugabe was a media darling. Zimbabwe was a true story that described the struggle Africa underwent at the mercies of the colonial regime. Mugabe was a hero of sorts – and he remained so for “far too long” without realizing that his country needed another hero(in) not him. Britain was ready to help in effecting this change. Then came Morgan Tsvangirai who Mugabe literally beat senseless in more than one occasion, not because he hated him so much, but because he was sleeping with the enemy at Uncle Bob's expense. He is one of the western puppets that Mugabe has sworn to destroy at all costs – he is succeeding because the world has let him.
Whoever thinks Mugabe is not aware of the consequences of his actions against innocent Zimbabweans must be very mistaken. Robert Mugabe knows exactly what he is doing. He knows that the present circumstances cannot allow him to be “a common man”. A common man is vulnerable to many unpleasant situations such as 80 per cent unemployment and the world’s highest inflation rate. He has to be president, because the justice system will send him to join former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein wherever he may be. He has killed many people and denied many their human rights. He has starved innocent women and children. To make the matters worse, Robert Mugabe has single handedly managed to destroy his country's economy turning many into economic refugees. He knows only too well that immediately he cedes power, the International Criminal Court will come calling to hang yet another dictator that the world does not need. It’s a fight for his life.
Strange, confusing article that lazily jumps on the bandwagon of passing the buck of our failures as a continent on to the West. Forget Blair, ignore Britain, Africa only needs Africans. Like the Chinese, to survive we need to look inwards for our salvation, because our failings sprout from the same patch of dusty soil.
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