Zimbabwe: the breaking point
Posted: 27 Jan 2009 08:40
How long would you bet until there is some sort of breaking point in Zimbabwe? I've been asking this question since the beginning of last year.
I watch with morbid fascination when the country of Zimbabwe will cease to exist.
The money there is worth about as much as a copy of Sandworms of Dune or less. The computes cannot fit in all those zeros on the paper. Last time I checked the inflation there is 237.000.000 percent. And it's getting harder and harder to buy a bag of tomatoes. I hear that the cause of this was because of Mugabe siezing land from rich white farmers in 2000 and not knowing how to manage the land combined with corruption.
80 percent unemployment, 1 in every 5 people with AIDS and on top of all that a cholera outbreak with almost 3000 deaths. One doctor calls it Rwanda in slow motion.
Remember last year's election? First the election takes place, the parlimentary election results are revealed. The opposition takes the majority of seats, but the results are challenged and recounted and the opposition STILL wins. Meanwhile the government sits on the presidential election results for over a month before revealing than Morgan Tsvangirai won more votes but not enough to avoid a runoff. And then Mugabe proceeds to have his gangs of thugs go around beating opposition supporters and putting the opposition party chairman on trial for treason forcing Tsvangirai to drop out of the runoff election and Mugabe winning a SIXTH term in office.
I wish Tsvangirai had not dropped out. Because if he had won the runoff and Mugabe refused to step down, he would COMPLETELY lose his legitimacy as head of state.
Then there are the ongoing talks of a power sharing deal. If such a deal was made, Of course that would be a relief, but it would sadden me that Mugabe is not brought to justice for his crimes.
But these power sharing negotiations have been stalled since last year. I hear on the news that a deal has been made, but the fact that it took several months shows how pathetic and selfish the politicians are. And even now the opposition is saying not so fast.
So my question is how much longer until somebody says enough is enough and ends it somehow.
It seems that the only way for the international community to end it is to simply remove Mugabe with military force and we know that will never happen.
Maybe Mugabe will eventually lose favor with the army and he will be overthrown in a coup.
Will a power sharing deal be made? This is good but what if that does not happen?
The most realistic thing I see is when Mugabe dies. His successor while still a dictator, will concede that his country needs help and will open up to foreign aid.
And how long until the money is utterly useless? Another year or less?
I watch with morbid fascination when the country of Zimbabwe will cease to exist.
The money there is worth about as much as a copy of Sandworms of Dune or less. The computes cannot fit in all those zeros on the paper. Last time I checked the inflation there is 237.000.000 percent. And it's getting harder and harder to buy a bag of tomatoes. I hear that the cause of this was because of Mugabe siezing land from rich white farmers in 2000 and not knowing how to manage the land combined with corruption.
80 percent unemployment, 1 in every 5 people with AIDS and on top of all that a cholera outbreak with almost 3000 deaths. One doctor calls it Rwanda in slow motion.
Remember last year's election? First the election takes place, the parlimentary election results are revealed. The opposition takes the majority of seats, but the results are challenged and recounted and the opposition STILL wins. Meanwhile the government sits on the presidential election results for over a month before revealing than Morgan Tsvangirai won more votes but not enough to avoid a runoff. And then Mugabe proceeds to have his gangs of thugs go around beating opposition supporters and putting the opposition party chairman on trial for treason forcing Tsvangirai to drop out of the runoff election and Mugabe winning a SIXTH term in office.
I wish Tsvangirai had not dropped out. Because if he had won the runoff and Mugabe refused to step down, he would COMPLETELY lose his legitimacy as head of state.
Then there are the ongoing talks of a power sharing deal. If such a deal was made, Of course that would be a relief, but it would sadden me that Mugabe is not brought to justice for his crimes.
But these power sharing negotiations have been stalled since last year. I hear on the news that a deal has been made, but the fact that it took several months shows how pathetic and selfish the politicians are. And even now the opposition is saying not so fast.
So my question is how much longer until somebody says enough is enough and ends it somehow.
It seems that the only way for the international community to end it is to simply remove Mugabe with military force and we know that will never happen.
Maybe Mugabe will eventually lose favor with the army and he will be overthrown in a coup.
Will a power sharing deal be made? This is good but what if that does not happen?
The most realistic thing I see is when Mugabe dies. His successor while still a dictator, will concede that his country needs help and will open up to foreign aid.
And how long until the money is utterly useless? Another year or less?
