It used to be that diamonds were a girl’s best friend now it seems they are a guy’s best friend too. Senator Inhofe (R) Oklahoma wants the sanctions removed because he says that the people have suffered enough. For most Zimbabweans it is not really an issue of whether or not they should be removed it is a matter of the timing. The thought process is remove sanctions after free and fair elections to provide an incentive for Mugabe to ensure that there is no intimidation and that democracy prevails. Removing the sanctions will only weaken the hand of MDC as Mugabe will have not an incentive to honor the GNU (Government of National Unity). Senator Inhofe’s proposal will give Mugabe an opportunity to fund his militia groups through funds obtained from the sale of blood diamonds from Chiadzwa. The removal of sanctions will signal to Mugabe machinery that the America has become weakened by his resilience and will not stand by its principle of democracy, since Mr. Mugabe has not demonstrated real behavior change which brought the sanctions in the first place.
This will be a victory for Mugabe, and who can blame him for thinking this way? Removing sanctions without free and fair elections first will do nothing to promote democracy in Zimbabwe. A government of national unity is not a demonstration of democracy in action but a compromise. Where does that word consensus or comprise come from in a democracy? Is it premature to talk about sanctions removal? Or are the diamonds in Chiadzawa that are now clouding the Senator’s judgment and his values in democracy? When the bling starts blinging democracy starts trembling. Is the idea of sanction removal abandoning democracy to save democracy? Send a message to Senator Inhofe that you believe in democracy and tell him to stand for democracy in Zimbabwe just as he says he stands for it in America and remove sanctions only after free and fair elections. If you are pro-life then stand up for life in Zimbabwe, if you don’t then the blood of the Zimbabwean people is on your hands. Stop blood diamonds, save lives fight for a democratic Zimbabwe stand for sanction removal only after free and fair elections.
Senator Inhofe‘s DC office: Jared Young 202-224-5762 & Kathryn Junk 202-224-1282
No comments:
Post a Comment