“Uncompromisingly principled” : mugabe and chavez
It is nearly two weeks since robert mugabe controversially addressed the United Nations in Rome, and the state-controlled press here at home are still trying to milk as much political mileage out of it as possible.
An article appearing today in The Horrid (state-controlled Herald newspaper) (link), chortles away at how mugabe and hugo chavez, the president of Venezuela “emerged as the most critical voices at the just ended 60th anniversary commemorations of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)”.
The article goes on to describe chavez as one of Latin America’s most popular leaders and as mugabe’s “new comrade and solidarity”. Mugabe’s speech was “rousing” and captured the “political chemistry” and “rainbow spirit” between the two leaders. Apparently the warmth generated by the speech “radiated to all other world leaders” present.
According to The Horrid, the two “uncompromisingly principled” men “had the guts to say what many other people throughout the world would want to say but don’t and can’t afford to because they fear the wrath of the powerful nations.”
No one is clapping in Zimbabwe; no one is impressed. Why? Because we’re starving, and we’re not fools. We know, because of Operation Murambatsvina, that the combative words mugabe hurled from the podium had less to do with his “concerns of the poor” and more to do with trying to find something to say - anything at all - at a conference where everyone else was talking about famine and starvation in the world.
What else could mugabe say? ‘I am a dictator who destroys my people’s homes, deprives them of their income, and then does nothing while they starve’…?
Hardly likely!
This is what he did say:
“I have a soul, I have a heart, I have a conscience and I dare not allow anything that is untoward to happen to my people”
Excuse me while I fall about laughing my head off!
Zimbabwe, Mugabe, Chavez, United Nations, Famine, Propaganda
