Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, said on Friday that his government already is at “war” with dissidents (AP Photo).

With QPenn 2007 just around the corner, it’s worth noting that the rights we take for granted in the US are a lifetime away for millions of people across the globe — nowhere more so than in Zimbabwe. There, male homosexuality is illegal and the government has organised anti-gay campaigns against both men and women. But that’s not all the people of Zimbabwe have to live through every day.

Imagine opposition leaders such as Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama having their skulls cracked and their legs broken for holding a protest against President Bush. Imagine wanting to move abroad but being told by the government that they don’t have the paper to make you a passport. And even if they did, they wouldn’t let you leave anyway Imagine gas prices increasing so fast that by the end of the week you can no longer afford the bus to work.

Welcome to the formerly “Great” Zimbabwe, a country that is no longer great (and indeed hardly functioning) thanks to the disastrous 27 year regime of Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, was a British colony until 1980 when Mugabe wrested control from the white colonizers. He promised a stable and prosperous future for the black citizens of Zimbabwe. However, over a period of almost three decades, Mugabe has transformed the country from an economically powerful exporter of tobacco and cotton into a desolate land, crippled by economic mismanagement.

By nationalizing the commercial farmland confiscated from white land-owners and giving it to his black government officials, Mugabe single-handedly destroyed the bread and butter of the Zimbabwean economy. Gripped by paranoia, Mugabe continues to purge all opposition. Last week Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition MDC party (Movement for Democratic Change), was arrested along with a number of others. He was beaten so severely that his skull was cracked. His crime was protesting against Mugabe.

The UN and much of the western world has been critical of Mugabe’s regime for some time, but done little to curb his dictatorial tendencies. South Africa and other surrounding countries have been toothless, choosing quiet diplomacy and arguing that Zimbabwe should sort out its own problems. But the recent brutalities struck a chord across the developed world and brought about a marked change of position by South Africa, with Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad calling on Harare to respect the law and the rights of all political parties. Ghana went further, describing the situation in Zimbabwe as “an embarrassment”.

Many see this as the beginning of the end for Mugabe. Fellow bloggers around the world hope this to be the case. But there is a very real possibility that he will hold on to power for many years yet. This should not be allowed. The UN needs to demonstrate that it is not just a diplomatic show-pony. Increased pressure should be put upon Mugabe’s government to hold elections and allow the election of a new Zimbabwean President.

It’s unlikely this will happen soon, and even if the UN does start to exert more pressure on Mugabe, the process of finding a replacement will no doubt be long and painful. But with the people so oppressed and downtrodden, change is unlikely to come from within unless the Zimbabwean army abandons its current loyalty to Mugabe. The future of Zimbabwe now lies in the hands of the UN.

So, if and when you see the posters, read the hand-outs and attend the talks of QPenn this week, remember how far behind Zimbabwe is. Devoid of any kind of human rights, the people need help soon. It’s already too late.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 8:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.