tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6900460698887397063.post5240593348199279704..comments2023-11-02T11:56:00.047+00:00Comments on issues over matters: KICK MUGABE OUT OF SADCAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02444385043826528068noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6900460698887397063.post-28848541891055636452011-10-09T19:10:54.752+01:002011-10-09T19:10:54.752+01:00Mugabe its unfortunate that you so full of double ...Mugabe its unfortunate that you so full of double standards , if you are a real man as you claim why do you do an honuorably exist as you have lost election after election , you are such a chicken ,coward ,.you live by the gun you die by the gun . Where is family going to run to when you are gone . IF you are reasonable leader share you wealth with Matebeleland maybe we might forgive you for the artrocities but no i feel you deserve to be hanged . you are a mooronstanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10063447733062931878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6900460698887397063.post-86377282783527066792007-09-21T15:58:00.000+01:002007-09-21T15:58:00.000+01:00Lo and behold, Levy is now standing up to the 'alm...Lo and behold, Levy is now standing up to the 'almighty' UK Prime Minister on the Mugabe issue!<BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7005957.stm<BR/>What happened to Levy? He seems to have obtained super guts overnight! Did he read our comments above and now wants to prove his critics wrong? Or perhaps Levy (after reading our comments, possibly), in light of the SADC fiasco, decided that the Summit of African and EU leaders in Portugal would be a better platform to confront Bob, what with all the heavy weights present!<BR/>Whatever the case, I applause the Zambian President for this very courageous stance on this extremely dicy and potentially divisive issue. As I said in my previous post, diplomacy is the best way forward on this and closing diplomatic channels with Zim as the UK PM is suggesting, is myopic and retrogressive to the situation. Perhaps Mr Brown should read in between the lines of what Levy has said and allow the Portugal summit to bring Bob to the table.Zedianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620459516168720746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6900460698887397063.post-5586788691010081712007-09-16T15:12:00.000+01:002007-09-16T15:12:00.000+01:00Thanks, nice e. In the diplomatic realm, Rwanda, U...Thanks, nice e. <BR/>In the diplomatic realm, Rwanda, Uganda and, strangely, DR Congo are more influential than Zambia. I do not know what our Foreign Policy is, if we have one, apart from the humphing and puffing of our head of state when he makes important pronouncements at the Lusaka International Airport that catch even his advisors unawares.<BR/>In January I wrote in my column in the National Mirror how Africa was not ready for a U.S. of Africa, six months later most of it was quoted almost verbatim by H.E.L.P Mwanawasa!<BR/>Anyway, what do you expect when the Diplomatic Service is populated by the president's relatives as well as party cadres?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02444385043826528068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6900460698887397063.post-63809560291696795282007-09-16T12:00:00.000+01:002007-09-16T12:00:00.000+01:00Very interesting insight into the just ended and s...Very interesting insight into the just ended and seemingly "successful" SADC conference in Lusaka. And if the quoted diplomat is correct, it's even more interesting to hear that Bob, as my Zim friends refer to their leader, actually told off Levy! That "Who are you, Mwanawasa?" was quite belittling to Levy I think.<BR/>Then again, perhaps Bob had a point! Who is Levy indeed? Of course, he's the president of Zambia, but as far the international stage is concerned, who is he? People know more about KK, who left office a good 16 years ago, than about the current Zambian president!<BR/>This is important; to have a significant amount of influence on a problem such as Zim, you need clout which Levy is clearly lacking both at home and abroad. In my view, that's a direct result of Levy's weak mandate (having gotten in thru' rigged elections). Even though he won the subsequent elections fair and square, the damage was already done. Moreover, Levy has spent the best part of his tenure fighting for his own political survival within his party to begin with, and at national level. He just hasn't had the time to influence things at all at the international stage, and hence, not many people know him and if anybody does, they don't know what he stands for, or what he's capable of and therefore haven't got that much respect for him. I'm not suggesting Levy should have abandoned home issues to pursue a name abroad, but a balance is required if you know you will be SADC chairman at some stage and be called upon to deal with strong personalities like Bob. Zambia needs strong leadership to handle issues at home and make strong representation for its interests abroad. Levy will now pay for appointing stooges and not strong, charismatic and intelligent leadership to surround him, because they threaten his power.<BR/>That's my analysis of it.<BR/>Now, on the Zim issue itself, my view is that we should keep their SADC membership because it is a potential diplomatic channel, despite Levy's failure to exploit it. Zim has been thrown out of the Commonwealth which effectively closed that diplomatic channel and now Bob and the UK and Australia (who are seemingly interested in solving the problem), do not see eye to eye.<BR/>Only diplomacy (tough diplomacy, that is), will help resolve the situation down there. The rest is upto the people of Zim. It is delusional to even contemplate a military solution or sanctions. If anyone needs evidence I will say Iraq. We ought to remember that it was international diplomacy, and of course huge internal pressure, that changed the course of South Africa. None of those calling for 'military action' or sanctions on Zim ever spoke of doing the same to South Africa! Why Zim? After all, it's a far smaller problem than what apartheid was or Darfour is today!Zedianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620459516168720746noreply@blogger.com