KK defends Mugabe

KK defends Mugabe
By Brighton Phiri
Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe cannot be blamed for what is happening
in Zimbabwe today, Dr Kenneth Kaunda has said.

And Dr Kaunda has asked the scouts in Zambia to commit themselves to
actions that would serve the interest of humanity.

Commenting on incidences of violence in Zimbabwe and subsequent
beating of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
leader Morgan Tsvangirai by the police last week, Dr Kaunda said
the chaos in Zimbabwe was a product of the British government's
failure to honour its promise on that country's land reforms.

"I have been saying this before...no one can say he or she is happy with
the problems happening in Zimbabwe. But I have been saying you cannot
blame President Mugabe for what is taking place in Zimbabwe," Dr Kaunda
said. "President Mugabe is just a victim of that situation.

Condemning President Mugabe is not the best thing to do." He said
the 10 years of the British government's failure to take action on
Zimbabwe's land reforms should not lead to any rough treatment of
President Mugabe. Dr Kaunda urged African leaders to facilitate a
consultative meeting for the warring parties in Zimbabwe to avert
any further injury to human life.

"Rushing to condemn President Mugabe is not the best solution, but
what is required is for our African leaders to quickly convene a meeting
to resolve the conflict in Zimbabwe," he said. "Those 10 years of non
action by the British government for that matter, after promising to deal
with the land issues, does not require any rough treatment of President
Mugabe."

He asked all those sympathetic with Zimbabweans to look at the
historical background of the relationship between Africans and
the white settlers.

Dr Kaunda said Zimbabwe's crisis could be traced way back during
the colonial era when the imperialists imposed a federation on
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

"We struggled against this federation, not because we were not
interested in a big state but because we could see clearly that
the federation was imposed on us as the forces of imperialism
wanted to see another South Africa in the hearts of Africa,"
Dr Kaunda said.

"We fought and struggled against the federation until then British Prime
Minister Macmillan came to Africa and addressed us from Cape Town
to inform us that the wind of change has come to Africa.

Two or three years later, the British government withdrew its federation...
after that Malawi and Zambia was born, but Zimbabwe was not born
because a White settler Ian Smith declared Zimbabwe an independent
country and soon after this declaration, Smith arrested and locked up
all black liberation struggle leaders among them comrade late Joshua
Nkomo and President Mugabe."


Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe

Dr Kaunda recalled that in 1974, his government realised that Zimbabwe,
then Southern Rhodesia, was no longer in the hands of the British, but
under a racist South African regime.

Dr Kaunda said it was out of this realisation that he arranged for a meeting
with the then South African prime minister Balthazar Johannes Vorster.

According to Dr Kaunda, during the meeting that was held at a rail
bridge on the Zambian and Zimbabwean borders, he asked Vorster
to release ANC leader Nelson Mandela and all black freedom fighters
under detention.

Dr Kaunda said he dismissed Vorster's argument that apartheid was a
difference of cultures between the white and black people. "But I reminded
him that the Boers were conducting themselves differently from their fellow
white people in Britain, Italy, France, Portugal and many other European
countries," Dr Kaunda said.

"I put it to Vorster that I was aware that he had given Smith 14 military
choppers that were killing our people in Zimbabwe and I demanded that
he withdraws. We differed on many issues, but at last he agreed to
withdraw the choppers and persuade Smith to release the political detainees."

Dr Kaunda said after the release of the detainees, Zambia allowed them
to use its land to wage war against Smith and that in 1979, his government
demanded for a Commonwealth summit on Zimbabwe. Dr Kaunda said he
was disappointed with the then British Prime minister Margaret Thatcher,
whom he accused of having had made some attempts to block the Queen
and Australian Prime minister from travelling to Lusaka for the summit.

"Because we had heard what she was doing before the final preparations
of the summit, we arranged the programme in such a way that there should
be a State banquette, where I was to bow before her and my wife would
bow before her husband for a dance.

We did this to show her that we had nothing against her," Dr Kaunda said.
"But it was in Havana, Cuba, while attending Non Aligned summit, when
I faced a serious challenge in brokering the Zimbabwe independence talks.
Comrade Nkomo and Mugabe said to me that they were not travelling
to UK for the talks because they could not trust Thatcher. I called my
colleagues Nyerere and Samora Machel and we succeeded to convince
the freedom fighters to travel for the talks."

Dr Kaunda said Thatcher phoned him after she heard that the freedom
fighters had agreed to attend the talks, requesting him to join the talks as
an observer so that he could intervene in case they reached a deadlock
with the freedom fighters.

"Young men and women, I travelled to London for the talks and I was
present when the British government pleaded with the freedom fighters
to separate the issue of land from the independence. They asked the
freedom fighters to leave the issue of land to them as they would mobilise
resources to fund the land reforms within the period of 10 years,"
Dr Kaunda said.

"In 1980 Zimbabwe got independence, but 10 years down the line,
the British government under Tony Blair did nothing to fulfil their promise.
And what followed was chaos. We really saw difficulties beginning to gain
grounds in Zimbabwe. The British government's failure to honour its
promise begun to show results of a terrible nature."

Dr Kaunda wondered why the British government was quick to demonise
President Mugabe and asking African leaders to condemn him when they
had a share of the causes of instability in that country.

"It is only fair that the British government explains its failure to fulfil its
promise before asking anybody to condemn President Mugabe," he said.

And addressing the scouts and Girl Guides at Lusaka's Cathedral of
the Holy Cross during the commemoration of the Scouts movement
Founder's day and 100 years of existence on Saturday, Dr Kaunda
urged the youths to explore various ways in being proactive and creating
selfless leadership in the various areas of human endeavour.

"Whatever we are involved in, scouting is such a great platform for
strengthening both our character and our service to society," Dr Kaunda,
who is also chief scout in Zambia, told the scouts that filled the Cathedral
to capacity. "As we remember these events, let us commit ourselves to
action. May we be inspired by the great action of the founder Robert
Baden Powell."

He told the scouts that scouting in Zambia started by Reverend
Robertson at Lubwa, where he was born on April 28, 1924.
"Reverend Robertson emphasised and taught us personal hygiene,
he taught us values and practice of commitment and service to fellow
human beings and society," he said. "Through scouting, he taught us to
love other persons. We learnt self discipline and respect."

Dr Kaunda said he was pleased that the scouts movement in Zambia
had increased its membership to 23,000 and that the girls accounted
for 40 per cent of that number. He commended the scouts' involvement
in education, treatment and care.

"Truly, together we shall fight and conquer AIDS," he said. Earlier Dr
Kaunda led the scouts in singing "Tiyende pamodzi" song. Chief scout
commissioner Raymond Jhala commended Dr Kaunda for having
provided vision for the country.

"We are what we are today because our chief scout asked himself what
will be the nation for next 25 years," Jhala said. He reminded the scouts
of the challenges of HIV/AIDS, conflicts, unemployment, lack of education
and disease as they sharpened the destiny of their country.

UNFPA country co-ordinator Dr. Deji Popola urged the scout movement
to step up its efforts towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Dr. Popola said the MDGs were attainable. He commended the scout movement
for promoting inclusiveness and tolerance.

Sports and youth and child development deputy minister Patricia Mulasikwanda
urged the scouts to play an important role in shaping the country's destiny.

"I am at peace to see our scouts exhibiting some fruits of the youth policy,"
she said. "We should keep up our spirit of loving others before ourselves."

date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 04:20:55 -0000 author: Alex

Re: KK defends Mugabe

"Alex"  wrote in message 
news:45fe02ee$0$96748$dbd41001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> KK defends Mugabe
> By Brighton Phiri
> Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]



(snipped)



And this related to BBC Radio 5 Live in WHAT specific way????????


Simes

date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:37:08 -0000 author: Freewheeler

Re: KK defends Mugabe

Freewheeler wrote:
> "Alex"  wrote in message 
> news:45fe02ee$0$96748$dbd41001@news.wanadoo.nl...
>> KK defends Mugabe
>> By Brighton Phiri
>> Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]
> 
> 
> 
> (snipped)
> 
> 
> 
> And this related to BBC Radio 5 Live in WHAT specific way????????
> 
> 
> Simes
> 

You must be new around here - Alex doesn't give a flying f*ck about 
being relevant. Sad thing is that there *are* relevant places for his 
posts, but he just keeps projectile vomiting his stuff all over the place.