Mugabe says opposition will never govern in his lifetime

[NoZed Avenger]

Pretty straightforward.

It's refreshing to have a leader just say it, as opposed to hiding around denials and obfuscatory language that some small amount of people might actually believe.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080614/ts_afp/zimbabwevotemugabe_080614120934

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said Saturday the opposition would never govern in his lifetime and he was ready to go to war to ensure it does not oust him from office in a June 27 run-off election.
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"Should this country be taken by traitors... it is impossible," Mugabe said, referring to the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in a speech at the burial of a former independence fighter.

"It shall never happen... as long as we are alive and those who fought for the country are alive," he added. "We are prepared to fight for our country and to go to war for it."

Oh, and holy ****!

Once seen as a post-colonial success story, Zimbabwe's economy has been in freefall since Mugabe began his land reforms at the turn of this decade.

Inflation, officially put at 165,000 percent, is thought to be nearer two million percent while food shortages are widespread.

I did some studies on hyper-inflation in college. Some of those rates were staggering, but I cannot even wrap my head around a 2 million percent inflation rate.

 

[volatile]

This whole situation is just horrific, and the silence of the West is a disgrace. It strikes me that these are the types of situations that concerted international efforts can resolve, if the will was there.

Why all the efforts for freedom and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan whilst this kind of thing is going on in Zimbabwe?

 

[Sefarst]

This whole situation is just horrific, and the silence of the West is a disgrace. It strikes me that these are the types of situations that concerted international efforts can resolve, if the will was there.

Why all the efforts for freedom and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan whilst this kind of thing is going on in Zimbabwe?

I would hardly consider the West to have been silent on this issue. The gutting of Zimbabwe by Mugabe has been going on for quite some time now and there's been a steady chorus of condemnation that has recently reached a head as he has been racking up murders, political arrests, voter intimidation, beatings, and election rigging. The basic issue is that the US and European powers are pushing for the UN to hold talks and discuss possible actions, but we're being opposed by South Africa, Russia and China. The bigger question, as was raised by Hitchens, is where is Nelson Mandela during all of this? He's an international symbol of human rights and respected by everyone, yet he hasn't spoken up to condemn Mugabe.

The secretary general of the MDC has been arrested and charged with treason, but no one has been told what he did that apparently warrants an arrest for treason. Mugabe has kicked out all foreign aid workers in the country, essentially condemning thousands to starve to death. Most gruesomely, however, is the recent murder of an opposition leader's wife. Mugabe's forces came to his house, looking for him, but his wife said he wasn't there. They then cut off her hand and both of her feet and then burned her alive in her home.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4116638.ece

To call the situation very bad would be an understatement.

 

[Chaos]

*snip*Oh, and holy ****!



I did some studies on hyper-inflation in college. Some of those rates were staggering, but I cannot even wrap my head around a 2 million percent inflation rate.

That´s merely 1:20,000 within one year. Germany in 1923 had much, much worse. Something like 1:50,000,000. People used to heat their houses with paper money, because that was cheaper than buying firewood.

But, yeah, 2 million percent is absolutely awful.
And to think that, just last December, I presented a paper on Iceland in Economics class and said there had been "in trouble" in the 80´s when they had 40%(-ish) inflation...

 

[TragicMonkey]

Headlines:

Opposition Will Govern Over My Dead Body, Says Mugabe.

Hint Taken, Says Opposition.

Big Party Planned, Millions RSVP, Record Amount of Fireworks and Paper Hats Ordered.

 

[Darat]

Pretty straightforward.

It's refreshing to have a leader just say it, as opposed to hiding around denials and obfuscatory language that some small amount of people might actually believe.

...snip...

This is one of those situations were I struggle to think of any reason to not agree with what he says and that we shouldn't take every step we can to ensure that no opposition will ever govern in his lifetime...

 

[TragicMonkey]

This is one of those situations were I struggle to think of any reason to not agree with what he says and that we shouldn't take every step we can to ensure that no opposition will ever govern in his lifetime...

Ten bucks says he's going to go the way of Robespierre. IIRC, they shot his jaw off first, then executed him some days later. Can't have been fun. Well, not for Robespierre, anyway. I'm sure everybody else enjoyed it immensely.

 

[Complexity]

I welcome his early demise.

 

[Rat]

I welcome his early demise.

Depending on your definition of 'early', considering that the life expectancy in Zimbabwe is 38, and he is currently 84, it is a little late for an early death to be hoped for. Unless you mean early in the morning.

 

[plumjam]

Why all the efforts for freedom and democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan whilst this kind of thing is going on in Zimbabwe?

I'm hoping that's humour.
If it's not then it can only qualify as delusion.

 

[volatile]

I'm hoping that's humour.
If it's not then it can only qualify as delusion.

I missed the inverted commas. My apologies.

 

[geni]

This is one of those situations were I struggle to think of any reason to not agree with what he says and that we shouldn't take every step we can to ensure that no opposition will ever govern in his lifetime...

Politicaly unwise. As the former colonial masters we can not be seen to take that kind of action.

 

[geni]

Headlines:

Opposition Will Govern Over My Dead Body, Says Mugabe.

Hint Taken, Says Opposition.

Big Party Planned, Millions RSVP, Record Amount of Fireworks and Paper Hats Ordered.

No the oppsition has to be seen to win cleanly. Politicaly Nelson mandela is probably about the only person who could initiate violence without playing into the hand's of Mugabe's defender of the revolution rhetoric.

 

[Complexity]

Depending on your definition of 'early', considering that the life expectancy in Zimbabwe is 38, and he is currently 84, it is a little late for an early death to be hoped for. Unless you mean early in the morning.

He's been living on others' time.

Bloody vampire.

 

[NoZed Avenger]

I missed the inverted commas. My apologies.

You and plumjam are absolutely right. There just weren't enough threads about Afghanistan or Iraq.

Feel free to continue this one without me, as well.

 

[TragicMonkey]

You and plumjam are absolutely right. There just weren't enough threads about Afghanistan or Iraq.

Feel free to continue this one without me, as well.

Let's simplify things by merging Iraq, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe into one thread, and one country, called Zafghaniraqibabwestan.

 

[fuelair]

Mugabe says opposition will never govern in his lifetime !


That's fixable!!

 

[gdnp]

With all the rebel groups that have formed in Africa, I do not understand why there is no insurgency in Zimbabwe. One would think there would be no shortage of recruits. The whites must all hate him, however many are left, along with large segments of the black population.

 

[BPSCG]

I did some studies on hyper-inflation in college. Some of those rates were staggering, but I cannot even wrap my head around a 2 million percent inflation rate.

I suspect that long before you get there, the economy reverts to a barter economy. Can you imagine trying to buy a quart of milk? The cashier tells you it's $2.79, and by the time you've fished out your wallet and gotten the money out, the price is $2.99. And while you're scrounging up the additional 20 cents, the price has gone up to $3.19, and while you're digging out that additional 20 cents...

Eventually you reach into your pocket and instead of money, you pull out a revolver.

 

[volatile]

I suspect that long before you get there, the economy reverts to a barter economy. Can you imagine trying to buy a quart of milk? The cashier tells you it's $2.79, and by the time you've fished out your wallet and gotten the money out, the price is $2.99. And while you're scrounging up the additional 20 cents, the price has gone up to $3.19, and while you're digging out that additional 20 cents...

Eventually you reach into your pocket and instead of money, you pull out a revolver.

I do seem to recall reports of prices rising between people selecting items from the shelves and them reaching the cashier to pay for them. In any case, I get the impression that all the revolvers in the country are in the hands of Mugabe and Zanu-PF supporters - why else have we not seen civil war or rebellion?