MPs condemn turmoil in Zimbabwe

Page 17, June 25, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday condemned the current political turmoil in Zimbabwe and called on African leaders to act swiftly to save the country from total collapse.
They wondered why African leaders had not acted decisively from stopping President Robert Mugabe from harassing his political opponents in his bid to entrench his rule.
The MPs were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the MP for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Ocquaye on the situation in Zimbabwe.
In his statement, the MP called on Africans to rise in unison and dissociate themselves from all such actions which lower Africans in the eyes and minds of the right-thinking humanity.
He also called for an international peacekeeping under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) to be deployed immediately to ensure human security and free and fair election in that country.
“Our globe has gone beyond the era when state sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of a country were employed to abuse human rights in a given nation”, he said.
Prof Ocquaye advised the AU to withdraw the membership of countries who do not have good governance credentials.
In addition, the MP called for the setting up of sub-regional electoral commissions to work with an African Electoral Commission to take full control over all elections throughout the continent.
He stated that Africa also needed to have a full-fledged Court on Human Rights and Electoral Matters which should be empowered to adjudicate on electoral affairs and human right issues within nations.
“We cannot continue doing ‘I scratch your back, you scratch my back’ any longer as many African Heads of States have done for so long”, he said.
He noted that if that continued, “democracy and good governance cannot thrive; political instability will abound’ tin gods will continue to impose their will on the people”.
Contributing to the statement, the Minority Leader and MP for Nadowli West, Mr Alban Bagbin said Africans could no longer allow what he called “the stupidity of President Mugabe to go on”.
He stated that the situation in Zimbabwe was “a sore on the conscience of Africa” adding that it was unfortunate that African leaders were looking on unconcerned while President Mugabe continued to misbehave.
While supporting the decision of the UN to impose economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, Mr Bagbin called for an emergency AU meeting to deliberate on how to halt the Zimbabwean situation.
He suggested that efforts should be made for the establishment of an interim government since the presidential run-off would be a sham.
“We should give signals to our leaders, both present and future, that they are not the repository of knowledge”, he said adding that President Mugabe should not hide under land issues to misbehave.
He noted that though some African countries, such as Ghana were doing well politically and economically, it was now difficult for outsiders to distinguish them from bad ones such as Zimbabwe.
“That is the more reason why we should all rise up and call the bluff of President Mugabe to indicate our resolve that enough is enough”.
For his part, the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh noted that Zimbabwe was a country that was failing politically, economically and socially.
“We should not look on impotently since today it is Zimbabwe and tomorrow it will be another country”, he stated.
He attributed the action of President Mugabe to the quietness of African leaders and called on them to rise up to the occasion and be bold to condemn their colleague.
“The UN and AU must interfere. If it means foreign invasion, it should be done”, the Majority Leader stated adding Zimbabwean MPs were looking forward for their counterparts elsewhere to come to their aid.