President Robert Mugabe’s stance against Western powers has allegedly emboldened other African leaders — such as Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi and ousted Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast — to follow suit, a member of the British House of Lords has said.
Speaking in the House of Lords recently, the Earl of Sandwich, John Edward Hollister Montagu, also questioned whether sanctions on Zimbabwe have had any real effect on President Mugabe “or whether in some perverse way they have actually boosted his morale.
The Earl of Sandwich is an independent member of the House of Lords (the Upper House) and has no ties with the current governing coalition.
Montagu said President Mugabe deceived the world when he entered into a coalition government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai — after losing an election in March 2008 — where the Premier is regarded as a lame duck because he wields very little power.
“Surely we can now admit that the coalition, which left the opposition with almost only the junior portfolios, was a considerable coup for the President and a major deception for the rest of us?” he said.
“Is it possible that we in the UK have exaggerated the importance of (President) Mugabe and, thereby, contributed to his platform?”
“Having recently spent two weeks in Africa, I am certain that in both African and European Union eyes, we in the UK still seem to feel over-responsible for Zimbabwe and are still his outstanding critics.
I am not sure that that is a good thing. Is it perhaps time for us to lower our profile and join forces with the European Union in reaching a more convincing EU foreign policy?
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“I recognise that that is controversial, but in a sense the process is inexorable and it might be a more effective and pragmatic diplomatic policy . . . I am not suggesting that sanctions should be further relaxed, but I feel that we are stuck where we are and that we should press much harder for the rule of law, fairer elections, constitutional change and a great deal more commitment from Sadc, the African Union and Zimbabwe’s African neighbours.”
He added: “I wonder whether the sanctions, strengthened in February 2009 and relaxed since then, have really had any effect on (President) Mugabe, or whether in some perverse way they have actually boosted his morale.
If we look at the Ivory Coast, we see (ousted) President Gbagbo grandstanding against the French colonial power in order to boost his post-election position, echoing (President) Mugabe’s performance three years earlier.
“Colonel Gaddafi in Libya is playing a similar game of one-upmanship by baiting foreigners. Clearly, the Zimbabwe ‘dictator’ has attracted other African leaders, or should I say gangsters, to his master class.”
Gbagbo was forcefully removed from power with the aid of United Nations “peacekeepers” and the French military after he refused to step down following his electoral loss.
A Nato-led force is pushing to remove Gaddafi, accused of perpetrating human right abuses when he cracked down on demonstrators who were demanding his resignation.
The standoff has deteriorated into a full-scale civil war.
