Inspired by the principles of Malcolm X / Malik El-Hajj Shabazz. A 'Third Worldist' perspective focusing on the increasing pace of south-south co-operation which is challenging and defeating US hegemony, and the struggles of those oppressed by neo-colonialism and white supremacy (racism) who fight for their social, political and cultural freedom 'by any means necessary'
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
ZAMBIAN PRES: BROWN SHOULD LEAVE ZIMBABWE ALONE
Zimbabwe Herald
April 28, 2008
From Augustine Hwata in LUSAKA, Zambia
BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown is not qualified to
comment on challenges facing Zimbabwe, let alone to call
for more sanctions, founding Zambian president Dr Kenneth
Kaunda has said.
Dr Kaunda told Zambia’s Post newspaper at the weekend that
Brown lacked proper background information regarding
Zimbabwe’s problems and was not helpful towards finding a
lasting solution to the current situation.
"It is sad for Prime Minister Brown to say what he said
about the Zimbabwe situation," Dr Kaunda said while
delivering a speech as a special guest to recipients of
recognition awards from Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican
Embassy here last week.
"Brown does not understand what he is talking about. It is
a sad thing that he said that (calling for more sanctions
against Zimbabwe)," said the former president.
Dr Kaunda said he had wanted to inform Brown on how the
challenges facing Zimbabwe came about before the British
premier had even replaced Tony Blair, but failed to get
that opportunity.
Dr Kaunda was at one time determined to travel to Britain
to meet Brown, but did not do so on the advice of his
doctors.
The former Zambian president, who turns 84 today, said
Brown and the West should leave Zimbabwe alone so that it
solves its own challenges, especially the political tension
between Zanu-PF and the opposition.
"I think people in Zimbabwe are trying to find a way out of
their own problems by talking of a government of national
unity."
He urged the West to discard the belief that they were the
best to prescribe solutions for Africa’s problems.
"As usual, they want to tell what they think is right for
us."
Dr Kaunda said calls by Brown for an arms embargo on
Zimbabwe were misplaced and do little to solve the
problems.
"Embargoing the defense forces is not the solution at all,"
said Dr Kaunda, adding that he wondered why the shipment of
arms from China was being blocked when the order was placed
last year.
It was unfortunate that the consignment was now being
linked to the post-election period and a stalemate over the
result of the presidential election.
Meanwhile, Zambian farmer and boxing promoter Mr Gevan
Mumba has thrown his weight behind President Mugabe and
the land reform programme.
Mr Mumba said Africans had a right to work on their land.
"I own more than 80 hectares of prime land in the Mufulira
area and have two streams that pass through my plot. I
produce crops and feel empowered that I have something to
call my own," he said.
Unlike Zimbabwe, Mumba said Zambia does not have much
pressure on land because it had a bigger geographical area
and vast open areas against fewer people who wanted to
farm.
"We are lucky that there is land available to Zambians who
need it, unlike in Zimbabwe where the whites had most of
the good areas. Because land is important, Britain, which
does not have as much land, was pained when President
Mugabe took some farms from their white relatives to
redistribute to his people.
"I know for sure that Britain and America want (Cde) Mugabe
to go and replace him in office with someone they can
control over Zimbabwe’s land. The same thing happened in
Iraq when Saddam (Hussein) was killed for his oil," Mr
Mumba said.
(end)
Friday, 28 September 2007
RHETORIC AND TACTICS IN BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY
‘Time to learn and move on’?
Sukant Chandan*
Additionally, the US and UK’s agenda for the region was aborted due to the continuing defiance of the Palestinian people, who to much of the world’s surprise elected Hamas, seen by most in the West until very recently as the archetypal reactionary Islamist terror group. Hamas won the election and engaged the West in a successful media and diplomatic campaign to show that they are a legitimate and reasonable mass movement for national liberation. Playing one last desperate card before his time was up, Blair gave full backing to the bloody Israeli assault on Lebanon last summer, which ended in the historic defeat of Israel, or at the very least gave a hard and fast lesson to Israel that it could not invade a neighbouring Arab country with impunity.
These failed campaigns have led to the alienation of considerable sections of the British electorate towards the Labour administration, be it from the Muslim community or the liberal political classes. The opposition Tories and Liberal parties took their advantage of Labour woes and Labour lost many council and parliamentary seats up and down the country, while losing all of
Labour has now moved away from Blairite out-right and open aggressiveness of the last decade and reverted back to its political style of the late 1990s, choosing its targets for foreign meddling a little more carefully and aiming at countries which the political classes in Britain would find much more agreeable, such as Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Sudan, all causes for a veritable ‘white mans burden’. As a result Brown’s speech at annual Labour conference this week was noticeable, apart from its vacuousness, for barely mentioning Iraq and Afghanistan or his former boss’s name.
On the second day Foreign Secretary Miliband then tried to present Labour, not as a government trying to dominate the Muslims, which is what some ‘very educated’ Pakistanis told him, but a champion of their rights. With the intention of coming across as a liberator of Muslims, he spoke in favour of including
It was left to Defence Secretary Des Browne to expand on what lessons Labour have possibly learnt from the past ten years in office. Echoing Karzai and the
In fact Browne’s comments about engaging the Taliban are not dissimilar to what the occupation forces are attempting to do in
The Labour Government seems to be coordinating its tactical approach with the
*Sukant Chandan is a London-based freelance journalist, researcher and political analyst. He runs two websites: http://ouraim.blogspot.com/ and http://sonsofmalcolm.blogspot.com/ and can be contacted at sukant.chandan@gmail.com