Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-17-Speech-3-173"
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"en.20000517.10.3-173"2
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"Mr President, I suppose I can start on a note of slight optimism in that President Mugabe has now named the days for the election as 24 and 25 June. But on the down side, he is increasing all the army and civil servants’ pay as a straight bribe. I sincerely hope that Members of this Parliament will have the chance to act as observers, as these elections must be seen to have been free, fair and transparent in the atmosphere of fear that President Mugabe has created.
Only last month we passed a resolution in this Chamber condemning violence, calling for the return to full democracy and for free and fair elections to be held. Some of these demands have now hopefully been implemented, but not before another white farmer had been murdered. We all accept that there must be a redistribution of the best land in Zimbabwe, but this must be done through round table negotiations, and not with the violent acts we have seen over the last few months.
President Mugabe has now set up a committee of white farmers and Mugabe supporters, hopefully to reach a sensible agreement on land redistribution. President Mugabe should never forget the economic damage that will be done to Zimbabwe’s economy if land redistribution simply means the land goes back to subsistence farming in small blocks. There are few people in the rabble we have seen invading farms who could afford the employees, the machinery, seeds and fertilisers to farm these units to give a potential export output.
I have seen some of the farms that were reclaimed some years ago by Mr Mugabe and most of the fertile productive land has reverted to bush and the buildings and farmhouses are now crumbling ruins. What a waste in a country dependent on agricultural exports!
Over the last few years, there has been a move to persuade political leaders in African regions to carry more responsibility for conflict prevention. It was, therefore, gratifying to hear Nelson Mandela criticising the policies of the Zimbabwe president who is destroying his country. I am sorry that President Mbeki, his successor, who is probably the most powerful leader in Africa, has not in public condemned the violence in Zimbabwe.
We in Parliament are right to call on the Commission to review its development cooperation with Zimbabwe if transparent elections are not held or if the opposition wins and the violence continues. The use of Article 366 should be considered. The World Bank has now cut funding because of debt arrears and Zimbabwe, as a country, is in liquidation. We can but live and hope that a peaceful conclusion can be reached in Zimbabwe as it is the people themselves who are suffering most in this unstable situation the country finds itself in."@en1
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