Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-15-Speech-4-119"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2004-01-15"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Zimbabwe2
dcterms:Language	"fi"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20040115.6.4-119"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2004-01-15-Speech-4-1202
lpv:speaker	lp:Eija-Riitta Korhola2
lpv:spokenAs	member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Suomen kristillisdemokraatit rp (2001-05-30--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Latvia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Temporary committee on improving safety at sea (2003-11-20--2004-04-21)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, in the 1990s I worked as a trainer and advisor for a large Finnish development cooperation organisation. Zimbabwe was our one cause for pride, our favourite example of what development cooperation and genuine partnership achieves. It was proof that Africa was flourishing. What destroyed Zimbabwe? I am not now going to repeat that pitiful and seemingly endless list of factors the resolution mentions. That would be too much. Destruction has permeated Zimbabwe’s entire social structure, from healthcare and education to the trade union movement and agriculture. Africa’s formerly productive model country is in a state of chaos and its economic structures are in tatters. In inciting people to occupy land illegally, instead of implementing controlled land reform within a reasonable timeframe, Mugabe flouted the law of the land and so devastated the functioning core of society. That is what this issue is about. When the basis of the legal system is destroyed the structures break up one by one. The fact that President Mugabe, former fighter for independence and national hero, degenerated to the level of dictator to keep watch over his own country is a tragedy of our time. I was a member of Parliament’s delegation of election observers in Zimbabwe a few years ago and we were simply amazed when during the elections someone had the nerve to declare that the government would remain in power whatever the result was. Despite intimidation, people voted. In Zimbabwe that could mean not only taking risks but also walking for miles to a polling station and queuing for hours. That was a sight to behold for someone used to a system where voting is easy. I wish everyone who is scornful of voting and representational democracy could just see queues like that even once. Let us in the EU give our unambiguous support to those who, despite oppression, have the courage to fight for law and rights."@en1

Named graphs describing this resource:

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph