Mugabe blames the West for woes in final election push
27/03/2008| IslamWeb
President Robert Mugabe accused the West of driving
In his most outspoken attack to date on the former colonial power and the
As one of his two challengers said the country needed a period of healing and reconciliation, Mugabe insisted it "will never die".
"Our detractors have tried to derail our efforts, but the unity and resourcefulness of our people have always triumphed," Mugabe said on a tour of
"The British, the Americans and those who think like them, would rather see our children, the old and the infirm suffer under the weight of their evil sanctions they have imposed as part of their desire to effect the regime change in our country. As a country, we march on unfettered."
The European Union and
While the sanctions, which include measures such as a freezing of bank accounts and a ban on travel, are designed not to affect the population as a whole, Mugabe has often blamed them for the country's economic woes.
Saturday's joint parliamentary and presidential elections, when Mugabe is hoping to secure a sixth term in office, are being held against a backdrop of an economic meltdown characterized by an inflation rate of more than 100,000 and an unemployment rate of over 80 percent.
Even the most basic foodstuffs such as cooking oil and sugar are now scarce in what was once the region's breadbasket.
The collapse of the country is amply illustrated in the health sector where the average life expectancy has now dropped to 37, one of the lowest in the world.
According to a report by the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe (NCZ) obtained by AFP on Thursday, the health sector has vacancy rates of up to 70 percent as a result of a massive brain drain.
Mugabe, who has ruled uninterrupted since independence, said his country could no longer afford vital equipment such as drugs as a result of the "inhuman and insensitive, declared and undeclared sanctions".
With relations at an all-time low, Mugabe has banned Western countries from sending teams to monitor Saturday's polls which see him pitched against former finance minister Simba Makoni and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Vote monitors from countries such as
The opposition says that Mugabe is systematically trying to steal the election, pointing to the deployment of police officers in polling stations in contravention of an earlier agreement as proof of rigging.
Tendai Biti, secretary general of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), accused Mugabe on Thursday of enlisting the services of Israeli computer experts with links to the intelligence agency Mossad to doctor the voters' roll.
"We are getting, by the second, evidence of the manner in which Mugabe and his cronies are assaulting this election," said Biti at a press conference.
"Mugabe intends to steal this election ...through the technical assault. They are thoroughly organized, thoroughly computerized. The voters' roll and technology is the key vehicle of fraud which they intend to use."
At a rally on Wednesday, Mugabe dismissed talk of rigging as "lies".
Meanwhile Makoni, who left government in 2002 as the country began its downward slide, said he would make restoring the economy and banishing a climate of fear his top priorities were he to oust Mugabe.
But he warned that there could be no quick-fix for the economy given the accumulated damage.
"This is not about the first six months after March 29 or even the first five years ... it could range from 10 to 15 years," he told AFP.
AFP