re: au stand on zimbabwe /mugabe says...
just arrived harare got me old mate bob to pick me up here's what he reckons: (if it is too long, read the last couple of lines! scan up until you see the words FAR EAST) "I have agreed to receive both HITCHED and the United Nations Secretary-General’s special envoy in the country so as to enable the Secretary-General to understand and appreciate what we are trying to do for our people who deserve much better than the shacks that are now being romanticised as fitting habitats for them," Cde Mugabe said. President Mugabe said the clean-up had resulted in renewed attacks against the party, Government and the country by the usual British-led anti-Zimbabwean western coalition despite its objectives, which are clear and laudable. As long as the Government remained strong and focussed, no amount of hypocritical concern would succeed in detracting it from doing the right thing. When the programme is completed, said President Mugabe, the social condition of the people would have changed for the better. He said Operation Murambatsvina, also called Operation Restore Order, was launched to deal with a potential hazard posed by unregulated and uncontrolled informal traders and illegal urban settlements. "We were now faced with increasing lawlessness, illicit foreign currency dealings, black marketeering, rampant thefts, prostitution and other social ills so detrimental to social morality and decency. "Over and above this, an equally clear and growing menace of a health disaster arising from the overcrowding and filthy settlements now existed. "Action just had to be taken, as indeed it was, to restore our long lost environmental lustre that made our cities and our country famous for its decency and cleanliness," President Mugabe said. He said Government, alongside the demolitions of the overcrowded and filthy places and structures, had started on a vigorous reconstruction programme to provide more decent accommodation and business shells and stalls. "The campaign is thus primarily a positive and corrective one. Except for a few negative people, the operation has been well received by the majority of our people for the results of the campaign have begun to show themselves." The reconstruction programme, with a budget of three trillion dollars, is being implemented by an ad-hoc Inter-Ministerial Committee, which has been given a deadline of August 31, by which time it is expected to be complete. The committee, which includes relevant arms of security, has been tasked to mobilise resources starting with the immediate needs of displaced families or persons adversely affected by the clean-up campaign and lay a firm basis for small and medium enterprises whose role in the economic turnaround programme is crucial. Cde Mugabe said there was a clear construction and reconstruction programme underway, deriving from Zanu-PF’s election manifesto for the March 2005 parliamentary election. "As you may recall, we pledged to revitalise our cities and towns and to deliver as many as 1,2 million housing units and residential stands by 2008. We also undertook to reorganise our SMEs so they would grow and expand in an environment that is supportive, clean and decent." The President said the programme had drawn broadsides from a Zimbabwe’s habitual critics led by Britain and as usual supported by the Washington administration and Australia. "Even more ridiculous is the fact of the new World Bank President, himself an ex-official of the American administration, joining in the attack without any first hand impression of what is going on here. What has the World (Bank) got to do with it?" President Mugabe said the Central Committee meeting came on the back of the ruling party’s recent victory in the Mudzi East parliamentary by-election last weekend, which yet again confirmed its unchallenged dominance in national politics. He said there should be no let up in the party’s quest to reassert and consolidate its dominance. Zanu-PF should once and for all bury the opposition MDC which is a British puppet. "Indeed, evidence of the demise of the opposition is now showing. We should, however, never be complacent." Cde Mugabe said the current restructuring of provinces by the party’s Commissariat must be intensified ahead of elections to choose a Senate, once the Upper House has been re-introduced. The President said the party had done a lot of good things for the people in the past 25 years and should offer adequate explanation for the programmes it could not implement. The programme to import grain to ensure people have enough food continues. Cde Mugabe said the programme had resulted in Government diverting resources from other needy areas including fuel, creating temporary hardships faced by commuters. Government was concerned about these hardships and continues to look for lasting solutions. President Mugabe commended the Reserve Bank for decisively providing support to winter wheat farmers and preparations for tobacco growing. Preparations for the summer season were already underway while the resuscitation of other specialised areas of farming such as dairy must be intensified for the agrarian programme to succeed. Cde Mugabe said the economy was beginning to receive serious and significant investments from the Far East, much to the chagrin of the former colonisers. "We should not look back, for, looking back, means back to our political enemies and detractors. Industry must recognise this new direction (Look East policy)." Cde Mugabe said even the Europeans and Americans had realised that the East was a key economic region and had shifted their car manufacturing companies to China where there was cheap labour and a huge market. "They will naturally say don’t look east, look west, when they themselves are looking east." He took me on a quick tour on the way from the airport, I said bob, you have to be kidding son and he said "hitched, I could have built the new houses first, but I got confused, with all the attention from china and all, anyhow, he said, can't expect them to move into this neighbourhood to sell their stuff, too many ruffians, and pros and stuff, and hardly any plastic at all" I says: politburo and comrade! whew bob, this must be a new era or a re-run! He said: have faith and don't listen to any billings from the willings we are just now arriving at the palace which they are busily measuring up for plastic gnomes ....from hitched your man in Harare I shall keep you informed ...hey what's wrong with the generatorrrrrrrrr!r r
