Zimbabwe plans voter intimidation during run-off
posted at 7:40 am on May 9, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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South African president Thabo Mbeki has finally decided to visit Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe to try to negotiate an end to the crisis caused by Mugabe’s electoral theft and campaign of terror against dissidents. Perhaps Mbeki, who notoriously declared that no crisis existed two weeks ago, can ask Mugabe about this BBC report of plans to use “war veterans” in police uniforms to intimidate voters into supporting Mugabe in a run-off election. Would that qualify as a crisis to the leader of a nation which rightly demanded global support to instill real democracy and end a racist regime?
Zimbabwe’s “war veterans” militia plan to intimidate voters by posing as police officers during the presidential run-off, a policeman has told the BBC.
He said they would be based inside polling stations during the vote, whose date has not yet been fixed. …
The BBC’s Orla Guerin met the police officer deep in Zimbabwe’s bush, as he was afraid of being identified.
“The war veterans will be wearing police uniforms,” he said.
“They will be given ranks and force numbers. They’ll be part and parcel of the police deployed in every ward. So when people come in to vote they will see war veterans from their area in among the police, and they will be intimidated.”
Guerin’s source says that many junior officers in the police force want change, but have themselves been intimidated by senior leadership that has benefited from Mugabe’s dictatorship. He also clarifies the definition of “war veterans” to the BBC, saying that many of them were far too young to have fought in the war. These are nothing more than gangs and irregular militias that work for the Mugabe regime as free-lance terrorists.
Now Mugabe wants to suit these gangs up in police uniforms to impose his will on the run-off election. Not only does this subvert democracy, but it completely undermines any pretense at civil authority. How can Zimbabweans trust anyone on the police force after concocting this scheme? Even if Mugabe lost or got overthrown, the police force will be fatally compromised. Once given the uniforms, the “war veterans” will not surrender them without a fight.
Mugabe wants to burn Zimbabwe to the ground in order to maintain his grip on power. Mbeki thus far has stood by the dictator and kept the international community on the sidelines to allow him to do it. When Zimbabwe finally rids itself of Mugabe, one way or the other, Mbeki and South Africa will have to answer to their neighbors for their gutlessness and complicity.
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Well at least they are open and honest about it. You gotta give them credit for that.
It’s not like here in America where voters intimidation is rampant and then later denied.
I’ve seen Black people posing like White people, wearing blond wigs and bleaching their skin.
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 7:51 AM
And what’s up with that guy’s arms and hands? How this voter will be intimidated when he won’t be able to vote. This is bull.
Well at least he won’t eat his people like Idi Amin did. You also have you give him credit for that.
The good thing that is coming out of this Zimbabwe story that we’re following here is : I don’t care!
Unless it’s a breading ground for Muslim terrorists, unless it has 30% of our oil imports, I don’t give a rat’s ass.
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 8:03 AM
One more thing.
Where is Jimmy Boy Carter? I thought he would’ve been already there supporting Mugabe.
Exit question:
Has anyone seen Dick Cheney lately?
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 8:07 AM
Indy Conservative
Is your commentary meant to be amusing? Maybe one has to be a Paulnut to get it.
Moving on -
We can thank the Left for Mugabe’s rise to power in the first place, and The World Council of Churches’ role is an absolute disgrace.
Buy Danish on May 9, 2008 at 8:42 AM
Hello? Ban Ki-moon? Where are you, bud?
UN. For a country in real crisis and they do absolutely nothing.
Anyone hear from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or Jeremiah Wright or Otis Moss or Louis Farrakhan or yet? You would think they would be screaming for social justice in Zimbabwe.
Any hear from Barry? Would he sit down to “negotiate” with Mugabe?
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on May 9, 2008 at 9:04 AM
Unfortunately Ed, they won’t.
The only time anyone mentions Africa, both left or right is when some tinpot dictator starts sawing people’s arms off. The UN appointed the monster Mugabe to the economic development council (I’m surprised he didn’t get on the human rights council as well).
Africa is a hopeless place filled with despots and angry thugs. The singsong life they display for the cameras in the US and Europe is a farce. Most of the citizens live in abject poverty precisely because Africa’s leaders have never changed in substance or style.
Trust an African in power to sell his own people into slavery for a quick buck. That’s how they placated the Arabs and the Europeans. That an African “leader” in power still treats his fellow men as if they are slaves whose lives are to be discarded in a fruitless tribal war or sold off as labor to the highest bidder to fund such a campaign is indicative of why Africa remains a gutter continent.
Africa is a poor continent with no leadership. It makes you want to cry (or alternatuvely, rage) just knowing that most of Africa lives in abject poverty solely because for every 100 nice, friendly smiles there is an 101st man who hates his tribe and his enemies alike and is willing to sell them off or send them to death for his own personal gain.
Normal people in Africa aren’t especially stupid. Unfortunately they are too trusting, especially to people they view as their brother. In contrast, despots in Africa are especially cruel, and return kindness with murder and labor with slavery. Even Africans who have been “civilized” by European dominion still have fits of the African despot, as seen with Mbeki.
At the end of the day, no one cares about Africa because its tragic story isn’t a new one. When you hear of tyranny going on in Africa, what is honestly your first thought. Maybe to the PC polluted mind it might be “those poor people, lets hold a protest.”
Maybe it’s just me, but my first thought is: “so what else is new?”
BKennedy on May 9, 2008 at 9:04 AM
They should just stick to caging lists and voter challenges…
LevStrauss on May 9, 2008 at 9:15 AM
Or they could just purge anybody that has a name somewhat similar to someone who has been convicted of a violent crime…just purge the rolls.
LevStrauss on May 9, 2008 at 9:17 AM
I had 3 comments. Which one you mean? Be specific.
Usually people should have an IQ of at least 200 to get my comments. But I’ll take whatever I get. People are not perfect like me.
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 9:21 AM
I bet HillaryLand is taking notes there…
GeneSmith on May 9, 2008 at 9:27 AM
Farrakhan is one of Mugabe’s biggest boosters.
Buy Danish on May 9, 2008 at 9:40 AM
This is Farrakhan in 1998 while on his “World Friendship Tour”:
And
Buy Danish on May 9, 2008 at 9:43 AM
The worthless stinking U.N. is nowhere to be found.
Maxx on May 9, 2008 at 12:33 PM
So how much does Kos pay you to come over her and post? A little advice, you should try not to be such an obvious troll.
Maxx on May 9, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Time to divest South African investments again.
Way past time to divest the UN.
Maquis on May 9, 2008 at 1:14 PM
We Blame Bush.
Sincerely,
Tim Robbins
Sean Penn
Danny Glover
Harry Belafonte
Michael Moore
Janene Garafolo
Oliver Stone
Bill Maher
Bill Moyers
John Kerry
Barack Obama
Nancy Pelosi
Harry Reid
Ted Kennedy
Barbara Boxer
Jimmy Carter
George McGovern
Al Gore
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The Los Angeles Times
The San Francisco Chronicle
The Atlanta Journal
The Boston Globe
The Seattle Post
The Sacramento Bee
The Miami Herald
ABC
CBS
NBC
CNN
MS-NBC
AP
UPI
AFP
BBC
Mike D. on May 9, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Those liberals are cheap and dirty. You offer your services and not only they make you work for food, but you have to sleep 3 nights with George Soros to graduate.
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 2:19 PM
Indy Conservative on May 9, 2008 at 2:19 PM
yeah… whatever, just keep it up, we’ll see how long you last.
Maxx on May 9, 2008 at 3:15 PM
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