0708SADC AND THE AFRICAN UNION SHOULD REPUDIATE BOSTWANA
Pan African Forum (PAF) deeply regrets the unprecedented and circumspect decision taken by Botswana on the just concluded General elections of Zimbabwe that gave President Robert Mugabe a resounding emphatic win. PAF in particular takes note of the statement issue by Botswana Foreign Affairs minister Hon. Phandu Selekemani that unconditionally calls for a SADC audit on the just concluded elections on the false prima facie that what precedent in Zimbabwe war ranted nothing short of a transparent, credible, free and fair elections. Pan African Forum notes that in doing so Botswana has decided to go against the grain by defying the SADC led Observer mission preliminary statement that declared the election free and peaceful. SADC countries that were present in Zimbabwe such as Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa have endorsed Zimbabwe's elections as a positive step towards entrenching democracy in frontline states. So why is Botswana going against the grain? Pan African Forum is aware of the "client-state" politics of Botswana. Western nations have used Botswana to destabilize Africa. This type of politics has made it impossible for Botswana to find a common ground with the SADC member states and the rest of African Union countries. We remorsefully lament the tight grip of western infiltration in Botswana that is fuelling discontent by putting Botswana at odds with the rest of African States. Botswana has a pirate radio station of VOA called studio 7 where imperialism kills Africa on daily basis. Botswana has satellites pointing on Zimbabwe along the common border with Zimbabwe. We know all these facts but we had spared Botswana thinking they would change and work for African unity. Now time has come to intellectually expose Botswana syndrome to entire African population. Botswana has made herself the conduit for neo-colonialism and the embodiment of western hegemony that continues to dismember Africa. On March 2013 Gaffe prone Botswana Foreign Affairs Minister uttered this on President elect Kenyatta "If he refuses to go (to The Hague), then we have a problem. That means that they do not know the rule of law. You can't establish a Court and refuse to go when it calls you. If he refuses, he won't set foot here, he later withdrew his statement after he faced a huge barrage of criticism from Kenyans and Africans around the Globe. Pan African Forum wants the world to know that in May 2013, in an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa he continued demonising President Kenyatta by saying that "The AU is not Kenyatta's lawyer. He must be arraigned before the ICC. This is like when a suspect is to appear before the Lobatse High Court and then we stand on the way of the judiciary system by saying that be should be acquitted before he could answer for charges that he is facing," said Sekelemani. Pan African Forum has looked at the above statements by Botswana foreign affairs minister that indicate a deliberate breakaway from the African Un ion Resolution on ICC. Botswana in fact continues to make SADC bleeding by opposing many of its activities such as the SADC common Visa plan that is an economic boom for the SADC region. This is a country where either the leadership is mentally derailed or it has sickness from imperialism. Pan African Forum notes that Zimbabwe Elections have been lauded by African, Asian and East Europe and to some extent some EU member states as peaceful, free and fair. We would like also to appeal to European countries and America, to desist the condescending attitude that reengages Zimbabwe. PAF would like to caution any foreign ent1t1es to desist from fermenting democracy in Zimbabwe by disengaging their imperial machineries that were in the form of Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) SW Radio Africa 4880, 1ST TV South Africa, Vote 263 election watch and many others from precipitating crisis in Zimbabwe. PAF would like to point out that ZANU PF election team went full throttle to restructure their party after the humiliating election defeat in 2008, and therefore Botswana demand of a recount, wruch is based on a suspicion of election fraud is simply a "mollifying illusion". Our Poignant view concludes that Robert Mugabe was poised for an emphatic and historic win. Whatever nonsense Botswana wants to bring we shall counter it word by word. The Pan Africa n Forum would like to bring to the attention of SADC and the African Union the insubordinate character of a member state (Botswana) and call for the respective bodies to whip Botswana dissembling dissatisfaction on African resolutions into line. If not checked Botswana has the possibility of being the conduit of precipitating a Syrian type of crisis in Zimbabwe. Thank You. Dr. David Nyekorach – Matsanga. |
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