SADC failed democracy: Leon
2004-08-17 13:02
Cape Town - South Africa and the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had once again failed to stand up for democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe by siding with President Robert Mugabe''s government, South African official opposition leader Tony Leon said in a statement on Tuesday.
Responding to statements by regional heads of state attending an SADC leaders'' summit in Mauritius, Leon said the SADC had acted "against the Zimbabwean people".
Leon, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), said the SADC meeting "presented the perfect opportunity for SADC leaders to discuss the report of the African Commission on Human and People''s Rights on Zimbabwe, which was presented at the third ordinary session of the African Union in Addis Ababa last month and which the Zimbabwean government has now had ample time to study.
"Instead, SADC leaders outdid each other in heaping praises on Mugabe''s government."
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa launched a stinging attack on Western nations when he stated that "we are tired of being lectured on democracy by the very countries which, under colonialism, either directly denied us the rights of free citizens, or were indifferent in our suffering and yearnings to break free and be democratic".
While South African President Thabo Mbeki''s views on Zimbabwe were not reported, Leon said: "The silence of the South African government is particularly disappointing, given that South Africa is the current chair of the SADC''s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security."
One of the objectives of the Organ was to "... promote and enhance the development of democratic institutions and practices within member states, and to encourage the observance of universal human rights as provided for in the charters and conventions of the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations."
Leon said that by failing to deal with the Zimbabwean government''s destruction of democracy and its human rights abuses, South Africa was failing to carry out its responsibilities.
SADC leaders such as Mkapa were mistaken if they believed that the crisis in Zimbabwe was fundamentally about land and not about the determination of Robert Mugabe to retain power.
"They are also mistaken if they believe that criticism of the Zimbabwean government is being directed by former colonial powers and not by the Zimbabwean people themselves.
"The willingness of SADC leaders to give credence to conspiracy theories, and to ignore the obvious causes for Zimbabwe''s economic and humanitarian crisis, is a severe blow to the credibility of SADC and reflects poorly on the leadership of its member states," Leon said.
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