Sanctions to blame for cholera
Posted: Saturday, December 13, 2008December 13, 2008
The Herald
WHILE cholera is a natural disease stemming from a bacterium, recent pronouncements by US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James D. McGee and the West's obsession at attempting to use cholera to build a case for war on Zimbabwe, make us wonder if they want to use natural suffering to pursue their ends.
Several of our neighbours have been afflicted by cholera outbreaks before yet at no time did we hear anyone suggesting military action on them.
In many cases, the Western media were quite indifferent.
In countries like Zambia, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, cholera is endemic.
It is a way of life yet the West never agitated for invasion.
This raises the question, why Zimbabwe?
The answer lies in the feverish pronouncements by Western governments and their askaris that President "Mugabe must go."
One would almost think "Mugabe" is the name of the cholera pathogen or its vector.
What we would rather hear the West say, if they are really concerned about suffering Zimbabweans is "sanctions and cholera must go."
As President Mugabe said, what Zimbabwe needs are medical doctors, not invading armies.
To this end, we salute the bona fide international as represented by the UN through its agency, the World Health Organisation, Sadc and individual countries like China, South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania for heeding the Government's call for assistance.
The fact that they did not, as the Westerners tried to do, distort the appeal as "evidence of State failure" proved they are true friends of Zimbabwe.
To this end, we would like to draw the world's attention to recent Western media attempts to put the President's dismissal of cholera as a cause for war out of context.
If anything, their campaign only served to prove — as President Mugabe said — that they would stop at nothing, even outright lies to pursue their sanguine desires.
We urge the progressive world to see these people and their pronouncements on Zimbabwe for what they are, white lies.
The West would never admit that the outbreak is a consequence of the decade-long economic sanctions regime they have maintained on Zimbabwe.
Their ruinous sanctions have not only constrained the health delivery system but some Western countries, principally Britain, have been systematically poaching medical staff from our hospitals precipitating the ongoing health sector crisis.
So if culpability is to be apportioned over cholera, it lies solely and squarely with Number 10 Downing Street and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the residences of the British Prime Minister and US president respectively.
If there is to be an invasion, it should be directed at these axes of evil.Printer friendly version
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