It was announced yesterday that the results of the Zimbabwean 'sham' election have been delayed, and that they will probably be available on Sunday (today). I suppose that the problem has to be that those responsible for the counting didn't have enough fingers to count the minimal number of votes that resulted from the thankfully poor turnout. Either that or the clown himself is trying to add up beyond 20!
The surprise will be one of great shock when the results are announced if, in this one-candidate poll, the winner is anyone other than that one candidate. Mugabe's actions in this fiasco must surely discredit him further --- if that's possible --- and raise the question of his very questionable sanity level. Surely, not even a child would take this sham seriously!
If it were not for the serious implications that it has for the impoverished Zimbabwean people then we could enjoy the spectacle of this strange series of events. After all, why bother to call an election at all. Mugabe was so obviously set on holding on to power at all costs that there never was any chance that he might be democratically removed from office. Why, therefore, can he not do as other dictatorships and simply declare himself as president for life, and state that he means for the entirety of his life. I think that the answer is a psychological one. It's obvious that Mugabe needs to believe that he has the entire nation supporting him, thereby demonstrating that he is the much-loved and revered leader that he aspires to be. It's unfortunate that he's made mistakes along the path of his 28-year rule that refute any suggestion that he is loved by all. After all, the thousands of Zimbabweans who have died as a result of his orders all have many thousand more relatives and friends who certainly have good reason to hate this despot. For those who lie buried in the mass graves in Matabeleland though, it's possible that they got the best from Mugabe, for those who he didn't order slaughtered by gun, knife and machete, he has systematically starved over the ensuing years.
You choose then. Which is the better choice --- to die relatively quickly or to take a long time to starve to death, the latter taking several years?
Watching this debacle unfold in the media does not tell you very much about the Zimbabwean people. Sadly, after a while it's easy to become so used to the news reports that one almost ignores them, and that's something that tyrants like Mugabe rely on to continue their murderous regime. So, let me share with you that the Zimbabwean people are a wonderfully warm, friendly people with a great love for God. Unlike the majority of people in the West, they are a people who are not only God-fearing but who can also claim the title 'Christian' without reprisal. Despite their poverty, they have, even in the face of the most horrific leadership, a dignity about them that stems from the generosity of their nature.
This is why I write so much about the situation in Zimbabwe. Having lived with these people for twelve years that stretched from the days of Rhodesia through the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia period and into the current Zimbabwe, I learned to love them as a people and respect them as a Nation. Apart from that, as a Christian I cannot stand idly by and say nothing whilst they are subjugated to a point of death, forced to face atrocity on a daily basis.
Please pray for the Zimbabwean Nation on a daily basis, praying that God will release them from Mugabe's stranglehold before it's too late.
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