What is our reaction to the zimbabwean crisis?!

As I write this, the people in zimbabwe has probaly woken up to the reality of another day of tyranny under the zanu pf robert mugabe

Last friday's unopposed election of mugabe in the presidential election run off is certainly the final nail in the coffin of the many zimbabweans who have died, struggling for a better future for zimbabwe. The leader for the movement for democrat change (mdc) morgan tsangirai (pronounced chang-gi-rai) whom, despite having a lead in the first round of election 2 months ago, refused to contest in the run off vote last friday, citing threats to the voters.

In harare now, voters of mdc and tsangirai in the last presidential election, are being tortured, hounded, some are raped, and a large number are being killed.one might asks how do these thugs of mugabe finds this voters , when surely the votes are suppose to be secret ballot? Apparently every area where the votes for mdc were high, its occupants are now subjected to daily torture and humiliation.

To put it simply, the situation is probably short of the civil war scenario that we must have all seen in that move, hotel rwanda. I watched that movie many times over and I could not but imagine the same thing to happen again. I might be proven wrong with what we re reading now about zimbabwe.

World over, this zimbabwean crisis are receiving front page material attention, that prime ministers and presidents are made to comment on it. Surely many were quick to condemn the situation.

But I am rather perturbed and annoyed that in malaysia this situation seemed to have missed public attention, what more the politicians. Of course, most malaysians would struggle to find where in the world is zimbabwe (somehwere in africa maybe?) , what more to care of the "political" situation there (although political here means people dying and slaughtered/raped/burned on a daily basis). Sure we malaysians have better issues to care about? (Minyak naik, hmm minyak naik, hmm sept 16th ..hmm) . Oh well, it must be my idealistic surreal side that makes me thing that we ought to do something about this zimbabwe crisis too (although my friend ask me why must we really care abt everything else out there, aren't malaysia enough already?)

At least, I think we as a country shud make it clear that we condemn the killings and the way things are in zimbabwe at the moment. Yes some may argue, look at myanmar, but I don't think being hypocritical here would make us lose any face, plus zimbabwe is no asean country and really, the people there are now being slaughtered (literaly) on a daily basis that certainly this is one level above of what we probably know of myanmar ( okay okay I ll correct myself, its burma not myanmar, and yes yangon not rangoon).

There are a few things we malaysia could do in order to 'help' the situation in zimbabwe:

First we should as malaysians , make public condemnation of the situation in zimbabwe. This can be done by our leaders through the mass media, and also by the people through writings/blogs. Even better, why don't u people who likes to demonstrate, make a public demonstration at the zimbabwe embassy in kl? And by u people I mean by the ones in red/blue, green , or even pemuda umno t shirts. Is it because there are no muslims in zimbabwe that we don't care?(Are u sure there are no muslims?) Is it because there are no budhist/hindus there that we don't care? Sometimes I do think that the mat saleh has a less prejudicial view of the world then us asians who are supposedly "multicultural and live in harmony". Oh by the way, the address for the embassy is :

Zimbabwe high commission in malaysia
124 jalan 9
Taman ampang utama
68000 Ampang

so apa lagi, pergi lah buat demo tuh!

Ok even if u don't like this demo demo thing, you can even write a letter stating your displeasure at what is happening in zimbabwe.

Remember, all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing

(unless of course ure comfortable being the not so good people who enjoys reading this blog and swip swaping it with facebook and continue doing your work,hoping that guilt feeling will be gone by lunchtime)

Seconly, we malaysia should make a statement that if there is proof that there is genocide and killings in zimbabwe, the perpetrators must and will be judged by the world courts on genocide.

Finally, and certainly most effectively, we must freeze the assets of known culprits in zimbabwe who I think, must have at least some of their gazillion worth of personal assets, hidden somewhere in our country. As some of you in the inner circles are aware, robert mugabe and his clansmen are known to make visits to malaysia for holidays.they like malaysia because we don't know abt them and their 'hobbies' back home, plus the people who do not about them, don't care or already given big contracts in zimbabwe (read- blood money)

So certainly they would probably discover that keeping money in malaysia is probably not a bad idea after all.

On top of that, I am sure some of these hench men's of mugabe also send their children to study here in malaysia thanks to the openness of malaysia's capitalistic private education in accepting anybody with abundance of dollars and cents.

We should kindly inform them (the children/students) that what is happening in zimbabwe, is unacceptable.

No harm however, should be directed at the personnels of the staff and officers of the zimbabwe high commission in taman ampang as per address above.they , are protected by the geneva convention (whatever that is).

On a more different albeit constructive note..

Of course, we the islamist, should also do some solat hajat to pray that the innocent people in zimbabwe will be protected from the evils roaming the land.

why not? We have done solat hajat for a great many things including the various ones on palestine, so why is zimbabwe any different? Just because u have never heard of it? Or just because they are not muslims? Are u sure there are no muslims there? Even the most conventional estimate puts the number of muslims there at 120 000 muslims, what more a wopping 1.2 million estimated by others.

The point is, are they any different that they don't deserve our attention?

Go figure!

The western media calls the place, a living hell.I think it is about time that we malaysians, go above local issues, and resonates our distaste and anger towards what is happening in zimbabwe.

Sent via BlackBerry from Maxis