By Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, has accused ‘the rich imperialist northern countries” of using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as tools of espionage and propaganda.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), in Geneva Switzerland, Mugabe, began his address by stating how Zimbabwe was being vilified for freeing the underprivileged masses from their colonial masters. He said that the Zimbabwean government was also being singled out for attack and criticism for continuing to ensure that Zimbabwe remained under sovereign rule as an independent state.
Mugabe was quick to declare the importance of ICTs in development, but he followed up with a scathing attack on what he called ‘the new age of paradoxes”. He said that rich and powerful states continued to amass more wealth and power while the poorer developing countries remained poor. This was taking place while the western states were preaching about bridging the digital divide.
He declared that Zimbabwe continued to be victimized for its struggle for independence from its colonial oppressors, particularly by Great Britain, Australia and the United States of America. He stated that Zimbabwe would be unrelenting in its aims to remain a free independent state run by Zimbabweans.
The Zimbabwean president also called for solidarity and acceptance of the draft Declaration of Principles by the Northern Countries. Most African leaders who addressed the joint sitting of the leaders of United Nations member states, also spoke about the need to begin the process of bridging the digital divide. Mugabe argued that this objective would be attained through solidarity in accepting the Declaration.
Acceptance of the Declaration would mean that funding would be made available to broaden access to ICTs in developing countries. The issue of funding is the main outstanding point of disagreement that still has to be resolved before the Declaration is fully accepted.
Robert Mugabe went on to say that although ICTs were essential for development, they were being used as weapons of propaganda and espionage by the elitist Northern countries. He said America and Britain used ICTs to try to destabilize Zimbabwe by spreading malicious propaganda. ICTs were just another weapon for the racist states to impose their imperial policies onto developing states, according to him. He likened the role of ICTs to the weaponry used in what he terms the unlawful and hostile take-over in Iraq by America.
Mugabe pointed out that although the digital revolution was necessary for the improvement of a developing country’s economy it was not necessary for America or Australia to run that country. He said that however important ICTs may be, as long as they are managed and developed in the western developed countries they would be a new form of imperialism. He then went on to state how ICTs are helping to improve Zimbabwe’s economy and to raise the efficiency of health care and education. — Hana