The Zimbabwean government will not tolerate foreign interference in next year’s parliamentary elections, the country’s foreign minister, Kembo Mohadi, said on Tuesday.
”The government of Zimbabwe will not allow its people to become gullible victims of hybrid, genetically modified propaganda, affectionately fanned, doctored and synthesised by reactionary forces to discredit our election process,” Mohadi said.
Zimbabwe’s polls are planned for March 2005, and would certainly draw much attention from observers around the world.
Mohadi was speaking in the wake of the passing into law of Zimbabwe’s draconian Non-Governmental Organisations Act, which bans foreign funding of charities and organisations that monitor governance and human rights.
”Let me warn such forces of negation and people of like-minded disposition that we are in control of our own destiny and as such our people should be allowed to make their choices in the March 2005 parliamentary elections in peace.”
Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change has threatened to boycott the poll unless the ruling Zanu-PF complied with Southern African Development Community electoral guidelines and revokes harsh press and public order laws which it claims are used against it extensively.
Still, Mohadi dismissed MDC claims, saying: ”Those political cry babies who wish to cheapen our electoral process by making incessant and frivolous accusations on us must come to terms with the fact that we are in government to rule and make provisions that safeguard our national sovereignty and independence.” – Sapa