--- Patrick Bond <pbond at wn.apc.org
> wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Cian O'Connor" <cian_oconnor at yahoo.co.uk>
> > Funny how when this sort of thing affects wealthy
> > white farmers, the west
>
> Huh, where'd you get this? Am I the west? What's
> your point, Cian?
Let me see Bush, Blair, etc. Funny how they only notice election fraud when it affects wealthy, white, farmers (among others).
And yes I realise Mugabe is using land reform/seizure cynically.
> > Some scepticism is in order.
>
> No it's not. Open your eyes, and check the record of
> electoral theft;
> alternatively, provide some evidence that transcends
> "my enemy's enemy is my
> friend," which does you no credit.
A point I wasn't making - but thanks for playing.
> The Zimbabwe Election Support Network--mainly
> progressive human rights
> monitors--listed the following obvious pre-poll
> violations:
>
> * disenfranchising voters through the voter
> registration process;
>
> * registration of voters beyond 3 March 2002;
>
> * "correcting" the voters' roll;
All of these and worse went on in Eastern European countries, ex-Sov republics, etc - yet those same countries had "fair" elections according to the same observers. And by the standards of Africa (not that this is any kind of exucuse) - these are pretty minor transgressions. So why all the press coverage, government outrage over this? And would it be there if he wasn't confiscating white land and giving it to his black supporters?
> Mugabe stole it, that's the only conclusion anyone
> can come to
Did I say otherwise? He's a very nasty thug, he stole this election.
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