The ZIMBABWE Situation | Our
thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe - may peace, truth and justice prevail. |
MDC
PRESS
4
May 2005
RESPONSE TO UN SECRETARY
GENERAL KOFI ANNAN’S REPORT: “IN LARGER FREEDOM – TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT, SECURITY
AND HUMAN RIGHTS” PROPOSING REFORM OF THE UNITED NATIONS
The call by UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan to reform
the United Nations for “larger freedom” in order to promote development,
security and human rights is long overdue, and cries out for immediate action,
rather than words alone.
The recent re-election of
There have been numerous
reports of human rights abuses perpetrated or ignored by the government of
We in the Movement for
Democratic Change feel betrayed by the UN Commission for Human Rights, and indeed by the United Nations in general. We
Zimbabweans are human beings just like the rest of the world, and we believe we
have the same basic rights and freedoms as everyone else. We do not believe there are different
standards, depending on where you happen to be born or live in this world. Zimbabweans have a right to be free from
want, free from fear and the right to live in dignity. We have a right to food, we have a right to health, education, clean water, a
safe environment, etc. We have the right
to elect the government of our choice and for our elected officials to work
without interference.
We believe it is high time the
UN underwent a total overhaul, to make it relevant to this Third Millennium and
to avoid betraying the trust of the people in future. Let the United Nations not only listen to
governments, but also to the voices of the PEOPLE those governments are supposed
to represent – and let the United Nations be in a position to take ACTION when
action needs to be taken.
A nation’s sovereignty should
be the sovereignty of its PEOPLE, not of its government – because as we know
from bitter experience both in
Trudy
Stevenson MP
MDC
Secretary for Policy and Research