via End fixation with the past, Mugabe told 18 August 2014
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe must “move on” from his fixation with the past and the injustices inflicted on Africa by European states during the colonial era, a German politician has said.
Dr Uschi Eid, a former Parliament of Germany State Secretary, made the remarks to Zimbabwean journalists who were visiting the country last week.
She said while it is true that European states committed great injustices during the colonial era, Mugabe must not be “stuck” in history.
The veteran Zimbabwean leader, jailed 10 years for fighting to end the racist Rhodesian settler regime, is considered a liberation icon across Africa and regularly speaks out against Western imperialism.
Mugabe, 90 this year, remains notoriously suspicious of the West and, even now, blames Zimbabwe’s economic problems on attempts, he sincerely believes, by Britain to recolonize the country for its mineral wealth.
But Eid said she foresees “great potential of growth for Zimbabwe and the entire southern African region “but my advice to Zimbabwe and Africa is that they should not be stuck in history”.
“Start doing things and move forward, never mind about colonialism and it is our admission that the Berlin conference (which partitioned Africa between European powers) was wrong but that should not prevent you from moving forward,” Dr Eid said.
Her remarks are also in line with a recent call by US president Barack Obama for African leaders to look inward for solutions to economic problems and not make “excuses” based on a history of dependence and colonisation.
Speaking ahead of the US-Africa summit, Obama said: “At some point, we have to stop looking somewhere else for solutions, and you have to start looking for solutions internally.
“And as powerful as history is, and you need to know that history, at some point, you have to look to the future and say, ‘OK, we didn’t get a good deal then, but let’s make sure that we’re not making excuses for not going forward.’”
Meanwhile, Eid also took issue with what she said was Mugabe’s attempts to explain Zimbabwe’s problems through regional blocs such as SADC and the African Union.
“There is a problem of unifying problems,” she said.
“This should help you in spelling out your problems and seek for assistance from the world as a nation than standing as a member of SADC.”
Eid said Germany assisted liberation movements in Africa including Zanu PF during the war and hoped that Zimbabwe would regain stability to spur further economic growth.
“Trade regionally and create employment among your regional nations if there are any barriers restricting you to trade with Europe and I tell you your economies will grow,” she said.
COMMENTS
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe must “move on” from his fixation with the past and the injustices inflicted on Africa by European states during the colonial era, a German politician has said.
You are speaking to a stone Sir. It will not hear. Nor will it see or care. A 90 year old stone.
I second that Doc, and also mugabe and zanupf are a hundred times more rascist than Ian Smith and Rhodesia.
You are on the right path but Mugabe is worse than a stone. Stones normally do not bother you unless you bother or get in their way. Secondly stones can be precious or can be used to build beautiful structures. On the other hand Mugabe is destructive, vindictive and the embodiment of all that is evil. Mugabe is Hitler’s incarnate.
Not only racist and tribalist, they deliberately and consistently push people from employment in order to force them to run to them for survival. One has to look at what Ray Ndhlukula has done to farm workers at Connolly’s ranch. He just instantly chased away all of them while he brought in his own! A doctor! Of what really? Their values and interpretations of life generally, the economy and politics are twisted .
They will never “move on”, they do not have the ability or the intelligence to do so, they also realise that should they “move on” they will spoil their comfort zone of greed and corruption. It must infuriate them that all and sundry are saying that Smith et al had run an efficient country not withstanding 15 odd years of sanctions and a civil war. Mugabe and ZANU had everything going for them including the whole world pumping in aid and advice. What did they do, stole the aid/ignored the advice/murdered their own people/drove 1/3 of the population into exile/ruined the infrastructure that they could not steal and devastated a beautiful country. Well done Mugabe, well done Zanu, may you all “move on” to hell as soon as possible, thats if the Devil will let you in. I certainly would not!!
The 90 geriatric is too old to change he is set in his ways
I would be a fool to believe that your people have stopped wanting to steal our heritage and re enslave us. Remember we are the victims how dare you want to tell me when I should stop to complain about this injustice again a white person knows what is good for a blackman. You people are sick your racism knows no bounds.
“You people are sick”
You just painted all white people as racists and don’t consider yourself racist?
Evil, simple-minded racist fools like you are why nobody takes Africa seriously.
Mugabe should change his ways and get ready for his path to hell.
Mugabe knows he is wrong. He knows that everything he has ever stood for is bankrupt. He knows he is utterly discredited in the eyes of anybody with a functioning brain. This is why he is so bitter. This is why he does not care for the suffering he causes..
His life ultimately has been one big screw up and he cannot fix it.
Migabe cannot and will not end fixation with the past simply because he has nothing else to offer.