http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/10/wzim10.xml
Speech by Mugabe 'proves he is losing his mind' By David Blair in Johannesburg (Filed: 10/06/2005) President Robert Mugabe was accused yesterday of displaying "senile dementia" when he boasted to Zimbabwe's parliament that "great strides" were being taken towards "economic recovery". The president hailed the march of progress in a capital where bulldozers have demolished thriving factories and township shacks alike, throwing tens of thousands on to the streets. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change denounced his stumbling, hesitant performance at the official opening of parliament, saying that Mr Mugabe had finally lost any "grasp of reality". The razing of townships and street markets across Zimbabwe has now led to 30,000 people being arrested and 200,000 left homeless. According to the United Nations, two young children died of exposure last week, after they were left homeless in mid-winter, with night-time temperatures falling to zero. Yet there has been no stirring of protest or resistance. A general strike called for yesterday flopped, undermined by poor organisation and the glaring failure of Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, to stand up to the regime. This has allowed Mr Mugabe to escape any pressure over his urban clearances. Five years ago he was heckled by hostile demonstrators at the opening of parliament. This time he rode unmolested to the ceremony in a gleaming Rolls Royce once used by Lord Soames, the last governor of Rhodesia. Inside the parliament building in central Harare, Mr Mugabe, 81, sat upon the green speaker's throne and declared 2005 the year of "investment and development" for Zimbabwe. "Investment, both internal and external, is the sine qua non for sustainable development for any country," he said. Mr Mugabe added that Zimbabwe was making "great strides towards economic recovery". Tourism was enjoying a "strong recovery", he said, and the demolitions in the townships were a "vigorous clean-up campaign to restore sanity and order in urban and other areas". In reality, Zimbabwe suffers inflation of 130 per cent and more than one third of its economy has been wiped out in the last five years. The president's speech "reflects his senile dementia," said Tendai Biti, the MDC's secretary for economic affairs. "Any decent doctor will tell you that once you are in your eighties, you lose your memory, you lose your grasp of reality and you have no grip of time or space. That's what is happening with this old man." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/qrOkGA/SOnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
