What a disgrace.........

I really don't care if African leaders want to avoid 'criticising one their own' in front of 'former colonial masters', I think it is disgraceful that a leader who is oppressing his people and maintaining his position as president through brutality and illegal practices should have been allowed to be present at an African Union summit. What message are we sending to the rest of the world? Below is an excerpt from the Zimbabwean presidential spokes person, personally it sounds like so much drivel and rubbish. Robert Mugabe should be a pariah on the African continent and should be shorned by decent, pro-democracy Africans around the world. Frankly I think the time for diplomacy is over.

Charamba told reporters that Mugabe would not step down.
"Isn't that an odd question. He's a few days into office and you expect him to retire, do you? ... Five days have expired, not even a week after. ... Why is the issue of the retirement of the president of Zimbabwe such an obsession for the West?" he said.
"He has come here as president of Zimbabwe and he will go home as president of Zimbabwe, and when you visit Zimbabwe he will be there as the president of all the people of Zimbabwe," Charamba told reporters.

And we think that we will ever gain the respect of nations around the world? Look around the African continent, it is always stories of brutality, war, hunger and greed. We can keep on saying that the Western media is villifying Africa and its leaders but that excuse is old now. African leaders need to be able to stand up for fairness, human rights, equality, unity and progress. It is time for our leaders to realise that they have responsibilities to their citizenry and not only to their greedy ambitions and power-mongering. I am really tired of individuals like Mugabe thinking that they have the god-given right to be president ad-infinitum. It has to stop!! This is why African nations are not realizing their full potential and will continue to dance to the tune of the West.