Hero or Villain

Listening to Mr.Robert Mugabe a.k.a Uncle Bob, speak at the 64th UN General Assembly meeting in New York, one wonders what makes this octogenarian war veteran tick. The guy has been in power since Zimbabwe gained its independence from its erstwhile colonial master, the British in 1980; and still appears prepared to lead this country until perhaps God denies him oxygen. According to him or at least the rumors going round, Mugabe doesn't trust anyone to take the reigns of power from him since he considers all and sundry either incompetent, disloyal or too westernized to take over leadership in a country he has fought so hard to extricate it from the western influence. While to some people Mugabe appears like a power hungry authoritarian dictator, there are quite a number of Africans who perceive him as a freedom fighter not just for the liberation of Zimbabwe, but the whole Africa at large. He cuts the image of a war veteran ready to put his life on the line for the sake of his people. This might explain why despite repeated calls by the western powers to the SADC and AU to impose sanctions on Mugabe and his cronies, many are reluctant to the idea. Some say this is born out of the fact that while Mugabe's style of ruling appears dictatorial and ruthless, he is not alone in this trade. Many African countries are led by either mild dictators or western stooges placed in power in organised coupe de tats to protect the western interest. People like Museveni, the late Omar Bongo, Meles Zenawi and Hosni Mubarak to mention but a few, are no saints. The only different is that, they either have natural resources like oil or represent greater military interest for the west in their crusade of countering global terrorism cells.

One thing is clear though, Uncle Bob has remained unwavering, resolute and focused on his believes and thats why he is paying a huge political prize in the form of sanctions and isolation by the west. The question that begs is this, does one have to dance to the wests' music to be considered a good leader? Is the concept of democracy rigid and universal the world over or does each country define its own as it grows and evolve slowly? I leave the verdict to you!