Divine Right? Divine Wrong!

The intolerable Robert Mugabe has spouted off again in another of his maniacal rants:

"Only God who appointed me will remove me - not the MDC, not the British."

Claiming divine endorsement is a very dangerous game as history frequently demonstrates. It is the ultimate stance of the vain, the proud and the haughty... and their rhetoric usually brings about their downfall.

Charles I of England made the same mistake... and soon afterwards found his head in a basket.

I won't deny that sometimes God allows bad, even despicable people to rise to positions of power in a nation. However, do not mistake that in any way with the concept of divine endorsement... it is far from the same. In the Bible we see that God allows various civilizations and characters to have power or influence over and/or against his own people: Pharaoh, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome. Is this because God is weak and unable to defend his people?

No.

God in his wisdom used each of those people/powers in his own time to achieve a certain part of his plan. Sometimes to bring about circumstances where he come demonstrate his own power, sometimes to discipline in order to bring his people to repentance.

So Mugabe may think he has God given power, but those who claim to be masters only find themselves to be pawns in a much bigger game... and the same God who granted him power can take it away just as swiftly.

Mugabe may claim to be God appointed, he may claim to be a good Roman Catholic... but I warn him and those who think like him in the most severe terms:

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Galatians 5:19-22

Whatever in his on mind, he calls himself, his nature sets him out as an apostate... for actions speak louder than words.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering pulling out of the election run off due to the fact that Mugabe won't even step down should he lose... and also on account of the abysmal violence and atrocities being carried out by Mugabe's henchmen.. The latest report from Amnesty.org states:

"Amnesty International revealed on Thursday that 12 bodies have been found in various areas of Zimbabwe. Most of the victims appear to have been tortured to death by their abductors.

They were allegedly abducted by ZANU-PF supporters who, in some instances, were accompanied by armed men believed to be government agents.

Four of the victims were reportedly abducted yesterday from the home of Mr Chipiyo, an MDC councillor-elect in Chitungwiza by ZANU-PF youths. One of the victims is Archford Chipiyo the son of the MDC councillor-elect.

Five bodies were found in Masvingo province, while two were found in Gokwe district in the Midlands province and one was found dumped in Harare.

Another victim died in Harare today in hospital of injuries sustained from the beatings by ZANU-PF youths when she attended a funeral of a relative in Buhera."

And this is merely the latest in a long line of intimidation, violence and rape.

It must be stopped.

The time for ending the cycle of political weak ineffectualism as demonstrated by Zimbabwe's neighbours and the wider world, is overdue. South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia... your neighbour needs you to be strong for them. UN sanctions are not enough... we cannot pretend this situation will just dissolve while Western powers continue to wage wars of their own making.

People are suffering, people are dying.

When Goliath stood up and cast his immense shadow over the Israelite army in the valley of Elah, the warriors of an entire nation quaked with fear. They saw a gargantuan killing machine ready to chew them up and spit them out. They looked in his eyes and saw nothing but their own demise.

But in the distance a lowly shepherd boy heard the taunts and the intimidation and felt a very different emotion - righteous anger. He heard this godless giant mocking the nation he loved and the God who created him... and decided the battle needed fighting regardless of the odds that man would give him.

Zimbabwe - Mugabe is your Goliath... he comes against you with sword and spear and javelin, but he can be beaten.

It is the destiny of all archetypal bullies to be knocked on the floor. It takes unfathomable courage, unquenchable faith and some patience.

Mugabe mocks the armies of God and democracy, but one day the Lord will hand him over and politically his head (power) will be cut off.

May that day be soon and swift.

A Ludicrous Comparison

I was reading one of the local newspapers the other day and was appalled at a dreadfully inappropriate comparison I found.

First a bit of background.

In recent months, a local pressure group called Stratford Voice, has been locked in a bitter struggle with local government over a proposal to place another bridge across the Avon. They argue that it would spoil the historic view of the river... and that it would undoubtedly result in land on the far side of the river being converted into parking spaces to boost the revenue of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which is currently undergoing a renovation programme.

I won't dispute the plausibility of either of those arguments, they could easily be the truth. Whether or not the arguments are being made on a purely nimbyistic crusade is something I leave up to you - the discerning reader.

The group is chaired by a man called Martyn Luscombe and it is his latest comments that I wish to strongly criticise.

Mr Luscombe foolishly drew comparisons between Stratford-upon-Avon's backyard scuffle... and the plight of Zimbabwe. While it is true that the newspaper amplified the sentiment around his words by elaborating a little on what is actually going on in that country; the simple fact remains that it was an incredibly imbecilic argument to make... even as hyperbole it is vulgar, distasteful and completely out of order to suggest the comparison.

While it is true that local government may well ignore the the voice of popular opinion among the local residents... it is there that any comparison ends. Ironically Mr Luscombe, speaking out of turn in an attempt to defeat the footbridge proposals, may well have crossed "a bridge too far" of his own.... and at the end of the day, his battle is just about a bridge... and not about a collapsing economy or the brutal suppression of a nation's citizens.

Mr Luscombe and the people of Stratford will not be suffering any form of torture or severe intimidation, for making their views known. Here are a few examples from Amnesty International of what might be expected if they were in the crisis ridden Zimbabwe and not affluent Stratford-upon-Avon:

• In MDC activist in Mashonaland West province was stabbed to death on 13 April by ZANU-PF supporters outside his house, according to local reports. His brother, a 58-year-old man, also an MDC member from Mashonaland West, reported that three groups of about 60 ZANU-PF supporters came to the MDC activist’s house and started throwing stones asking him to come out because they wanted to "sort him out".
  
• Though nine other MDC members also gathered at his house and retaliated by throwing back the stones, they were out-numbered by the ZANU-PF supporters. The ZANU-PF supporters managed to reach his house and abduct his brother, the MDC activist. The MDC activist was stabbed twice with a knife in the stomach and died at the scene. The brother of the deceased also suffered serious injuries and had to be hospitalised. The case was reported to the police who are reported to have said they were too afraid to intervene.
  
• A 21-year-old woman in Harare, an MDC activist, was woken up during the night on 30 March 2008 by ZANU-PF supporters after she had been celebrating the victory of MDC councillors in the election. The ZANU-PF supporters took her from her house and assaulted her with clenched fists and sjamboks [whips].
  
• A 30-year-old man from Mashonaland East province reported that, on 9 April, a group of "war veterans" burnt down three houses at about 11pm. The inhabitants had previously received a tip-off that this would happen and had fled to the bush.
  
• On another occasion, nine people from a residential area in Harare were detained, while they were attending a funeral, by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit and other people suspected to be members of the Zimbabwe National Army who were dressed in plain clothes.
  
• On 16 April, 22 people were abducted by soldiers and ZANU-PF supporters from their homes in a high density suburb outside Harare city centre during the early hours of the morning. Some of the people were assaulted with booted feet and slapped all over the body.

You can read Amnesty International's full report by following this link. You can also read this report on the BBC News website for more information.

No further elaboration is needed. Stratford Voice and Zimbabwe are poles apart... it was completely inexcusable for the pressure group to make such an analogy and Mr Luscombe should apologise immediately.

If anything positive has come out of this debacle at all; it is that the plight of Zimbabweans gets a little bit more publicity. If that helps to expose the corruption within Zanu-PF and expedite the collapse of Robert Mugabe's iron fisted reign... or even if it merely motivates people to see what they can do to help... then there will have been something good as a byproduct.