Rights body concerned with Malawi statement on Zimbabwe crisis

CHRR executive director Undule Mwakasungula said in a statement of condemnation that  President Bingu Mutharika statement which was published in the media, could have addressed critical areas of intimidation and harassment by ZANU-PF against opposition supporters and violence.

"We would have wanted government to condemn in no uncertain terms the violence being perpetrated by ZANU-PF and President Robert Mugabe," said Mwakasungura.

However, CHRR commended government for making its stand on the political stalemate in Zimbabwe, which has deepened following the failure by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to release results from the March29 presidential poll unlike South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki who tried to downplay the situation last week, saying there is no crisis in Zimbabwe

"We at CHRR also applaud the stand taken by some African leaders like ANC leader Jacob Zuma and Zambian President Levi Mwanawasa on the crisis in Zimbabwe. We agree with Zuma that the crisis in Zimbabwe would deepen if nothing is done to resolve it now.

" We at CHRR believe that the people of Zimbabwe are already paying a heavy price for the crisis in their country. Inflation is record high, food shortage is rampant and there is uncertainty on the future of their country," said the statement.

The rights watchdog called on other leaders in the SADC region and the African Union (AU) to speak out strongly against the crisis in Zimbabwe. It said the United Nations (UN) and AU must also play an active role in resolving the situation in Zimbabwe.

"We at CHRR believe the people of Zimbabwe need external assistance to move out of the current political, social and economic crisis. African leaders must not use "non- interference" or "quiet diplomacy" as an excuse for doing nothing about the crisis in Zimbabwe.

"As leaders, they have a moral obligation to intervene in Zimbabwe because people's lives are at risk in that country. As the crisis is also directly impacting negatively in SADC region."

CHRR also paid a special applaud to Zambian president and SADC chairman, Levi Mwanawasa, for his efforts to appeal to other SADC countries to bar the Chinese shipment carrying arms and ammunition to Zimbabwe from entering SADC's waters.

"We share his view that the shipment could deepen the crisis further and prolong the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. The People of Zimbabwe have suffered for too long and their suffering must not be prolonged, it must end now," the statement read.

The orgnisation questioned the Chinese for sending this shipment to Zimbabwe when they know that Zimbabwe is going through a crisis.

"The people of Zimbabwe need food, shelter, medicines and other essential items at this critical moment –but definitely not arms! We, therefore, applaud the trade unions in South Africa and Mozambique for refusing to offload the shipment on their soil. And we hope that Angola and other countries on the coastline will do likewise."

Former Malawi leader, Dr Bakili Muluzi elected opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) presidential candidate for 2009 polls has added his voice to the long list of foreign and African leaders who have condemned the situation in Zimbabwe.

Speaking to more than 2000 delegates at the party's convention in Chichiri, Blantyre, Dr. Muluzi criticized the delay in releasing presidential results and pledged to join hands with the international community and help to fight for democracy in Zimbabwe.

Muluzi told the delegates that he had the people of Zimbabwe at heart and would lobby for sanity in the country.

Mutharika is a supporter of the Mugabe regime. With his late wife Ethel, who was a Zimbabwean, Mutharika forged close alliances with the government of Zimbabwe and cooperated on economic and security issues.

Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer has said that Morgan Tsvangirai won the March 29 vote, and that therefore no power-sharing arrangement with Mugabe was needed.