Happy Easter

Alas, I did not take my own advice about refraining from too much chocolate. But who can resist Cadbury's Mini Eggs?

This is the holiest time of year for the Christian faith, so it's a good time to salute the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, for bravely speaking out against Robert Mugabe:

A prominent Roman Catholic Archbishop and outspoken critic of President Robert Mugabe called Sunday for peaceful street protests aimed at overthrowing the longtime ruler, saying this week's parliamentary elections are certain to be rigged.

Pius Ncube, bishop of Zimbabwe's second-largest city of Bulawayo, told The Associated Press he was willing to put on his vestments and lead a march to Mugabe's presidential residence himself, but feared: ``If I do it, I do it alone.''

``The people are so scared,'' he said of the political climate in Zimbabwe ahead of the elections. ``You are not going to get that where people are so cowardly.''
[...]
Ncube believes Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party will easily win Thursday's poll, but he said the vote already is tainted by years of violence, intimidation and repressive laws. He pointed out that the military will be overseeing the count, and he accused them of cheating for Mugabe.

The main opposition group is Movement for Democratic Change, headed by Morgan Tsvangirai.

``I hope that people get so disillusioned that they really organize against the government and kick him out by a nonviolent, popular, mass uprising,'' Ncube said in a separate interview with the South African newspaper The Sunday Independent.

``Because as it is, people have been too soft with this government. So people should pluck up just a bit of courage and stand up against him and chase him away.''

Ncube confirmed the comments to the AP but was more guarded in an interview conducted over Zimbabwe's state-monitored telephone lines. Calls for unauthorized protests are punishable by up to 20 years in jail under Zimbabwe's harsh Public Order and Security Act.

Posted by damian at March 27, 2005 08:24 PM