Professors Richard Christie and Dennis Robinson … of Rhodesia – Zimbabwe.

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Today I want to honour these two great Zimbabweans who headed the Law Faculty of the University in my country of birth, Zimbabwe.
The starting point is to recognize that, after two (2) World Wars and the Holocaust, the World signed off on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“UDHR”) in 1948, except for then South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The UDHR gave mankind the sacred concept of there being “Human Rights” for the first time. It was only then that the dogma of all of us being “EQUAL” was adopted.
These concepts were entrenched as being unalienable and fundamental … to replace the previous universal culture of dominance and “might is right” that had spawned much evil, including slavery.

This proposition that “all are equal” is both fundamental and resolutive. Its implications include: –
a) the law confers equal rights on every human, being whatever their race, ethnicity, tribe …
b) and conversely no person can be disadvantaged on account of such differences …
c) laws much be such as to enable humans the right and power to enforce their rights and seek redress for infringement of such rights …
d) by full seamless access to Courts and tribunals that are truly independent and empowered to enforce human rights and force redress
e) with even the lowliest of subjects able to challenge even the President of the country as an equal on any issue
f) and the judgments and orders of the independent Courts fully enforceable.

However, let us all agree that these noble aspirations of law are meaningless, wholly or in part, if ordinary human beings are unable to enforce them. They become a cruel joke if the administration of justice does not guarantee that these rights are enforceable by even the poorest of the poor.
Justice must not be a commodity that is directly accessible in proportion to one’s means.
Justice cannot be available only to the highest bidder.
Again, let us all agree that currently, in this region, justice is all too often a matter of only being available to the highest bidder. The gap between rich and poor, in this region, is just about the highest in the free world.
The legal profession locates within the rich sector and charges accordingly.
Most humans in this region cannot afford a lawyer.
It is that simple.

Professors Christie and Robins were moved to something about this. They set up a “Legal Aid Clinic”. I am so proud to have been involved.
We secured sponsored premises in Jameson Avenue (now Samora Machel Ave) in Salisbury (now Harare).
Just about all lawyers and Advocates signed up. We put them on a roster.

Poor people came to the clinic.
If they did not have means, and had a case, we allocated a law firm from the roster to act for that person free of charge.
If the other side had an Advocate, we allocated an Advocate to our client.
The reason why it was called a “Legal Aid Clinic” was because law students were involved from start to finish.
In this way law students became schooled in the practice of law and justice under supervision, mentorship and tutorship of experienced legal practitioners at every level.

We scored some very impressive victories on behalf of those who would have otherwise been denied justice.

I put this to Namibia, via a publication in "The Patriot" of that country. Apparently it has done nothing about this.

I am now putting it to South Africa.
There is no good reason why this model should not be adopted and implemented in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia … NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER!😨😨

We should actually be ashamed ... ashamed that justice is denied the poor as a matter of routine.🤢😫

How can we crow about our “World-beating Constitution” when its sacred provisions are out of reach for most?.
We need to STOP being HYPOCRITICAL.🤢🤢🤢
We do have a serious problem of justice being denied to so many because they are poor.
Denying it is crass hypocrisy … ignoring it is just as bad.

So can we now PLEASE embrace the Christie/Robinson model of equality under the law?
PLEASE!!!

I am astounded that the so-called Human Rights Commission simply ignores this fundamental defect in our system.
But, in truth, I am not at all surprised.

So PLEASE bombard the HRC with this? 😵🤢

If Satan were to appear tomorrow ….?

Humans are inherently susceptible to being fickle, selfish and stupid …
and this has been proved time and time again throughout history.

So it was the majority that screamed “we want Barabbas …” and “crucify Him … crucify Him …”.
It was all of the populace that cheered when Christians were being fed to lions in the Colosseum.

• Vladimir Putin of Russia enjoys huge popular support despite obvious indications that he is a murderous thug. 
• Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines also enjoys over 70% popularity despite that fact that he is an admitted murderous thug. 
• Adolph Hitler rose to an unquestionable level of murderous, despotic, tyrannical power. 
• So too as regards Idi Amin of Uganda who was receiving standing ovations at the United Nations just

months before he was righty deposed by outside intervention.

• Robert Mugabe was preferred over a peace-loving man of God, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, even though the people of Zimbabwe knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was a bloodthirsty killer of note.

AS humans we are a species rightly called homo sapiens as we are gifted with the power of reason. This power of reason has given us ascendency and dominance over all other living species on the planet, even though we are at a physical disadvantage on so many counts.

So we are a pretty smart lot … that, for some capricious reason, are prone to being fickle, selfish and downright stupid from time to time.
On the hard evidence it appears clear that if the Devil were to appear tomorrow he would have any number of followers in no time at all. Proof of this is put beyond all doubt when we see the diabolical actions of the human group now known as ISIS. ISIS comprises humans who imagine that their dastardly wicked actions are actually proof of extreme devoutness. They are simply the worst example of most of us on this planet.

WHY?? Why are we prone to behaving like a rabid pack of hyenas?

I am sure that the answer is hugely complex and would occupy our best psychologists at a symposium lasting forever.
However we do have clear evidence of a principal driver of this phenomenon.

The narratives about Hitler, Amin, Mugabe and gang all have a common theme, i.e., positing other human beings as being “we want Barabbas … “and “crucify Him … crucify Him …”.

➢With Hitler it started off with the Jews being the problem. ➢With Amin it was the Asians. ➢With Mugabe it was Whites and Ndebeles. ➢With Nero it was the Christians.➢ With Rwanda genocide, it was Hutus against the Tutsis.

Once these humans are identified and posited as a problem for the dominant group our otherwise deeply embedded atavistic tendencies are aroused and assume prominence psychologically. A nativist "us and them” culture surfaces and we go into “pack mode”, with reason being the first casualty. 

Remember that we are “social animals” and all social animals are predisposed to acting as a pack. Acting as a pack is a throwback to our earliest form of existence when this was essential to our survival in a world that held so much terror as we peered at it out of our caves.

So it appears clear that there are leaders who are able to trigger this pack instinct in humans to the extent that their power of reason is submerged.

And, as said, a key to this is identifying and positing other human beings as being a problem, threat, nuisance or sub-human or a combination of one or more of these attributes. For instance, slavery was underpinned by the notion of some of us being sub-human. So too as regards the ISIS concept of others being “infidels”.

There can be no doubt that if Satan were to appear tomorrow he would have any number of followers in no time at all as Christians, in particular, would be targeted just as Jesus Chris was targeted when they screamed “we want Barabbas … … crucify Him … crucify Him …”.

So we have to conclude that leaders who advocate division, exclusion, isolationism, dominance, protectionism … and point to “others” as being a problem, threat, nuisance or sub-human … are extremely dangerous.

Such leaders, in effect, promote a kind of ideology referred to as nativist nationalism. 

Can we tick these boxes as regards a country:-
a) labeling Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers;
b) identifying Muslims as being a threat to the whole nation;
c) identifying other countries as overreaching, being unfair and cheating the country;
d) identifying even allies as cheating the country;
e) increasing the size of the already most powerful military forces;
f) having a bond with despotic, tyrannical leaders such as Putin, Duterte and Kim Jong Un.
g) positing immigrants and migrants as vermin, to be kept OUT!!!

Right now the most powerful nation on the planet has this affliction in abundance in the personage of its President, supported not only by those identified as the ALT-RIGHT but regrettably by millions of otherwise normal, sentient, reasonable folk like you and me.

Once we allow ourselves to see certain human beings as "others" we have taken the first but sure steps to evil that includes the brutalization of the apartheid regime in South Africa or Hitler's genocidal Holocaust.

Also goto --- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208651341995371&set=a.1733027379902.91943.1665062110&type=3&theater

Hitler had his Nazism.  America now has its Trumpism.

PS:
Senator Bob Corker, a Republican, has just issued a statement lamenting the fact that the Republican Party appears to have the attributes of being a "Trump Cult".
PPS: and then we have this ---- http://time.com/5312987/jeff-sessions-separating-immigrant-families/

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I stumbled upon the concept of being "The Other" when I wrote a book about my life story.
Link === http://proudlyzimbabwean.orgfree.com/The%20Other%20-%20without%20fear,%20favor%20or%20prejudice.html

Zimbabwe … Reality Check

At the time Mugabe was deposed there was much discussion as to whether or not his removal was a coup.

I was interviewed by the media sector. My stance was that his removal was not a coup as he was in complete breach of the Constitution. Having long since repudiated his sacred duties to uphold the Constitution, for the benefit of the people, his removal was indicated on the jurisprudential concept of negotorium gestor, i.e., the military acting as an agent of necessity.
I qualified this stance by stating that if it was simply a case of removing the tyrant but not the tyranny then indeed it was a coup d’état.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213018370448353&set=a.1733027379902.91943.1665062110&type=3&theater

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-iba-1&hsimp=yhs-1&hspart=iba&p=Judge+Greenland+Zimbabwe+utube#id=2&vid=ca6ea010a070dea23360f9dba41e972b&action=click

Now that time has passed we are in a much better position to resolve the question of coup/no coup?

My view, with great respect, is that this was indeed a coup d’état … because it is now obvious that the tyrant’s co-conspirators in the awful business of oppression have no intention of ensuring that our people will be truly free to elect leaders of our choice in the oncoming elections.

There are two (2) reasons on which I base my stance.
1. Failure to reconcile the past by way of a credible Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
2. Excluding Diaspora voters from the vote.

1.       Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
There is no doubt whatsoever that our people were under oppression … wall-to-wall oppression ... exerted in any number of known and unknown ways.
The known ways include: -
a) Gukurahundi

b) Operation Murambatsvina 

c) Routine election violence and intimidation

d) Routine police brutality

e) Diabolical machinations by Mugabe’s Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), responsible for innumerable disappearances.

f) Brutalization of human beings on the basis of their ethnicity in the so-called “land reform” land grabs with thousands of innocent Zimbabweans of all races deprived of their livelihoods and homes.

g) The persecution and hounding the media, with truth being a serial casualty on all fronts.
h) … [this list is more or less endless]

These known realities, coupled with unknown realities, ensured that our people were deprived of their freedom(s) on all fronts.

Having been deprived of the freedoms they were, in effect, held hostage by the Mugabe-ZANU-PF regime who could not be effectively challenged on account of its culture of brutality.

That is the fundamental reality that must be understood in all its pernicious aspects.
Unless our people are now brought to a point where they truly accept that they are free to challenge, decide and make choices … they are NOT free.

There has to be a process in terms of which the chains of oppression that were embedded in our collective psyche are broken and removed.
Words and promises alone by members of the very same cabal/regime that enchained us can never remove those chains.
There has to be a process in terms of which members of that cabal/regime are held to full account in a way and process that provides the assurance that they are now divested of the naked power to oppress that they previously enjoyed.

That process can only be a credible Truth and Reconciliation Commission granting indemnity in exchange for the WHOLE TRUTH being divulged.
Not only would this process prove that our people are at last rid of oppression, but it would also deliver the precious commodity of closure.

Human beings who have been traumatized and lost loved ones need closure.

For instance, there are families that need closure as regards the disappearance of three members of our Coloured community at the hands of CIO.

Without a TRC our people remain psychologically captive by the ZANU-PF regime.

2.       Diaspora Vote.

An estimated 3,6 million of our people are now scattered all over the planet, having fled ZANU-PF’s reign of terror and oppression.
Leaving was not an act of desertion.
It was not an act of abandonment.
All of us in the Diaspora are, in effect, refugees.
We did not leave in order to give up, abandon, repudiate our rights and interest in our beloved homeland.
We left in order to escape being held captive by Mugabe and his ZANU-PF regime.
We still have a legitimate interest in our homeland and the fate of our kith and kin still entrapped therein.
There is no logical, moral or ethical reason to divest us of that interest by disenfranchising us.
It is blindingly obvious that the reason for this disenfranchisement is a pernicious ploy by the ZANU-PF regime to ensure that the electorate remains captive so as to ensure that its possible removal by democratic process is averted. Blocking out our people in the Diaspora provides added insurance for the ZANU-PF regime.

To simplify something that is psychologically complex -- our people suffer a kind of Stockholm Syndrome, in terms of which they "appreciate" rule by ZANU-PF as "normal", even though it was somewhat diabolical.

We all need to understand, acknowledge and respect the lesson that was Thabo Mbeki's Government of National Unity ("GNU").
The GNU was a capricious model of political expediency designed to prevent accountability and cover up diabolical wrongdoing in the past.
The outcome was continued denial of freedom with an even more emboldened cabal at the top.

3.       The way Forward

Parliament needs to meet to amend the Constitution to postpone the elections so as to ensure the implementation of 1 and 2 above, after which elections can be conducted.

4.       Comment
In the absence of the above the elections can be no more that a lottery in terms of which our people will vote under the psychological burden of carrying the effects of three decades of oppression in the hearts, minds and spirit.
Our leaders who participate in such elections will be acting irresponsibly, on account of self-interest, with a shameful disregard for the pernicious betrayal that will be at play.

5. PS: on 23 June 2018 President Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly escapes a bomb attempt in which his two Vice Presidents are injured.
This completely vindicates what I have set out above that our people NEED RECONCILIATION with the past.
The bomb attempt is the surest proof that currently there is no such reconciliation.

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Also see ---- http://proudlyzimbabwean.orgfree.com/corruption_in_zimbabwe.htm

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Please ... Please ... PLEASE circulate and share this with all political leaders and activists.