Re: Neocolonialism and compradorism

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Patrick quoting an MDC trade unionist leader:
>     MT: In many ways, we are moving from the
>nationalist paradigm to politics grounded in civic
>society and social movements. It's like the role and
>influence that in South Africa, the labour movement
>and civil society organisations had over the African
>National Congress in the early 1990s. MDC politics
>are not nationalist inspired, because they focus more
>on empowerment and participation of the people.

Patrick, allow me to introduce a note of skepticism on the Movement for
Democratic Change. What Morgan
Tsvangirai fails to mention is that the MDC, unlike the grass roots
movement in South Africa against apartheid, includes the urban ruling
class. It also includes operatives connected with George Soros, such as
Lupi Mushayakarara, who runs the Soros-funded Institute for the Advancement
of Freedom. Assuming that there are good NGO's and bad NGO's, the Institute
for the Advancement of Freedom would fall into the latter camp, based on
the preponderance of evidence from Eastern Europe.

The other complicating factor is that for opportunist reasons, Mugabe seems
to be moving against one of the pillars of injustice in Zimbabwe, namely
the unequal ownership of land, which seems to be on a par with El Salvador.
Just to illustrate the uneven, but potentially explosive, character of this
challenge, here's an item from the Irish Times:

The Irish Times, March 9, 2000

Night drumming by Mugabe men is meant to force white farmers out  A white
tobacco farmer in northern Zimbabwe tells Andrew Meldrum about the
occupation of his land by supporters of President Mugabe

As storm clouds rumble over the rolling hills of Raffingora, Mr Richard
Brooker and his black farm manager, Mr Stanley Damuson, grimly discuss how
to keep the tobacco farm functioning in the face of its occupation by black
supporters of President Robert Mugabe. The Brooker farm was invaded last
week by a gang of 170 men wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the face of the
president. They also carried truncheons with which they bludgeoned two farm
employees.

The sound of drumbeats comes from where the squatters are constructing huts
on the Brooker farm. They have been drumming and singing throughout the
night to intimidate the Brookers and their staff. Here in the heart of
Zimbabwe's tobacco-farming country, 130 km north of Harare, whites and
blacks alike are suffering the effects of Mr Mugabe's decision to send
supporters to seize whiteowned farms. Over the past two weeks thousands of
blacks have overrun more than 250 farms and claimed them as their own. So
far Zimbabwe's police have refused to take any action against the farm
invaders despite scores of incidents where people have been beaten,
property stolen or destroyed and crops ruined.

A gang of about 200 squatters prevented visitors from going to the Brooker
farm in the morning but by the afternoon the invaders had moved to a
different part of the sprawling 1,500 hectare property and it was possible
to enter.

Mr Brooker stayed on his farm throughout the guerrilla war against white
Rhodesian rule and he continued on after Zimbabwe became independent.

"Our movements are restricted. Our workforce is being intimidated but they
are still working to reap and cure the crop," he said. "I feel particularly
bad for them because they are caught in the middle and they are being
squeezed. The invaders are trying to turn them against us."

Two of his employees were beaten by the squatters, who accused them of
supporting the opposition to Mr Mugabe's government. One, Mr Arab Singano,
a teacher who runs the farm school for the children of Brooker's 180
employees, was beaten with rubber truncheons by a group of the squatters.
The invaders said they were punishing Mr Singano because he had campaigned
for voters to reject Mr Mugabe's draft constitution. The draft constitution
would have authorised the government to confiscate white-owned farms
without paying compensation, but it was defeated in the February referendum.

"The gang assaulted him with baton sticks," said Mr Damuson, himself a
black Zimbabwean. "They warned him if he did not join them, then he would
suffer more . . . They are going after anyone who supports the opposition.
They have seized T-shirts for the MDC" (the Movement for Democratic Change,
Zimbabwe's main opposition party).

Thirteen farms surrounding the Brookers' are also occupied. The drumming
has carried on throughout the night on the properties, sometimes right at
the houses. Some farmers have been forced to sign papers declaring they
will donate their properties to the squatters. In Karoi and Kwekwe homes
have been stormed. The police have stood by passively. Mr Mugabe stated
unequivocally that his government would not take action against the
squatters.

The farm invaders say they are veterans of the war against white Rhodesian
rule. But in the Raffingora area only a handful were actually war veterans
who came from Harare wearing brightly-coloured suits, carrying cell phones
and driving government-registered vehicles. They recruited a few hundred
young, unemployed men from the nearby rural areas.

"We will continue with this fight until the land is back to its rightful
owners. We support the stance taken by our President, Comrade Mugabe, and
there is no turning back," said Mr Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzi, in a rally
before thousands of supporters in Harare. "We will take the land by all
means, even if that means by force of arms."

Mr Mugabe came to power in 1980 on promises to redistribute white-owned
farms to poor blacks. The land was seized from Africans during Rhodesian
colonial rule. Mr Mugabe insists that Britain must pay compensation to the
current white owners, or else they will not get paid for the land at all.

With parliamentary elections due in April and the popularity of his
government at an all time low, Mr Mugabe has encouraged the seizures of the
white farms, apparently to win renewed support from rural Zimbabweans. But
he is taking a huge gamble with the country's economy, which depends on
tobacco for 40 per cent of its export earnings. Tobacco is left rotting in
the fields because of disruptions to the critical reaping and curing.

It is estimated that the farm invasions have already caused losses of more
than Z$ 400 million ($ 11 million) and the toll is rising. "Our losses are
going up by the hour," said Mr Brooker.

Mr Mugabe is also leading a breakdown of respect for law and order, which
could well have disastrous consequences for the country.

"How much more trespassing, violence and intimidation is it going to take
before the police do anything?" asked Mr Jerry Grant, of the Commercial
Farmers' Union.







Louis Proyect

(The Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org)