One Dictator Helps Out Another - "Mugabe Welcome To Exile In Malaysia," Says Dr Mahathir

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has told Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe that he would be welcomed with open arms if he chose a life of exile after his electoral defeat.

The policy-setting politburo of Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party will meet today to decide on its response to the election results, which gave the opposition a majority in parliament.

Mahathir, a close Mugabe ally, said he expected the Zimbabwean leader to accept the results of the national polls. He said: “If he wants to come here, the [Malaysian] government should welcome him. If he has lost, he has to accept the decision of the people.”

Mohamad made his comments a few hours before Mugabe made his first public appearance, in the company of African Union election observers, since casting his ballot.

Zimbabwe’s ruling party was yesterday gearing-up for a final battle to save Mugabe’s 28-year presidency, saying it was ready for an election run-off with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

State media said a run-off was now the most likely outcome because, it claimed, no clear winner had emerged from Saturday’s polls. A government spokesman said Mugabe ’s party was ready for a new battle.

Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change maintains that its leader has surpassed the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off, but says it will fight a deciding contest if necessary.

Deputy information minister Brigh Matonga indicated that Mugabe was in no mood to step aside. “Zanu-PF is ready for a run-off. We are ready for a resulting victory,” said Matonga, who is also a senior lawmaker.

He said the party had “let the president down ” in the first round and had not diverted enough energy into its campaign. Matonga said: “In terms of strategy, we only applied 25 percent of our energy into this campaign. That (the run-off) is when we are going to unleash the other 75 percent that we did not apply in the first case.”

ANC president Jacob Zuma, speaking to delegates at the ANC Youth League conference in Bloemfontein yesterday, said his party was watching what was happening in Zimbabwe “very closely”. Zuma said: “We urge our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe to respect the will of the people, regardless of the results of the election. Working together, they will be able to find solutions to any challenges that arise out of the elections.”

President Thabo Mbeki also called for all in Zimbabwe to accept the election results. Yesterday, Cosatu’s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said at the ANCYL conference that his federation welcomed “the change” brought about by the MDC becoming the majority party.

He said he hoped there would also be change at the presidential level. But he warned that a new administration would have a difficult task in rebuilding an economy the inflation rate of which had “reached unheard of percentages”, and in which there was high unemployment.

At the time of going to press last night, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had begun issuing the official results of the country’s upper house of parliament’s elections.

# Late last night, Sapa reported several journalists, including an American, had been detained during a police search for journalists covering the elections without accreditation. The York Lodge, a hotel popular with Western journalists, was raided by armed police, the hotel confirmed. Police also searched the Meikles Hotel, journalists said. (The Times, South Africa)

***** While it is understandable that dictators have much in common and as we can see they also have a soft spot for fellow dictators and often look out for each other, Dr Mahathir's welcome for Mr Mugabe seems a little out of line. After all Dr M's writ doesn't quite run in the executive these days and one must wonder who gave him the right to welcome the Zimbabwean leader?
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