THE Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe, John Courtney has refuted statements by an MDC official that his country was among western countries sponsoring independent presidential candidate, Simba Makoni.
“I don’t believe any of the western countries in Harare is sponsoring Simba Makoni in his bid to become the country’s next president," said Courtney.
Roy Bennett, the MDC Tsvangirai faction treasurer told SW Radio last week that some western embassies in Harare were sponsoring and supporting Makoni in his bid to become the next president of Zimbabwe. The Makoni camp has remained mum on the allegations.
The ambassador urged all Zimbabweans to dismiss Roy Bennett's statement as untrue and said that his country respected the government of Zimbabwe and its people.
"Roy Bennett’s statements that Makoni was receiving favours from western countries should be dismissed. The Australian government respects the sovereignty of this country,” said Courtney.
Bennett's comments sparked criticism in media circles with many critics questioning whether the MDC had lost some funding from the diplomatic community in Zimbabwe. "Why should an MDC General Treasurer say the diplomatic community is funding Makoni? Has the MDC lost funding from that same source," asked one analyst.
In August 2007 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai was instrumental in the Australian government's decision to deport ministers’ children who were students in Australia.
This was after Tsvangirai supported the move in a speech at the University of New South Wales Human Rights Centre.
"This is the minimalist action that one can take to send a message that we will not tolerate you to put in place policies that will disadvantage all Zimbabweans and your children are actually benefiting," he said although his own children are reportedly studying in Zimbabwe.
Ambassador Courtney who was addressing journalists at the Gweru Press Club yesterday, said although the diplomatic community was aware of Simba Makoni’ entry into opposition politics, none so far has offered any financial assistance to him.
Commenting on the brain drain that is currently being experienced by Zimbabwe, Courtney said the situation was not only peculiar to Zimbabwe and described it as a phenomenon that has been experienced by most countries in the world. .
He also said the country should not worry much about the exodus of professionals to other countries as they would one day return and develop their country.
“It has been seen in countries like Australia, China, Japan and India where professionals left the countries in thousands to look for greener pastures overseas. But most of them later returned and are developing their countries. So, Zimbabwe must not worry a lot as things will be back to normal soon,” he said.
Courtney gave an example of Japan which he said in the nineties had a total of 2 600 students who migrated to Europe to seek better education.
The MDC legislator for Gweru Timothy Mukhahlera who was present also echoed the same sentiments.
“It is not a crime for people to seek for greener pastures. The situation which is currently being experienced in the county is the one which is forcing people to migrate to other countries for greener pastures,” he said
Ambassador Courtney replaced Jonathan Sheppard in November 2007 when the Right Wing party led by then PM John Howard suffered a humiliating election defeat that month and was replaced by Kevin Rudd's Labour Party.
Relations between Australia and Zimbabwe have since improved and Rudd has not pursued the "deportation policy" preferring to use diplomacy in his relations with the government of Zimbabwe.
Courtney earlier toured the Bata shoe manufacturing company and some A2 farms around Gweru with Midlands' governor Cephas Msipa to assess the impact of the first phase of the Farm Mechanisation Programme pursued by the government.
The tour was also to enable him to assess the opportunities and challenges that the country's agricultural and industrial sectors are facing and find ways in which the Australian government can help. |
