LONDON – Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa should ‘look East’ and ‘grovel’ to China for a handout according to a UK based pressure group, the Zimbabwe Vigil.
On Thursday Chinamasa pleaded with diplomats from countries that have been hostile to his party, Zanu PF, to bury the hatchet and work with the government for mutual economic benefit.
Addressing Western diplomats at the Foreign Affairs offices in Harare, Chinamasa implored them to lobby for the lifting of targeted sanctions imposed on top government officials.
“We stand ready to allow our economy to talk to yours. We are appealing and hope the sanctions will be lifted against us. Let’s start talking and intensifying our economic relations because it’s to our mutual benefit. Trading is a mutual thing and so is investment. I want to talk economics to all your countries, your businesspersons, not withstanding our political differences,” he said.
But the Zimbabwe Vigil who have been protesting at the Zimbabwean Embassy in London for over 11 years demanding free and fair elections, sarcastically suggested that Chinamasa take his begging crusade to China.
“What is clear is that only a few months after the rigged elections, Zanu-PF has been exposed as having no clothes (apart perhaps from a dunce’s hat). It’s now reduced to begging from the very countries which it continues to vilify despite the aid they have poured into Zimbabwe.
“The Vigil suggests that Chinamasa looks East and grovels to China for a handout. After all, the Chinese economic powerhouse has munificently given £1 million to help the neighbouring Philippines devastated by a massive typhoon.
“By contrast, the miserly UK government gave only £50 million and the UK public donated another £30 million in three days to help suffering people on the other side of the world (who had never even been oppressed by British colonialism!).
“As Chinamasa no doubt thought: what a pity illegal sanctions stop us having typhoons in Zimbabwe,” the Vigil said in a statement.
“The problem for Chinamasa is that Asian investors have imposed their own economic sanctions on Zimbabwe.
“Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha complained that – although the government was not ‘sitting on its laurels’ – countries in the East were withholding their money because Zimbabwe was seen as a risky destination. This must surely be discriminatory!” the Vigil added sarcastically.