Roy Bennett Follow-up and the Deteriorating Economy of Zimbabwe

Roy Bennett, a newly appointed official in the Zimbabwean unified government, remains in police custody and will remain in custody until Thursday, February 19, after prosecuting attorneys failed to show up at his court hearing. . Trust Maanda, Bennett’s lawyer, is filing an appeal for his release claiming his imprisonment is unlawful and politically motivated according to Al-Jazeera.

The charges stem from a cache of weapons found in the possession of Peter Hitchman in 2006. Hitchman claimed the weapons were to be used to destabilize the country, implicating Roy Bennett during his confession. Hitchman was acquitted of his most serious charges and is scheduled to be released from jail this July. Bennett fled to South Africa and had lived there for the past two years to avoid prosecution.

Bennett was initially charged with Treason on Friday, February 13, but since then the allegations have changed to possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry, and terrorism. He was planning to be the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the new unity government but was arrested before any of the cabinet members could be sworn in.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has expressed its outrage over the arrest claiming it to be politically motivated, yet they have taken no action to free Bennett. Prime Minister and leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, has apparently been talking with President Mugabe, leader of the opposition party known as Zanu-PF, but reports indicate no tangible progress being made. With no tangible progress, Tsvangirai’s power in the unity government has been called into question.

Finally on Tuesday, February 24, High Court Judge Tedious Karwi ordered Bennett be released on bail of $2,000. Karwi says his decision was made in the interest of preserving justice. He also cited the fact that the investigation is over and key witnesses are in police custody so Bennett could not interfere with the prosecution.

However, the prosecution has asked for one week to determine if they will appeal Karwi’s decision and CNN.com reports Bennett will be incarcerated until there is a decision.

Bennett’s arrest puts the new unity government on shaky ground because of his outspoken opposition to President Mugabe. Besides Bennett, 30 MDC supporters have been arrested and are being detained for plotting to overthrow Mugabe. The MDC has accused Zanu-PF of trying to extort power in the new unity government and using Bennett as a pawn to get army generals immunity for past atrocities.

The divisions between the Zanu-PF and MDC have only exacerbated existing economic and humanitarian problems in Zimbabwe. CNN.com reports Tsvangirai has called the economic situation “dire and serious.” Tsvangirai is asking for support from the international community to help rebuild the economy. Originally he projected a $5 billion cost to rebuild the countries infrastructure.

Years of poor agricultural production, widespread corruption and failed government policies have damaged the nation, which has one of the world's highest inflation rates. Many civil servants -- including teachers, doctors and nurses -- have been on strike since September, demanding higher pay. That has caused many schools to close.

The International community will probably not help Zimbabwe because it has no potential benefit for them. Idealists would say that we must step in and help the country establish a democracy and rebuild it's infrastructure for the good of the people. But realists would feel no obligation because Zimbabwe has no major exports or geostrategic positioning.

The conflict between Zanu-PF and MDC must be resolved and they have to fix their countries problems. There is something fishy about both sides, either Zanu-PF is illegally locking people up and falsifying statements or the MDC has potential terrorists or "freedom fighters" in their organization. Both sides must be more straightforward with each other to make any progress and they should not be bartering for power with people's lives.

Zimbabwe's Politics/Health/Economy

In Zimbabwe, a deal was brokered last week to share the country’s power between the two largest political factions, the Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change. The leading faction, Zanu-PF, only agreed to the deal because of the much-disputed election results from this summer. But the two sides refuse to play nice.

Roy Bennett, a leading member of the DMC, was arrested Friday and charged with illegal possession of a firearm and other terrorist acts. He was set to take a position in the unity cabinet before he was arrested, and many people claim his arrest was politically based. He has been an opponent to Mugabe (Zanu-PF President) for many years and people believe Mugabe had him arrested to prevent him from being a part of the cabinet.

To further exacerbate the problem rumors now say the Zanu-PF are trying to set up a deal to release Bennett if the party is provided amnesty for their actions since Zimbabwe got it’s independence in 1980. Top ranking officials in the cabinet have disputed the legitimacy of these rumors, while others refuse to comment.  Reportedly, Bennett has already refused such a deal.

Zimbabwe also faces a cholera epidemic that is getting worse every day. Cholera is a water-based bacterium that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, sometimes resulting in death. In the month of February new cases of cholera were being reported at a rate of one new infection every minute. The World Health Organization says cholera may only be in the beginning, fearing that the epidemic and its resultant malnutrition could lead to another infectious disease outbreak in the region.

Complicating the problem even more is the rainy season, which started in November. The flooding in the region has helped to spread the disease at a much higher rate and has helped cholera get to every region of Zimbabwe. Overpopulation and a failing sewage and waste system has left conditions unsanitary and has helped spread the disease as well.

Doctors Without Borders has gotten involved in treating the epidemic but they fear the exposure rate is too high and their response time is too slow. Visas are hard to come by and medical supplies are slow to reach the region because of the newly created political system and somehow this outbreak is being ignored. Hospitals in the region are few and far between as many physicians refuse to go to work because of overcrowding and low pay. Also, medical fees are enormous in the region and many people stay away from the hospitals for that reason. The organization is asking that all countries ignore their politics for a minute and help Zimbabwe recover from this epidemic.

Zimbabwe’s ailing economy may be the cause of this outbreak. On Friday, the UN said more than 80,000 people had been infected by cholera in the region. To solve the economic crisis Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe to discuss a recovery plan. No plan had been conceived by Friday, but Tsvangirai was quoted saying the recovery could cost as much as $5 billion.

Zimbabwe's new leaders are grappling with a massive humanitarian and economic crisis. Many civil servants -- including teachers, doctors and nurses -- have been on strike since September, demanding higher pay as Zimbabwe's currency has plummeted in value. That has caused many schools to close and exacerbated a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 4,000 people and infected about 65,000 people since August.

I think the world needs to take notice of all the problems in Zimbabwe and the international community must come together to help those less fortunate... especially when it comes to disease. Cholera is an easily treatable disease and Zimbabwe is facing an epidemic. The country's leaders cannot help the people right now because of their own internal struggle, so it is up to the rest of the world to help out. The UN recognizes the problem such a disease presents and should collectively take action to provide medical supplies as well as emergency technicians to try to control the outbreak. Meanwhile, the unified government has to start working together or the country will fall apart. They have different ideas about what to do and how to do it, but if they cannot compromise nothing will ever get done and the country they work for will fail to exist in the future.

Economic Stimulus Plan

According to CNN, negotiators have lowered the proposed American stimulus bill to $789 billion. The bill is still being debated in congress as the House proposes an $819 billion stimulus and the Senate offers an $838 billion plan. Both the House and the Senate must come to a compromise in a joint House-Senate committee hearing before it can be voted into law. Republican senator Susan Collins told reporters they are getting closer to a compromise every day.

Originally the Senate cut $20 billion for the construction of schools out of the plan in order to get the Republican vote. However, the democrats in the house refused to cut the spending on schools so they refused to pass the bill. As a result, negotiators have restored some of the funding for schools but will use it to modernize facilities rather than construct new ones.

More differences that need to be reconciled:

· The Senate version of the bill makes changes to the president's signature middle-class tax cuts. Obama campaigned on tax breaks for those making $75,000 or less. The Senate version provides tax breaks for individuals making $70,000 or less, or for couples making $140,000 a year or less. That's different from the $150,000 in the House bill.

· The Senate bill, unlike the House version, would make the first $2,400 in unemployment benefits tax-free. Both the Senate and House bills extend the time that jobless workers can collect benefits.

Ultimately the Senate Democrats need two Republican votes to pass the bill, while the House has a large enough majority that they passed the bill without any need for Republican help. BBC reports that the bill will be passed in the House on Thursday and the Senate on Friday, just ahead of President Obama’s Monday deadline.

In other bailout news, eight national bank heads are under fire for questionable lending practices with regard to the $125 billion the government used to bail them out last October. According to The New York Times, Congress is looking into where the money is being spent and if it is being loaned to other businesses like it was supposed to be. Congress fears that the banks misused funds to provide bonuses for their employees.

Each of the bankers outlined the ways in which they had used the government capital. Goldman, for instance, increased its financing to lend to clients like Sallie Mae and Verizon Wireless. Morgan Stanley said it had made $10.6 billion in new commercial loans and $650 million in loan commitments to consumers.

The fall in lending trends is attributed to a retreat in lenders like money market and hedge funds.

As an American citizen I think it is important to be paying attention to our economic situation and our government's attempt at a bailout. I don't have a great personal knowledge on the workings of the economy but I do know that weak banks leads to a weak currency and a weak currency leads to a lose of power. I also now know that changes in power can lead to war for that power. So does that mean the War in Iraq is not the only one we'll have to fight? Historically war has helped restore our economy, but this time it seems it has ruined our economy. Has the United States finally stretched itself too thin? Have we concerned ourselves with everyone else's business to a point that we don't even bother to fix our domestic issues? I don't know, only time will tell, but perhaps it's time that we focus on us... before it's too late.