Dan Boyle (Green Party)

He was involved in a radio debate over the weekend with a person who along with his family was subsequently kidnapped and brutalised for daring to speak the truth about Zimbabwe. Unfortunately those who are clinging on to political power in that tragic country have been using every despicable means to do so. Not only have we heard of incidents such as that, but also newspapers over the weekend have shown pictures of a two year old child who had both legs broken in an act to intimidate the child's parents. When a country sinks to those depths there is an onus on the rest of the world to respond.

There is confusion as to the nature of that response. We have heard contributions from people like Archbishop Tutu, which we should take seriously. Part of the reason for President Robert Mugabe clinging to power has been a concern that an excessively aggressive attitude on behalf of the western world and especially those that had been colonising powers has always been treated negatively in Africa. President Mugabe and those with a loose attitude to democratic principles have used it to their advantage.

It is important for Zimbabwe to receive firm answers from other African countries. We should support bodies like the Pan-African Parliament, which did an excellent job in showing up the sham that was last week's election, and other democratic governments in Africa. That continent, which thankfully is becoming more democratic, is being besmirched by the activities of President Mugabe and his thugs in his political party ZANU-PF. We must offer our practical support to the justly elected Zimbabwean Parliament, in which ZANU-PF no longer has a majority. As a result of the confusion caused by the continued assumption of power of President Mugabe I fear for the lives of those who participate in that Parliament if they are allowed to in act in any way as normal parliamentarians. Mr. Tsvangirai has already taken refuge in the Dutch Embassy in Harare. On foot of that every support should be given to parliamentarians who wish to bring about a normal civilised democratic Zimbabwe.

We need to ask why President Mugabe wants to hang on to power. What kind of country is he leading where the rate of inflation, if it can be measured at all, is of the order of 2,000,000% per annum? When a person has broken down his country to such an extent one would think the moral response would be to step away and let others who had the real interests of the country at heart to take his place. Once President Mugabe moves on, whether through natural causes or political changes, an enormous job of work will remain to make Zimbabwe a normal country. That is when countries like ours in the developed world should assist.

I echo what previous speakers have said. The Minister rightly said that our efforts need to be co-ordinated with the United Nations and the European Union. We are in a unique position. We have not been a colonising power. We have had a relationship with President Mugabe where we lionised him in earlier years. The tree he planted in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin was mentioned. He made great play of having been educated by Irish religious. We need to ensure that the type of education he has suggested formed him and his attitude is not one that is recognised by this country or its people. If that message gets through, it might be the beginning of the end of Robert Mugabe and his reign of terror in Zimbabwe.