Open Letter from Lachlan Mackay to Robert Mugabe

Tuesday 24th June 2008

President Robert Mugabe
Private Bag 7700
Causeway
Harare
ZIMBABWE

Dear Mr. President,

I write to you with the greatest urgency and concern,

Your country is suffering, mentally and physically because of your dictatorial and tyrannical rule. You have destroyed the spirit of your people and decimated the economy. Your people are starving as a result of this. Your supporters rape, kill and pillage wherever and whenever possible. None of your people feel safe anymore. Is this what you want people to remember you by? Is this to be your legacy?

Mr. Mugabe what happened to you? There was so much promise and hope when you first became Prime Minister of your newly independent country. What went wrong?

I beg you please to stop the violence. Stop the killing, the raping, the pillaging and the intimidation of your people. Bring back democracy. Allow the media to operate freely. Allow for free and fair elections to take place at the earliest opportunity possible. Allow aid agencies to assist a new national unity government rebuild your broken country.

For the sake of your people, your country, your family and your soul redeem yourself before it is too late. Can you not see that this path you are following will only lead to more pain and destruction and will ultimately lead to the demise of your supporters, family and in the end your rule as evil is always overcome by good whether there was any personal input on your part or not.

Gandhi stated many times - “ that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won, there have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end they always fall”. I would like to quote Gandhi again if I may... “the only devils in this world are those running around in our own hearts, and that is where all our battles ought to be fought”. Both quotes I truly believe in. Please let me make it quite clear to you that I am not attacking you because you are a person, but I am attacking your sins. I hope that somewhere deep down inside of you, there is still some good and it is to that bit of you that I am desperately appealing to. Please give me some hope and faith to believe in humanity again.

I hope that you do seriously consider what I have said,

Yours Sincerely,

Lachlan Mackay

Humanitarian and Human Rights Campaigner

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