Mugabe 'does not lose sleep' over honorary degrees

Mugabe 'does not lose sleep' over honorary degrees

GEORGE Charamba

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By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe "does not lose sleep" over threats by some Western universities to strip him of honorary degrees for rights abuses committed by this government, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Mugabe already has seven degrees earned through his own efforts "and does not suffer a crisis of academic achievement", George Charamba told state media.

"It is not like the President suffers a crisis of achievement. He has seven solid degrees, which are more than enough to earn him a living and recognition," said Charamba.

"He does not lose sleep over the threats."

Edinburgh University in Scotland as well as the University of Massachusetts and Michigan State University in the United States have been considering stripping Mugabe of honorary degrees they gave him in the 1980s and 1990s.

One Scottish MP Nigel Griffiths says he has prepared a dossier to present to university officials on reasons why Mugabe should face the punitive action.

Mugabe's government has come under heavy criticism internationally for its crackdown on opposition activists as the country's economic crisis, marked by spiralling inflation, food shortages and worsening poverty, mounts.

But Charamba said: "The President did not accost anyone to confer the honour. If anything, those Western universities improved their international profile by associating themselves with the President.

"President Mugabe has read for seven degrees. He has honorary degrees from Africa, Asia, former Eastern Europe, Europe and America.

"Honorary degrees are exactly that, an unsolicited honour from the giver. The President did not accost anyone to confer the honour."

Some Zimbabwean commentators have questioned the universities' motives, pointing out that there were more human rights abuses in Zimbabwe when the degrees were conferred than today.

"Robert Mugabe’s honorary degrees should stay," said Obert Madondo, a Zimbabwean political analyst. "They represent a period of madness in history where a genocidal dictator went on the rampage and the international community, the West in particular, either looked the other way or cheered him on. Any university that respects human rights should never ever have awarded Mugabe an honorary degree during the 1980s or any other period."

Mugabe's government is accused of killing over 20 000 people in the south western parts of the country between 1982 and 1988.
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