Constitution, you are an idiot. Even if we recognize that Iraq and Sri Lanka are the scenes of injustice, responsible people around the world cannot simply turn their backs on other problems that exist at the same time. People like Dileepan have turned down high paying jobs so that they can make a positive diference in the world. Meanwhile, people like Mugabe are selfishly destroying their countries in the interest of self-preservation. Sadly, Mugabe has failed to deliver the promise of independence to the brave people of Zimbabwe.
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In the past, Mugabe has been accused of using food aid to buy votes. Was election-rigging not so overt this time around?
That was an issue. Food aid was potentially used by leaders or village heads to engage in what they term "vote-buying" and may have had an impact on how citizens then voted.
What was your sense while you were there? Did you sense a widespread attempt to influence voting?
NDI was not there to monitor the elections; our main purpose and role there was to assist the civic groups in doing that work. In speaking to these groups, I think their sense was that there were definitely issues that didn't provide for a level playing field. Were there things that were done well? Definitely, and I think those are borne out by their statements and reports. But there were definitely issues, especially ones in the pre-election environment.
You were detained when trying to leave the country.
I was detained at Harare International Airport. Our work was done, I was trying to leave the country and fly back to Johannesburg, [South Africa] roughly five days after the election. I was interrogated by Zimbabwean authorities for over 22 hours, and then detained in the country for five days thereafter.
Were you treated harshly?
While my person or property were not harmed in any way, and that was made clear to me upfront by the authorities, what I would say is that the interrogation and detention was unlawful, both in regards to Zimbabwean law but also in terms of regional and international standards. There were never any charges brought against me, there was never any explanation as to why I was being detained or interrogated.
What kind of information did they want from you?
The authorities were asking questions about the local civic groups that NDI and myself in particular were working with. They wanted to get a sense of what these groups were engaged in, and how it related to the elections.
Do you think this was an attempt to intimidate you and the groups you worked with?
Yes, and I think for the most part the interrogation was opportunistic. They happened to catch me and detain me while I was leaving the country. I think the government was caught by surprise by the initial projections from independent monitors in the country, and were caught flat-footed by it. I think they were trying to understand how it was possible for independent civic groups to be able to provide projections of the results, which is something that hasn't happened in Zimbabwe or anywhere else on the continent.
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