China has awarded its own version of the Nobel Peace Prize
to Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe on Thursday for what the committee termed
as “support for pan Africanism and inspired national leadership”.
The Confucius peace prize was established in 2010 in response
to the Norwegian Nobel committee’s decision to hand its annual prize to jail
dissident writer Liu Xiaobo. He remains in prison for co-writing a
pro-democracy manifesto called charter 08.
The 91-year old controversial president apparently beat out
a number of other candidates for the award, including Bill Gates and South
Korean president Park Geun-hye.
The committee defended its decision saying “If Zimbabwe did
not have Mugabe as its president the country could be facing great difficulty
even public security might be in danger” said the committee’s chairman.
He added that “every economy has its highs and lows though
its economy is lagging behind, Zimbabwe is a very stable country and stability
is precious in the African continent.”
Mugabe who fought in guerilla war in the 1970s, was elected
president in 1980 and has been in power for 35 years.
Under his rule Mugabe pushed a plan to acquire parcels of
land from white owners to give to black farmers.
He is the current chairman of the African union a selection
that struck some a poor precedent on a continent where democratic change has
struggled for a foothold in many regions. Mugabe is also the rotating chief of
Southern Africa Development Community a 15-nation group.
It remains unclear if Mugabe would travel to china to
collect his “shadowy prize” in person.
The prize comes with an award of 500,000 yuan (51,000 Euros)
and a gold trophy of ancient Chinese philosopher whose name it takes.
However, not everyone in Zimbabwe is pleased by the award,
Gordon Moyo of the opposition wrote in response to the award, “Mugabe as we
know him and as Zimbabwe has experienced his reign is a war-monger and a sadist
who delights in the misery of the people”.
Previous winners include Fidel Castro the retired Cuban leader
who Liu zhiqin praised for not using “military force or violence to use resolve
controversies and disputes.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin was also awarded in 2011 in
tribute to his actions in Chechnya in 1999.
Organizers of the Confucius peace prize have explained that
they set up their prize to “promote world peace from an eastern perspective.”
The very first recipient Taiwanese politician Lien Chan,
told journalists he wasn’t aware of the award until reporters asked him about
it and that he had no plans to accept it.
The prize’s relationship with the Chinese state remains
unclear as the culture ministry had announced that the award would not be given
out anymore and that the committee was abandoned. Later, it was awarded to
Putin anyway.
None of the winners has come out to claim the prize in
person.
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