Thursday 6 April 2017

Why povo must boycott 2018 elections - middle finger act of defiance to Zanu PF. W Mukori

My case for calling ordinary Zimbabweans to boycott next year’s elections is based on the eyewitness accounts of two senior MDC politicians, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and David Coltart.

“We (MDC) failed to secure critical reforms before participating in the elections. The whole world advised us not to get into the elections without reforms, and so in everything that we have been saying we have failed to acknowledge that we also made a mistake,” admitted former MDC Minister Samuel Sipape Nkomo in a Zimbabwe Independent report May 2014.

One can go to town on how Zanu PF rigged the 31st July 2013 elections, MDC-T went on to produce a 54-page report going into detail on such matters as the role played by the Israeli company NIKUV in rigging the elections. The dossier gives details of when Mugabe first met Nikuv Project boss how much the latter was paid (a cool $13 million) and when, how many youths Zanu PF trained for the vote rigging, etc.

It was NIKUV who corrupted with the voters roll so that nearly one million voters (ZEC admits to only 300 000) were denied the vote because their details were not in the constituency voters roll although the details were in the national voters roll. If the Zanu PF control ZEC had release the voters roll at least one month before voting day, as is required by law, many people will have discovered this error and corrective action taken. ZEC, to this day, has refused to release the voters roll; proof this was a deliberate and calculated move.

Since the rigged July 2013 elections all the MDC factions have since agreed that they will not contest in any other future elections until meaningful democratic reforms are implemented. “No reform, no elections!” they said in their various party congress resolutions.

Sadly, to date not even one democratic reform has been implemented. The Zanu PF regime that won over two thirds majority and the presidency in the rigged July 2013 elections has already said the party “will not reform itself out of power” (it is no secret the regime will not win free, fair and credible elections).

Given the nation’s desperate need for free and fair elections, the prerequisite for any meaningful economic recover – the country’s economic meltdown has reached danger level as exemplified by the unemployment rate that has soared to 90% -, the nation is expecting the opposition to be firm in their demand for reforms before elections.

When the MDC factions came up with the “No reform, no elections!”; it was empty words devoid of any conviction. The resolution was made to take the heat off MDC leaders for contesting election they knew were flawed. The resolution implied that had MDC leaders known of the critical importance of the reforms in stopping the vote rigging then they would have boycotted the elections as they are doing then by adopting the resolution. As we head from Sipepa Nkomo, they knew about the importance of the reforms before the elections.

As the date for new national elections has approached all the country’s opposition parties, including the MDC factions who made the resolution to boycott elections until all reforms are implemented, have all decided to contest 2018 elections knowing fully well not even one reform has been implemented. They are doing so for the same reason MDC leaders contested the 2013 elections as former MDC Senator and cabinet minister in the GNU, David Coltart explained.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections,” wrote Senator Coltart in his book. 

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

In the passage before Senator Coltart described how ZEC had more voter registration centres in Mhondoro than Harare, a rural constituency and Zanu PF stronghold, with a population of 100 000, an urban constituency and MDC strong hold with a population of 2 million respectively. He had seen enough to convince him the elections were “flawed and illegal”!

The only reason the opposition politician still want to contest the 2013 elections regards of all the mountain of evidence the elections will be rigged was a simple one – greed. They knew Zanu PF was giving away some “bait” seats and they could not bear the thought of someone else winning the seat!

There is no point in anyone asking on the opposition politicians to boycott 2018 elections until meaningful reforms are implemented because they have their beady eyes fixed on the “bait” seats, just as MDC leaders before them in 2013, they will not listen.

The warning not to participate in the 2018 elections until meaningful reforms are implemented is directed at the ordinary Zimbabweans. The reason why the people must boycott the elections is simple; with no reforms in place Zanu PF will blatantly rig the vote just the party did in 2013.

It is insane taking part in a process again and again expecting a different result, an impossible opposition victory. The opposition are doing their best to create the impression that this time the result will be different when all they want the people to do is help them win the “bait’ seat.

Like it or not, the more people participate in the election they more they will give the process a stamp of legitimacy just as the opposition politicians’ participation are too giving the process the modicum of legitimacy regardless how blatant the vote rigging.

If there is anyone out there who still believe boycotting the elections is not the answer then I respectively ask; Is there any vote rigging act(s) which, if committed, would justify boycotting elections?

I do not believe the position that the people must take part in national elections regardless how torturous the process and totally meaningless the result have become. Zimbabwe’s electoral process is not just flawed and illegal it is now a torturous ritual of months of harassment, beating, being frog matched hither and thither, rape and many have lost their very lives. No one should ever have to be asked to offer a stamp of approval in their own torture even if it is indirect approval!

What the people must do is do anything in their power to show their disapproval of the whole process designed to rob them of their basic freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful and free vote.

The right to vote is the only effective tool the ordinary people have with which to punish those in power and therefore the people must do the best to keep it. Zanu PF’s vote rigging schemes are designed to rob the electorate their right to vote and so the more reason people should make a determined effort to register to vote then, come voting day, go and vote. Spoil the vote.

The determined effort to register and then to vote complete with details of the observed vote rigging irregularities will unnerve the regime; a determined fight back by povo is last thing the regime expect.

I will ready admit that by bribing the opposition politicians with the bait seats Zanu PF has povo by the scuff of the neck but that does not mean povo cannot fight back.

If the village bully has you by the scuff of the neck; you must fight back but be subtle. Pick the bully’s pocket with one hand and drop a millipede in his back pocket with the other!

The mouse giving the middle finger to the eagle before emptying the revolver up its back side; a bold act of defiance! Just the sort of thing Zanu PF and the opposition rightly deserve! https://goo.gl/images/8hDGXb

Guess who will have the last and longest laugh then!


I rest my case!

5 comments:

  1. Countless youtube videos of the same hooded Zanu PF youths voting in two or three polling stations will make it very difficult for the regime to deny there was no vote rigging!

    I would love to deliberately drench Rita Makarau’s groin with a full bottle of indelible ink. A month long “after-glow” will jazz-up even more her luxurious no-expense spared lifestyle! Just the thought of it has renewed my courage and I am now longing for to the elections with a mischief on my mind. It will certain be worth being frog marched to a polling station, even if I end up being handcuffed to a fence post the whole day!

    Povo may be powerless, no more than pawns in Zimbabwe’s high stakes chess game, but if people used their heads and made their numbers count they will have the regime on the back foot. We, the people, have been dumb and too easily fooled and predictable. We must change that and learn to think outside the box!

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  2. There is nothing wrong with blaming A for something he/she has done what is mind numbing is A blaming B for something the former has done. President Mugabe blaming Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown on the “illegal sanctions imposed by the British imperialists and their allies” and yet he is the one who is presiding over one of the greatest reckless plunder of a nation’s wealth in human history. He has admitted to the “swindling” of $15 billions and a year later he still has not arrested even one swindler or recovered one dollar! Of course, the economic collapse is as one would expect given the massive haemorrhaging of resources through corruption!

    Whilst still talking of this blame game; it would be refreshing if Vince Musewe himself to finally come out of his closet and denounce Tsvangirai, Biti and all the other MDC politicians as the corrupt and incompetent individuals they are. So far Musewe has praised these sell-outs to the high heavens poisoning the minds of our people.

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  3. Judging by the size of the crowd at the NERA rally, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai will win the next elections hands down!


    Mashakada you can play this game of pretending to be blind, deaf and dumb; you are once again, just as you did before the 2013 election, ignoring the fact that not even one democratic reform has been implemented. The reality will bite you in the butt just as it did in 2013 when Zanu PF romps home with another landslide victory. Just remember that you, Tapiwa Mashakada, and all those opposition politicians who are dragging the nation into these flawed elections will all be held to account this time!

    Tsvangirai will be an “inclusive and not coalition President” you say. He has not chance of winning the elections, not without implementing the reforms; you dim wit!

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  4. Mai Mujuru endorsing Tsvangirai is just a case of Tweedle Dee endorsing Tweedle Dum. Both of them have been in power for 34 and 5 years respectively and have proven that they are breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent. After 38 years of a corrupt and tyrannical regime we want better than five years of a corrupt and incompetent regime!

    We want meaningful democratic reforms to be implemented and open up the political stage to allow some quality leaders to emerge. This grand coalition of fools must never be allowed to rule this great nation!

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  5. @ Isu zvedu

    I agree with you 100% on the first point of holding our political leaders to account.

    On the second point, we will never have an independent ZEC by harassing the commissioners themselves. A free and independent ZEC is only possible if we implement the democratic reforms designed to sever the tyrannical powers the State President has over, not just ZEC, but all the other state institutions like the Police, Judiciary, etc.

    We need to implement all the democratic reforms and stop wasting time talking to Makarau, she has no power to change anything. She can go today and the following day Mugabe will have another ZEC just as useless if not worse!

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