A true friend will give you sound advice even if that is not
what you want to hear. Indeed, a true friend would rather risk souring the
friendship by giving the sound advice then give misleading information much
less down right poison!
“This is not in the spirit of democracy. You can criticise
the policies of a government — that’s a political right — but if you keep
questioning the legitimacy, that is unthinkable. Political rivalry is not
enmity,” India’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Rungsung Masakui, advised Zimbabwe’s
opposition.
“The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) is making efforts to
create dialogue platforms with the opposition parties; it’s a way forward. But
it is difficult for the dialogue to succeed if the main opposition party is not
part of it.
“Space is there for them to join in – the President even
formally recognised the office of the opposition party leader . . . that is
what is happening the world over.”
The greatest gift India’s founding fathers, Jawaharlal Nehru,
the first Prime Minister of independent India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, etc.
bequeathed their nation was a healthy and functioning democracy. India, like
all the other nation fighting to end colonial domination had the choice of
waging a war to drive the British out of India but chose to use peaceful civil disobedience
instead.
“An armed struggle will throw up militants as the leaders.
Are they the men and women we want to rule independent India?” Nehru argued.
Zimbabwe had the great misfortune of not having such leaders
with foresight. The country wage a bitter war of independence and Loo Behold
the war did thrown up ruthless thugs who cared about absolute power and did not
care about the suffering and even deaths of the ordinary people. Zimbabwe has
become the basket example of what happens to a nation that had the misfortune
of having corrupt and murderous thugs as the nation’s founding fathers.
Last month India had its democratic elections with 900
million registered to vote and everything went like clock-work!
Zimbabwe’s July 2018 elections were the usual organised chaos!
3 million Zimbabweans outside the country were denied the vote. 5 million
reportedly registered to vote although the regime failed to produce something
as basic as a verified voters’ roll.
“The electoral commission lacked full independence and
appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as
announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked
adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability,” stated the EU Zimbabwe
Election Observer Mission final report.
“Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the
excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the
post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election
campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to
meet international standards.”
Zanu PF blatantly rigged last July’s elections and throw the
nation into this constitution crisis of having no legitimate government.
Zanu PF has rigged elections since the country’s independence
in 1980 and has been allowed to stay in power. Big mistake!
39 years of incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule
has left Zimbabwe in economic ruins and political paralysis.
Ambassador Rungsung Masakui’s advice is for the nation to
recognise Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta as legitimate, regardless of the
reality of yet another rigged election, is insane. We will be repeating the
same big mistake of rewarding Zanu PF with power after rigging elections of the
last 39 years in the hope of a miracle – the regime bringing economic recovery
and political stability after 39 years of ruin and paralysis!
The alternative is for the nation to finally grasp the nettle
and admit appeasing Zanu PF thugs has been a big mistake.
Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, the regime is
illegitimate and must step down. All those calling for political dialogue or
re-engaging the regimes are all coming up with feeble excuses to justify keeping
Zanu PF in power.
If Zanu PF is still in power come 2023 elections, we can be
100% certain the party will see to it that no meaningful democratic reforms are
implemented and the party will blatantly rig those elections too. Those
individuals and nations who are benefiting from the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu
PF rule will be very pleased to see Zanu PF remaining in power.
In one of the very rare moments insightful moments, Joice
Mujuru, then VP in Mugabe’s government, complained of how a new city had spring-up
in India to cut, process and sell diamonds mainly from Zimbabwe. And yet
Zimbabwe had nothing to show for the looted diamonds.
“To keep questioning legitimacy is unthinkable and
undemocratic!” It is insane to acquiesce to process so flawed it denies
millions the vote, there is no verified voters’ roll, etc.
ReplyDeleteColtart raises red flag over education crisis
The 2008 to 2013 GNU failed to get even one democratic reform implemented because MDC leaders were too busy enjoying the trappings of power. MDC A leaders like Coltart and Tendai Biti are already stepping up the criticism of the present occupants in their old GNU jobs in preparation for the formation of the transition authority the MDC A called for in its party congress in Gweru.
Zimbabwe is in this political mess because MDC leaders failed to implement even one reform designed to stop Zanu Pf rigging elections. If the transition authority was formed one can already see the MDC failing to get the important task of implementing the reform done
MDC A are itching for their gravy train jobs back. What we need is an authority that will implement the reforms and end this curse of rigged elections once and once for all. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs the country's economy will never recover and basic services like education and health will too never recover.
@ Don Chigumba
ReplyDelete“A struggle for democracy is not a romantic affair but a game of rugby without a referee. The players may be injured or die within the struggle anytime. I therefore want to take this opportunity to urge the civil society and opposition leaders that their victory is judged by such injuries and even their deaths. In most cases, several deaths and injuries are expected when the struggle is about to reach a boiling point. Power/democracy is not given in a gold plate but is a product of human blood. President ED Mnangagwa escaped death by one centimeter during the liberation struggle. If he was not under age then, he should have been hanged to death (and these sufferings he is exposed the citizens to could not have been there if the death the sentence was upheld).”
This is the foolishness that has kept the nation locked up in this vicious cycle in which yesteryear’s liberation heroes have become today’s oppressors and so the nation has suffered until there are new liberators but only for the cycle to start all over again.
We want liberators who understand that they are not fighting for only their freedom and human rights but for the freedom and human rights of all Zimbabweans. Those in positions of power and authority today who are abusing their position must know that they will be help to democratic account for their actions, gone are the days when they can expect to get away with such lawlessness and treachery.
“Political is a dirty game!” we have often heard. Well not anymore, we are here to clean it up, we are not going to let mafia thugs run and ruin all our lives and that of future generations!
"Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed. About 79% of the population is living below the poverty datum line," said Tendai Biti.
ReplyDelete"There is no electricity, water, there are no drugs in hospitals and you cannot get money from the bank."
There is no doubt that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta have failed. What the nation wants to know is what is the plan out of this hell.
The MDC A call for dialogue is leading to the formation of the Transition Authority (TA) will guarantee Chamisa and a few other MDC A leaders ministerial positions in the Zanu PF government. There will be nothing to be gained from this for the ordinary Zimbabwean.
The investors and lenders will not flood back into Zimbabwe just because Chamisa and Biti are now cabinet members. They need to see Zimbabwe shed-off its pariah state status and as long as Zanu PF remains in power the country will remain a pariah state.
Chamisa has called on the TA to implement the democratic reforms. Only a fool would believe this will happen give the TA is a watered-down version of the 2008 GNU which failed to implement even one reform.
Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, everyone with a clue what constitute free, fair and credible elections agrees. The consequence of rigging the election is as clear as day, those responsible for this treasonous act must be punished and certainly not rewarded as is being proposed here. Allowing Zanu PF to remain in power when the party is guilty to rigging the elections is an act of great foolishness.
The only way forward for the nation is for Zanu PF to step down to allow the appointment of an interim administration tasked to implement the democratic reforms. Both Zanu PF and MDC leaders cannot be in the interim administration because they failed to implement any reforms in the past GNU.
The proposed political dialogue and TA are a waste of time and resources both of which the nation can ill afford to waste!
It is ironic that our Indian friend is encouraging us to remain trapped in the corrupt and tyranny of one-party dictatorship. India has made millions of dollar from Zimbabwe's corrupt diamond industry and in recent years it has become the favoured destination of Zimbabwe's filthy rich in search of health care. India knows that a democratic Zimbabwe will stamp out corruption and revive the country's health care and therefore are a threat to the millions India was earning from Zimbabwe.
ReplyDeleteCountries like India and China are taking full advantage of corrupt and incompetent leaders like Mugabe and Mnangagwa whom they prop up in return for milking the country to develop their own country.