Two years ago yesterday, 19 November, 2017, Zimbabweans poured out into the streets in their hundreds of thousands in support of Emmerson Mnangagwa and his junta’s military coup that ousted the country’s long servicing corrupt and murderous tyrant, Robert Mugabe. Yes we all wanted to see the back of Mugabe but only the naive and gullible would embrace Mnangagwa and company as the nation’s liberators given they were the ones who had kept Mugabe in power all along.
The best course of action then was to welcome the demise of Robert Mugabe and go on to demand the demise of Mnangagwa and company too.
“Let’s give Mnangagwa a chance!” came the chorus. The origins of that folly was Chris Mutsvangwa and the others members of the junta and the seed quickly geminated and thrived in the fertile minds of the naive and gullible.
When he got into power, Mnangagwa proclaimed that “Zimbabwe is open for business!” from the roof tops. He was cocksure this was going to open a flood gate of new investors. Two years later it is clear the world heard his acclamations but were not convinced that the country had changed in any meaningful way.
Mnangagwa has continued to wear the multi-coloured scarf associated with the “Zimbabwe is open for business!” mantra. But everyone knows that the mantra itself is dead in the water!
Mnangagwa promised to hold free, fair and credible elections but never implemented even one democratic reforms. Not one!
“Zanu PF ichatonga! Igo tonga! Imi muchingohukura! Nokuhukura!” (Zanu PF will rule! And rule! Whilst you (calling for reforms) bark! And bark!) Mnangagwa assured his Zanu PF supporters repeatedly on his taking over power.
Only the usual suspects, the naive and gullible, were therefore surprise that Mnangagwa blatantly rig last year’s elections and, to rub salt and chilli into the eyes, has the arrogance to claim the elections were ‘freest and fairest elections and it is utopian to expect anything better!”
The last two years have shown that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are corrupt, incompetent and beyond the democratic pale. It is therefore shocking that anyone, anyone at all with half a brain, would still want Mnangagwa and company to remain in public office even for one more day!
In his address to his MDC supporters and the public at large, Nelson Chamisa has repeated his call for the formation of the National Transition Authority (NTA). A Zanu PF and MDC power sharing arrangement in which he, Chamisa and a few other MDC leaders will hold cabinet position in the Mnangagwa administration.
Chamisa maintains that the NTA will implement the democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections. This is nonsense! The NTA is nothing more than a watered down version of the 2008 to 2013 GNU; Zanu PF will have its 2/3 parliamentary majority for example. The GNU failed to get even one reform implemented and it is rich to expect the NTA to do any better.
“This (NTA) is not about power!” Chamisa tried to assure the public in his speech, dubbed Hope. The truth is, it is all about power and nothing else but power!
The NTA will enable Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti, David Coltart and possible two or three other MDC leaders to hold cabinet positions in this Mnangagwa government complete with all the ministerial limos, salary, etc., etc. And as for Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF junta, they too will be able to hang to their public office jobs as the NTA will legitimise their illegitimacy!
As stated above, the NTA will not result in the implementation of the reforms and thus deliver free, fair and credible elections. The NTA is just another feeble excuse for giving Mnangagwa another chance to stay in power and, just as happened with the November 2017 coup before it, there will be nothing gained, just more wailing and gnashing of teeth!
The only rational way forward is for the nation to accept that Mnangagwa and his cronies rigged last year’s elections, they have been rigging elections for the last 39 years and have got away with it setting the dangerous precedence. This nation has paid dearly for this foolishness, the root cause of the country’s economic and political crisis is its failure to remove this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. The only sure way to end the crisis is for the nation to finally grasp the nettle and demand that Mnangagwa and company step down so we can finally implement the reforms and end the curse of rigged elections!
If the people had stood firm, the November 2017military coup would have ended the Zanu PF dictatorship; we can still achieve today if we stand firm and reject the NTA!
There is no one more blind than he who closes his eyes and refuse to see what is there before him! Zimbabwe is in this economic and political nightmare because we, Zimbabweans, are refusing to open our eyes and see what is there before us!
ReplyDeleteIt took Zimbabweans 20 years or so before they finally acknowledged that Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies are corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs. Even with the mountain of evidence of Gukurahundi massacre, 20 000 murdered in cold blood, for example; many people still continued to regard Mugabe and company as liberation heroes who could do no wrong.
It was not until the late 1990s that Zimbabweans finally opened their eyes and saw Mugabe and his cronies for what they really are - corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who only ambition was to secure absolute power and did not care about the freedoms, rights, suffering and deaths of the common people. It was then that there was a national consensus on the need for democratic changes to stop Zanu PF riding roughshod over the people's hopes and dreams including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends launched their party promising to deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for. The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC into power but sadly, once in power, MDC leaders sort to feather their own nests and forgot about the democratic changes.
MDC has been on the political stage for the last 20 years now but have failed to bring about even one democratic change. Not one!
I agree with you there that Zanu PF rigged last year's elections and we should be punishing the regime for this treasonous crime. Asking the regime to step down is the very least we should do. It is an outrage that Chamisa and company are indeed seeking to reward Mnangagwa and company for rigging the election by keeping them in power in this NTA farrago that will never deliver anything of substance. Chamisa is desperate to get back on the gravy train and the NTA will help him do that and that is all he cares about.
Zimbabweans must open their eyes and see the mountain of evidence before them, that MDC are running with the hare and hunting with the hounds!
@ Mikis
ReplyDeleteIt is good to have an optimistic outlook in life but there are limit. After four decades of corrupt and tyrannical rule that has forced millions into poverty and despair it is naive to do nothing to end the rot and expect a brighter tomorrow. The country is in this mess because we chose to do nothing and we are not getting out of the mess by doing nothing!
Good governance is like peace, justice and knowledge; it is not enough to wish for it, you have to work hard to earn and always be on your guard that someone does not steal it away.
If you are waiting for the corrupt and murderous tyrants to wake up some day and give up power, stop looting, etc. because “Everything comes to an end at some point!” then you have learned nothing. You will go to your grave blissfully daydreaming of a brighter tomorrow!
The 2008 to 2013 GNU failed to get even one reform implemented, the only reason why MDC leaders like Chamisa and Biti want this NTA, a watered down version of the 2008 GNU, is so that they can get ministerial positions and thus get back on the gravy train. The NTA will not get even one meaningful reform implemented, not with a Zanu PF 2/3 parliamentary majority blocking all meaningful reforms.
ReplyDeleteLast year's elections were rigged making the Zanu PF regime, not just Mnangagwa, illegitimate. MDC leaders cannot accept the prospect of Zanu PF stepping down because they too will have to step down. Worse still, MDC cannot stomach the prospect of a competent administration implementing the reforms because Chamisa and company, just like Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies, know they will not hang on to their political position in a democratic Zimbabwe given their track record of corruption and incompetence!
The people of Zimbabwe must demand the appointing of an independent and competent interim admin and not the Zanu PF and MDC team. We must not left these failed politicians hold the nation to ransom!