Some of us still remember Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa, the 1979 (one year wonder) Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia following the Internal Settlement with Ian Smith. Ian Smith continued to exercise all real power and Muzorewa and his fellow blacks had no real power and many, rightly, dismissed them as puppets.
Muzorewa and his followers ignored the glaring shortcomings in Internal Settlement and praised it to the high heaven. History is repeating itself and the modern day Internal Settlement is called POLAD.
“We don’t do POLAD because we want to have tea & scones! No! We ain’t bragging but the fact of the matter is that we can buy our own tea & scones & in fact, we can afford to book ourselves in any hotel that we want! We do POLAD simply because we love Zimbabwe!” Obert Gutu, Vice President of the MDC faction led by Thokozani Khupe.
Anyone can claim to love Zimbabwe and to act in the best interests of the people, a close examination of one’s actions will reveal the truth.
Ever since the late 1990s the people of Zimbabwe have come the conclusion that the country’s de facto Zanu PF one-party dictatorship was the greatest impediment to economic development, peace and justice. The people came to the consensus the nation need to implement democratic changes designed to restore the people’s freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections.
Mr Gutu cannot deny that the need for democratic change was the number one national agenda his the party he belonged to these last 20 years has promised democratic change, at least in its party name.
Mr Gutu was a deputy Minister in the MDC-T led by Morgan Tsvangirai through out the 2008 to 2013 GNU, when the nation had its golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and thus deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for. Sadly, not even one reform was implemented in five years. Not one!
“MDC leaders were busy enjoying themselves they forgot why they were in the GNU!” snapped one SADC diplomatic in disgust at MDC’s failure to implement even one reform during the GNU.
Obert Gutu and his fellow MDC leaders, from all the various MDC factions, and the rest of opposition camp participated in the 2013 and 2018 elections not only knowing that Zanu PF was rigging the elections but, worse still, that doing so gave credibility to the flawed process. They did so out of greed as David Coltart, now MDC Alliance Treasurer General, admitted in his book.
“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,” admitted Coltart.
“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.”
Whilst the EU, the Americans, the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe’s Human Rights Commission have all condemn Zimbabwe’s last year’s elections as a farce; the full import of the condemnation was lost. “If the elections were indeed as flawed and illegal as you say,” Zanu PF argued, “then why did the opposition participate in such large numbers?”
An argument, no doubt, Ian Smith used to prop up the Internal Settlement.
Mnangagwa has made it clear that those who join POLAD must endorse last year’s elections as having been free, fair and credible. In other words POLAD will not be implementing any reforms and so the next elections are bond to be a repeat of last year’s rigged elections.
No Mr Gutu, you and your fellow opposition politicians do not love Zimbabwe and never did. If you loved Zimbabwe, you would have implemented the democratic reforms when you had the chance to do so. If you love Zimbabwe, you would not be in POLAD knowing fully well the grouping will never ever implement any reforms nor deliver free, fair and credible elections.
“Some people are always complaining that life in Zimbabwe is extremely difficult,” concluded Obert Gutu.
“Surprisingly, the very people who complain the loudest are not willing to proffer solutions to the myriad socio-economic challenges facing Zim. Be pro-active! Don’t just complain…”
Zimbabwe must have one of the largest number of corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging, sell-outs and/or tyrants, per capita, in the world! Each successive generation has tried to build democracy in Zimbabwe has failed because any budding democratic institution has been overwhelmed by corrupt, incompetent, etc. individuals.
Obert Gutu knows that Mnangagwa is the one enjoying absolute dictatorial powers and financial clout, he is not interested in a democratic Zimbabwe, and is being pro-active in bankroll POLAD and sell-outs like him, Obert Gutu.
The people of Zimbabwe must wake up to the reality that MDC leaders have not only been hunting with the Zanu PF hounds but have been sleeping with the enemy. The international community too must wake up to this political reality and must add these opposition sell-out to the sanctions list.
“Zimbabwe must have one of the largest number of corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging, sell-outs and/or tyrants, per capita, in the world! Each successive generation has tried to build democracy in Zimbabwe has failed because any budding democratic institution has been overwhelmed by corrupt, incompetent, etc. individuals.”
ReplyDeleteYou are 100% correct there, Patrick. 100%!
Zimbabweans risked life, over 500 lost their lives during the 2008 run-off alone, and limb to election Obert Gutu and his fellow MDC friends into power on the promise that once in power they would deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for. Sadly, as soon as they got into power they forgot about their promise to bring change.
It was not just Obert Gutu or Morgan Tsvangirai and a few others, the entire MDC leadership forgot about the reforms and failed to get even one reform in place in five years.
Yes Zimbabwe does have more than its fair share of sell-outs and tyrants but it is because we, the people, have failed to hold those who break the rules of honour, respect, fairness and common justice to account.
We have failed to take rogues like Obert Gutu to task for betraying the nation and selling out on reforms and now he has the chutzpah to add insult to injury masquerading as the champion of the people and continuing to betray the common man is proof of his love for the country.
The very fact that the MDC leaders, in all the different factions, still continue to enjoy some public support and following is a measure of just feeble minded Zimbabweans are. People should be punishing these sell-outs and instead the people reward them with blind loyalty.
If we are serious about weeding out the sell-outs and tyrants who have made it impossible to for democracy and good governance to take root in Zimbabwe, then we must start by opening our eyes and minds and curing ourselves of the feeble mentality.
I agree that Mnangagwa is lying that last year's elections were free, fair and credible; Zanu PF blatantly rigged the elections; and so it is nonsensical to talk of legitimate winners. A flawed and illegal process without something as basic as verified voters' roll cannot produce a legitimate result! It is an oxymoron!
ReplyDeleteWhat many people have failed to see is that Chamisa is also lying. Whilst he has accepted that the presidential elections were rigged, he has however accepted the parliamentary elections as having been free, fair and credible. The lack of a verified voters' roll, for example, affected both the presidential and parliamentary elections. Chamisa is therefore cherry picking; he accepts the Zanu PF led parliament as legitimate but not Mnangagwa's presidency.
The other opposition parties' position is even worse in that they have endorse Mnangagwa's position and accepted the elections were free, fair and credible and that Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party are legitimate.
The failure by Zimbabwe's opposition parties to forcefully condemn last year's elections as a farce has undermined the effectiveness of international community's condemnation of the elections. If the people of Zimbabwe are happy with flawed and illegal elections, it is their decision that carries the day as it is their funeral.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year's elections and the very fact that the nation cannot even agree on this speaks volumes of this nation. If we do not know what constitutes free, fair and credible elections, of course we are not ready for democracy and good governance!
@ Alois Ndaramo
ReplyDelete“Mzembi a sober character with presidential qualities have taken a sober stance since his departure from mainstream politics following a military coup leading to Mugabe’s ouster.”
This is just the foolishness of a lazy mind. As a senior member in Mugabe’s government Mzembi was happy to go along with the decay and rot. It is laughable that he did see the November 2017 coup as “unconstitutional and undemocratic” and yet was happy to be a minister is a regime that rigged elections again and again to impose itself on a cowed nation.
After 4 decades of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule, what Zimbabwe needs, above all else, is a break from the past. We need to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship and replace it with a healthy and functional democratic system of government. No one with half a working brain would trust any of the Zanu PF thugs, including Walter Mzembi, to faithfully implement the reforms designed to dismantle their power base.
“Impeccable sources have further indicated that military intelligence would rather have a neutral in the Mzembi making whom they prefer for political and economic interests,” you admitted.
That should have set off alarm bells ringing; these Zanu PF securocrats will certainly never allow the Zanu PF dictatorship to be dismantled.
Khupe’s Christmas Gift To Zimbabweans: News That Polad, Now Blowing Millions Taxpayer Cash, Was Created By Tsvangirai
ReplyDeleteIt is laughable!
It is a pity that Khupe still thinks that Morgan Tsvangirai having tea every week with Robert Mugabe was the epoch of MDC's achievement during the GNU. Many have believed that Khupe and her MDC colleagues had their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about implementing the reforms. It is now clear that people like Khupe did not forget about the reforms, they did not know about the reforms and still have no clue what the reforms are to this day.
The people of Zimbabwe did not risk life, over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF during the 2008 run-off elections alone, and limb to elect MDC into power so Tsvangirai can have tea with Mugabe.
By participating in flawed and illegal elections opposition candidates like Mai Khupe have given credibility to Zanu PF rigging elections. POLAD is Mnangagwa's way of thinking these opposition parties and candidates for giving his illegitimate regime some modicum of legitimacy.
Of course, it is nonsensical that Mai Khupe and her opposition colleagues should think they have the right to sell-out the people's right to free, fair and credible elections by participating in flawed elections in return for the spoils of power.
MDC leaders have moved from hunting with the Zanu PF hounds to sleeping with the enemy; if we are ever to wrestle back our freedoms and rights from this Zanu PF dictatorship then we must start by flushing these opposition sell-outs from our midst!