"Let's work on political reforms and we go to the next election. But if you are not a political actor like a political party, we support an all-stakeholders' platform, where we can have continuous discussion, but that relates to those who are not political parties. But political parties come to POLAD.”
Madhuku and all his fellow opposition leaders, including Nelson Chamisa and those who have shunned Mnangagwa’s POLAD, are just paying lip service calling for “political reforms”.
One of the many reasons why the July 2018 elections had to be condemned long before the first ballot was cast is ZEC’s failure to produce a verified voters’ roll.
How otherwise can one judge an election process as being free, fair and credible when one cannot verify and trace anything. Some one can be denied the vote for many reasons, for example, because they can be denied the right to register, they registered but their details were never entered on the voters’ roll, their details were posted incorrectly on the voters’ roll, etc., etc.
Without a verified voters’ roll the opportunity to rig the elections is limitless. And for a regime like Zanu PF, with decades of vote rigging experience and a very well-oiled vote rigging juggernaut; the sky is the limit.
Zanu PF receives billions of dollars from those benefiting from the wholesale looting of the country’s diamonds, gold and other resources. The looters know regime change may well put them out of business.
ZEC did produce one or two versions of heavily edited voters’ roll, which they quickly withdraw because there were glaring errors such as multiple voter entries and, the most common complain of all, many people were not on roll although they had registered and had registration slips to prove it.
Zimbabwe’s electoral laws and common sense stipulates that ZEC must produce a verified voters’ roll at least one month before nomination day. The nomination and the voting itself went ahead without a verified voters’ roll. Even to this day, ZEC has yet to produce the verified voters’ roll.
Indeed, Zimbabwe has never ever produced a verified voters’ roll in all the decades since our independence. Never ever!
What is shocking is the country’s opposition leaders have all participated in these elections knowing fully well that without something as basic as a verified voters’ roll it goes without saying that Zanu PF will rig the elections. It was obvious, as David Coltart readily 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 (2013) elections,” wrote David Coltart, MDC A Treasurer General, in his book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“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 short, Mudhuku, Chamisa and the rest of the other 22 opposition leaders in July 2018 presidential race and the 130 political parties and God know how many independent candidates vying for the parliamentary seats all participated in the flawed and illegal election process out of greed. Pure and simple!
Let me say it here and now, yes there is need to implement the whole raft of democratic reforms to clean up Zimbabwe’s corrupt and dysfunctional political system. But it is sheer hypocrisy for Zimbabwe’s corrupt and incompetent opposition leaders to blame their failure to change anything on reforms because they are calling for greater powers when they have failed to use the power they already have.
“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them,” said Jesus in Matthew 25: 14-15
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.”
Verse 20 to 21 reads “He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”
Verse 24 to 30 reads “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’
“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
“For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Zimbabwe’s opposition opportunists participated in the flawed and illegal 2018 elections when it was in their power to demand that ZEC produce a verified voters’ roll. The existing laws on the need for verified voters’ roll are clear, powerful and unambiguous; they do not need any reforming.
The opposition politicians participated in the July 2018 elections knowing Zanu PF was rigging the elections out of selfish greed and wickedness. Chamisa et al will once again participate in the 2023 elections without even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll; these are corrupt, incompetent and “unprofitable servants”, as Jesus would call them.
The only question is do Zimbabweans have the common sense to throw these opposition sell-outs before they drag the whole nation into the abyss?
What political reforms are you wittering about Professor Madhuku? The condition for joining POLAD was that one accepted Mnangagwa was legitimate and the the election was free, fair and credible.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone want to reform a political system that is already delivering free, fair and credible elections?
You cannot have your cake and eat it too! You are just paying lip service to political reforms, you know that Zanu PF will never agree to any meaningful reforms.
REVELATIONS by Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) this week that political dialogue to extricate the country from the current political and economic crises is hamstrung by selfishness and egotism of both the ruling Zanu-PF party and main opposition MDC Alliance party, while not surprising, makes sad reading.
ReplyDeleteThe global political agreement of 2009 between Zanu-PF then led by Mugabe, the MDC-T then led by the late founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai and the smaller MDC led by Arthur Mutambara was far from perfect but it brought stability, showing the power of dialogue.
There is no reason why dialogue cannot have the same impact this time around.
There is no denying that both Mnangagwa and Chamisa are individuals whose ego will never allow them to see themselves as anything other than great statesman with unparalleled leadership qualities. Their respective political track record shows them for what they really are corrupt, breathtakingly incompetent, whose love for power is insatiable and to top it all, in the case of Mnangagwa, a ruthless and murderous streak!
The tragedy here is the two village idiots have each acquired a fan base of brain dead fanatical supporters who are convinced Zimbabwe will be completely lost without Chamisa and/or Mnangagwa as leaders. The zealots are giving the 2009 GNU as an example of who the two parties save the nation from collapse. The reality is the GNU was in fact a wasted golden opportunity to implement the reforms and end the curse of rigged elections and hence the reason the country is still stuck in this hell-hole.
The new Zanu PF and MDC GNU the church leaders, Daily News and all the other zealots are garnering for will be a waste of time because no meaningful reforms will ever be implemented. Mnangagwa has already said the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible. If the elections were free and fair then no reforms are required.
The real reason why the zealots was Zanu PF in the new GNU is they cannot admit the reality that Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections and so want the party to remain in power to appease the party leaders. Zimbabwe is in this mess because for the last 40 years we have refused to deal with the curse of rigged elections. How long are we going to hide our heads in the sand???
No amount of pushing by Daily News, misguided church leaders will ever change the political reality that the 2009 to 2013 Zanu PF and MDC GNU was a complete failure because they failed to implement even one reform. The new GNU with the same players will do no better!
ReplyDeleteMDC leaders will call for reforms without ever meaning. To say we are stuck in a rat race going round and round in circles, is stating the obvious!
ReplyDeleteThe people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb these last 20 years to elect MDC leaders into power on the understanding they will implement the democratic changes the nation was dying for. Tsvangirai and company did have the golden opportunity to implement the raft of democratic reforms that would have dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to implement even one reform in five years.
Ever since the GNU fiasco, MDC leaders have participated in flawed elections they know Zanu PF was rigging. They have given all manner of feeble excuses for participating, to hide the real reason that they had given up on reforms and were now going for the few seats Zanu PF was offering as a bait for participating.
As expected, Zanu PF has rigged the elections and right on cue MDC have complained the elections were rigged pretending this is a complete surprise! MDC and the rest of the opposition camp are going to participate in the 2023 elections with no reforms. Zanu PF will rig the said plebiscite and MDC will complain the elections were rigged. QED.
It must be said that both Zanu PF and MDC are happy with the present political status quo. Of course, Zanu PF would like to have the few gravy train seats and shut up! MDC are whining non-stop asking for more, like Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, of the spoils of power. There are cats; to the uninitiated they fighting, to those in the know they are making love as kittens always follow!
The real losers of this chaotic and utterly, utterly meaningless political rat race is the ordinary Zimbabweans whose lives is hell-on-earth. The economy is in total meltdown, unemployment has soared to 90%, basic services such as education and health have collapsed and 50% of the population are living in abject poverty. Sadly, povo have no idea both Zanu PF and MDC are playing their own game much less to accept the reality that both parties have failed the nation.
There have been many, many golden opportunities for Zimbabweans to stand up to Zanu PF and demand meaningful democratic change to reset the country’s corrupt, oppressive and dysfunctional political system. The Willowvale Motor Scandal was one such golden opportunity.
ReplyDeleteGeoff Nyarota and his team at Chronicle had done a great job in uncovering the full details of the Willowgate Motor Scandal, as it is popularly known revoking memories of the Richard Nixon’s Watergate Scandal. Mugabe did his best to sweep the scandal under the carpet but even he could not do so. The mountain of dirty was too big to hide.
Whilst the Americans punished Richard Nixon for the Watergate Scandal Zimbabweans gave Mugabe a slap on the wrist in that a few ministers and officials were shuffled round just to take the sting out of the scandal. The Zanu PF’s tyrannical struggle hold on power was unshaken by the scandal.
There have been many more other opportunities to end the Zanu PF de facto one party dictatorship, the 2008 to 2013 GNU being one more golden one, and they have all been wasted.
Except for a tiny minority of intellectuals most Zimbabwe professionals and intellectuals have sold the nation cheap, they should have played a leading role in demanding democratic reforms. They have done nothing and so chance after chance to end the Zanu PF dictatorship has been wasted. Instead of demanding change and good governance, they have either joined Zanu PF out right or have gone-along to get-along.
Like it or not, we deserve this corrupt, incompetent and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship complete with the entourage of equal corrupt and incompetent opposition parties.
@ Nyarota
ReplyDeleteIn June 1988, for instance, he paid $32 780 for a brand new Toyota Cressida straight from the vehicle assembly plant at Willowvale Motor Industries. This was the luxury car of choice for the elite of Zimbabwe in and outside government. The amount paid was the dealers' price. After registering the car in his own name, Shava disposed of the vehicle early in July for a whacking $95 000.
The profit realised on this one vehicle was $62 220, or his own gross salary for 31 months at the time. Shava was not the only top government official involved in this profitable line of business, buying new vehicles off the assembly line at factory prices and disposing of them at extortionate profit. There were several others.
Also involved was the belligerent minister of Defence, Enos Mzombi Nkala, now late. The biggest player was the humble, but also powerful senior minister of state for Political Affairs, Maurice Tapfumaneyi Nyagumbo, now also late. He clandestinely processed a total of 36 vehicles. Then there was the erudite, but exceedingly arrogant Professor Callistus Dingiswayo Ndlovu. As minister of Commerce and Industry, he was the mastermind of the racket. He is now also late. May all their souls rest in eternal peace.
UNITED STATES President Joe Biden's administration is most likely to renew sanctions against senior Zanu-PF and government officials as well as service chiefs after the release early this week of a damning report exposing "State capture" and grand corruption in the country, by South African publication, Maverick Citizen.
ReplyDeleteThe publication named President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the kingpin of looting cartels while also indicting his close political and business associates.
Maverick Citizen, a supplement of the Daily Maverick newspaper in its 64 page report titled: Cartel Power and Dynamics in Zimbabwe, said the country may be losing up to US$5 billion annually due to operations of the cartels that now run its politics and economy.
The report argues that the 2017 military coup that removed the late former President Robert Mugabe was perpetuating the system albeit after changing a few individual beneficiaries.
The Zanu-PF government has responded to the deepening and largely self-made socio-economic crisis in the country by clamping down on dissent, the report said.
The only realistic peaceful way for the people of Zimbabwe to end the Zanu PF dictatorship is by implementing the democratic reforms designed to stop the regime rigging the elections. The nation had the best chance ever to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU; sadly, MDC leaders sold out.
Zanu PF will never implement the reforms, especially when they know the MDC will participate in the elections regardless and give the regime legitimacy. The targeted sanctions must rope in Zanu PF leaders and MDC sell-outs!
"The looting of Marange diamonds is a well-studied case that does not need repeating. Mugabe, Obert Mpofu and elites in the military, police, Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) enriched themselves through diamond mining ventures in which local entities formed joint ventures with Chinese, Russian, South African and Lebanese investors. Following substantial depletion of the alluvial diamonds in Marange, cartels have shifted their attention to the gold, nickel and platinum deposits."
ReplyDeleteThe one thing this report has shown is that there will never ever be any meaningful democratic change in Zimbabwe as long as corruptions remains rampant. These filthy rich cartels have so much wealth they alone decide who rules Zimbabwe; where an honest politician can raise a few thousand dollars to fund their campaign the cartels can raise billions of dollars to buy not only the public, the honest guy’s supporters but the officials too.
Now that corruption has been allowed to take root it has spread and has become very powerful and deeply entrenched.
"There is a strong probability that some cartels have already made in-roads in forging relationships with former and current leaders of the opposition as a means of ensuring their survival beyond Zanu PF's fall.”
This goes without saying! During the GNU Tsvangirai was send to inspect the going-on in Marange and he gave everything a thumbs up. A few weeks latter he was on a Cruise Ship with some chick from South Africa, living it. No prizes for guessing who paid for the cruise!
Former President Donald Trump has been acquitted by the Senate on the charge of inciting the 6 January riot.
ReplyDeleteThe Senate voted to acquit Trump 57-43, with seven Republicans (Senators Sasse, Romney, Burr, Collins, Murkowski, Toomey and Cassidy) joining Democrats on the charge of incitement.
Democrats needed two-thirds of the Senate to vote guilty to convict.
To say what happened on Capital Hill on 6 January 2021 was political and therefore partisan is to completely miss the point. What Trump tried to do that day was to stop the Senate perform its duty of confirming the 3 rd November 2020 presidential election results and allow for the peaceful transfer of power. Accepting the democratic will of the people is not a partisan matter it is a national one.
Today will just be yet another dark day, 6 January being the other, in America's democracy. One only hopes this will not encourage something similar to ever happen again!
MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has said Zimbabwe is the most corrupt country in the world.
ReplyDeleteEmmerson Mnangagwa himself is accused of protecting corrupt individuals.
“Zimbabwe has now become the most corrupt country in the world .
Cartels long ago took over Zimbabwe. Our work in the Public Accounts Committee has exposed this : Zimbabwe: Explosive cartel report uncovers the anatomy,” Hon Biti argued.
There is no denying that Zimbabwe is one of the most corrupt nation on earth. My beef with Tendai Biti is that MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and end this curse of rigged elections and looting of our resources during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Why did the MDC fail to implement even one reform?
As Minister of Finance during the GNU, Tendai Biti, knew of the wholesale looting going on in Marange and Chiadzwa because he talked of “a parallel government (the Junta, Joint Operation Command) with its own alternative funding”. Not only did he do nothing to end the looting but worse still he praised Robert Mugabe, the corrupt and murderous tyrant behind the Junta and the looting.
“Mugabe is unflappable, fountain of wisdom and father of the nation!” said Biti!
Biti and company are going to participate in the 2023 election with no reforms and will, as usual, complain the elections were rigged. You are the ones giving Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in flawed elections and only complain to hide your deceitfulness!
We cannot mourn about Zimbabwe being corrupt, rigging elections, being lawless, etc. and when we get the chance to end it we do nothing about it for five years!
People do not trust their government anymore.
ReplyDeleteThere are basic frameworks guiding the response of Zimbabwe to the pandemic, these include the constitution of Zimbabwe (2013), the Civil Protection Act, and the Public Health Act, and associated statutory instruments.
Inasmuch as section 86 of the constitution allows for limiting of such rights under various circumstances including public health emergency — in the case of Covid-19, there are fundamental rights that cannot be limited, in particular the right to life, the right to human dignity and freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The limitation of rights must also be fair, just and necessary in a democratic society.
Zimbabwe invoked section 68 of the Public Health Act to manage the pandemic and detailed the regulation with a Statutory Instrument 77 of 2020 titled Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) order.
The perception of heavily controlled, and militarised or security driven response, creates fear, anxiety and deepens mistrust of the government.
The control of information, criminalisation of "fake information" while pervasive globally is not a solution.
Relevant authorities must increase transparency through provision of reliable and regular information through all channels and in accessible languages.
Zanu PF’s corona virus response has been based on the need to create the impression that the government has done an excellent job of containing the virus regardless of all the constrains brought about by the economic meltdown and the all but collapsed health care service. Since the official covid-19 cases and deaths are based on test results - the government has done fewer tests per capita than S A or Botswana whose corona virus cases and deaths would have been comparable to ours.
In December 2020 when SA was doing over 44 000 covid-19 tests per day; Zimbabwe with 1/4 SA’s population should have been doing over 11 000 tests we were doing 1 500 tests on a really good day!
No scientist worth his/her salt would have given an advice without first looking at accurate data from the field; they would have demanded that Zimbabwe ramp up the corona virus tests.
A court has already ruled that government must provide accurate and detailed information on corona virus but we all know the ruling will be ignored!
The APA leader, who is a physicist and an economist, also told NewsDay that an inclusive government was unlikely to change the economic and political landscape in the country.
ReplyDelete"The Zimbabwean government does not care about the people's lives, and it is implementing COViD-19 rules to manage politics," Moyo said.
"The government has just stopped people from doing what they normally do; that is to feed their families. it has failed to put any interim support measures to sustain the struggling families," he said.
On whether the country needed an inclusive government, Moyo said: "We might not change anything. We might actually end up with the same behaviour that we are seeing more people doing stupid things. Elections are only two years away and we need to start thinking about what we must do in order to get real change to happen.”
Moyo is right, Zimbabweans must snap out of this mentality of seeing an inclusive government as the panacea to all our problems especially when the said inclusive government, as is POLAD, is founded on the premise the 2018 elections were free, fair and credible.
The opposition have been participating in these flawed and illegal elections out of greed; they knew Zanu PF would be giving away a few gravy train seats to entice them and they could not resist that. Of course, the opposition knew by participating they would give Zanu PF legitimacy, as David Coltart readily admitted.
“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 (2013) elections,” wrote 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.”
There is no doubt some one as intelligent and articulate as Dr Sikhosana Moyo understood what Coltart was talking about and more and yet even he could not resist the honey trap Zanu PF had laid! Dangle a gravy train seat and even what one had considered the country’s creme de la creme become as foolish as headless chickens!
No doubt Dr Moyo and the usual suspects are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections regardless how flawed and illegal. After wards, they will complain the elections were rigged, that goes without saying. There is Africa for you!
@ Ngwenya
ReplyDeleteMy friend if elections are free, fair and credible; then it is the voters who decide who wins. If elections are rigged, as is the case in Zimbabwe, then it is those who count the votes who decide who wins.
After 40 years of rigged elections people must snap out of this foolish notion that they can win rigged elections! By participating in these flawed and illegal elections; ZEC has repeatedly failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters' roll, a legal and common sense requirement; you give legitimacy to the result! How many times does one have to say this before the penny drops!
LATE founding MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai's second book 'Service and Sacrifice' is now set for launch end of the national lockdown period, former spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka has revealed.
ReplyDeleteTamborinyoka, now MDC Alliance deputy secretary for presidential affairs, said this Friday in a piece he penned to commemorate the third anniversary of the former Prime Minister's passing.
Tsvangirai died of colon cancer at a private hospital in South Africa 14 February 2018.
It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who said Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character who would be an albatross round the nation’s neck.” He said this in a leaked cable back to Washington.
Time proved the ambassador was on the money. Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. They failed to implement even one reform in five years. Not even one!
Mugabe bribed Tsvangirai and company with the trappings of high office and with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms! Of course, Tsvangirai and company sold out big time! “Service and Sacrifice!” Yeah right!
@ Nyikadzino
ReplyDelete"There appears to be a lack of consensus among the MDC-Alliance elite. Recently, Biti acknowledged the need to dialogue with Zanu-PF.
"We are prepared to talk to them without any conditionality, we haven't said Mnangagwa must cease to be President before we talk to him, we haven't said that," said Biti.
Similarly, Sikhala also mentioned that he no longer considers any value from "polarising politics" after conceding that opposition leaders are not doing enough. It is here that three years after his death, Tsvangirai's absence is felt with demonstrable pain and consequence."
In 2008, Tsvangirai had regional and international capital that gave him recognition which pushed Zanu-PF to the negotiating table with necessity. This is where Chamisa's handicap emerges
MDC had the golden opportunity to bring about meaningful democratic change during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when all they had to do was implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Mugabe fully grasped the critical importance of the GPA and moved very quickly to bribe Tsvangirai and company giving them ministerial limos, very generous salaries and perks he even gave Tsvangirai the US$ 4 million Highlands mansion, everything to distract them and stop them implementing the reforms. How Mugabe kept this up for five years is a mystery but what matters is that he did.
Ever since the failed GNU Zanu PF has also understood that for the party to rig the elections and get away with it, it must entice the MDC to participate in the elections regardless how flawed and illegal the process got. So ever since the 2013 elections, Zanu PF has been careful to keep its party thugs on the leash to reduce the political violence and has allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats.
For any political dialogue in Zimbabwe to have any meaningful change it must result in the implementation of the reforms leading to free, fair and credible elections. Mnangagwa is not smart but still he is smart enough to know that Zanu PF must avoid being dragged into an arrangement comparable to the 2008 GPA and a commitment to implementing reforms.
Any suggestion that Zanu PF will ever agree to implementing reforms much less implement them is foolish. Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office. And not that it has hit on a formula to rig elections and get legitimacy, the party will not want to relinquish power!
The only way to force Zanu PF to give up power is by making sure the party does not get legitimacy from rigged elections. We must stop the opposition participating in flawed elections or, alternatively, make sure those opposition politicians participating are seen for whom they really are - discredited opportunists selling out for the sake of the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is giving away as bait.
@ Chronicle
ReplyDelete“We need talks to resolve our decades-long political and economic crises, but the current crop of opposition leaders are self-centred and power hungry. The country cries out for a Tsvangirai in the opposition who understands that without dialogue and unity, we are not going anywhere as a nation!”
This is nonsense! If Tsvangirai had done such a splendid job in solving the country’s economic and political problems then why are we still stuck in this mess?
The primary purpose of the 2008 to 2013 GNU was to implement the democratic reforms to stop the blatant cheating and wanton violence that had characterised the March and June 2008 elections. Mugabe bribed the corrupt and incompetent Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to make sure they forgot about the reforms. It worked, MDC leaders failed to implement even one token reform in five years.
Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, contrary to his promise to hold free, fair and credible elections; and confirmed that Zimbabwe was indeed still a pariah state, a Banana Republic. His clarion call of “Zimbabwe is open for business!” fail to attract the investors because it is very difficult to do business in a pariah state.
What Zimbabwe needs to get out of this hell-hole is to implement the reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections and thus end the curse of rigged elections and pariah state. Since Zanu PF will not implement the reforms the nation should find other men and women who will.
Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections the regime is illegitimate and must step down. Zanu PF has held this nation to ransom for 40 years now and this must be stopped!
@ Eddie Cross
ReplyDeleteEven though the international Community has committed itself to the provision of health care to the poor and the principle of universal education for children, we receive virtually nothing from international agencies or the so called "Development Partners." In fact, the IMF even denied us aid to deal with the Covid-19 crisis.
This highlights the final issue that is on the table. When will the changes engendered by the post November 2017 government receive sufficient recognition for the international Community to start treating us like any other developing State?
The recent imposition of "sanctions" on four military officers here simply demonstrates the ignorance of the Foreign Office in London regarding the very real changes that have taken place here and the total failure of policy by the same department in respect to Myanmar.
It shows no understanding of our complexities or fundamentals and is a largely cosmetic decision which will not influence affairs here but will continue to needlessly label the Government of Zimbabwe as somehow a rogue State. We deserve better.
-------
Cross is former MP of the MDC and now a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has had a few golden chances to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and MDC leaders have wasted a good number of these chances. The November 2017 military coup was not exactly a penalty kick but still it was a good chance.
The coup was the climax of any internal vicious dog-eat-dog factional fight in Zanu PF only a first class fool believed it “was a military assisted transition” to remove corrupt individuals threatening the economic and political stability of the nation. The promise to hold free, fair and credible elections was all bull!
The people of Zimbabwe should have condemned the military coup for what it was and demanded a negotiated route in which the ordinary people’s freedoms and rights are fully restore. This was impossible once the main opposition had come out and endorse the coup. Tsvangirai and company were promised a new GNU and they jumped at it.
Embracing the coup helped pile the pressure on Mugabe to resign. With Mugabe safely out of the way Mnangagwa ignore the GNU promise and eight months latter went on to blatantly rig the July 2018 elections.
Only some one naive like Eddie Cross and his fellow MDC leaders would ask such a foolish question as “Was November 2017 a false start for Zimbabwe?” Of course, it was a false start.
The reader should remember that Mr Cross and his fellow MDC friends wasted the golden opportunity to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when the failed to implement even one reform in five years.
“What made it all worse, is that it came after the brief flirtation with sanity during the Government of National Unity from 2009 to 2013,” says Cross. Even now with all the benefit of hindsight and countless explanation of what the primary of the GNU was, he still does not get it. Frankly, he never will!
@ Chamisa
ReplyDeleteWe have seen four elections in Africa that were compromised by the behaviour of incumbents and institutions meant to uphold electoral integrity. Unfortunately, those elections were sanitised by the global community even in the face of massive irregularities and patently unfair conditions of campaigning. The following elections should not have been sanitised in any shape or form by the global community. The Zimbabwe 2018 elections, Mozambique 2019 elections, Tanzania 2020 elections and now most recently the Uganda 2021 elections. These normalisations from the international community perpetuate a culture of unfair competition and illiberal democracy which is anathema to progress."
If anyone has sanitised the Zanu PF regime it is MDC. You lot failed to implement reforms during the GNU and since then you have participated in flawed and illegal elections knowing that doing so will give legitimacy to Zanu PF.
"MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections," you said. Only to complain afterward that the elections were rigged.