“In the wake of the landslide victory for the opposition in the recent Zambian election, Zanu-PF must be concerned about what might happen in the 2023 elections,” wrote Tony Reeler, co-convener of the Platform for Concerned Citizens, in New Zimbabwe.
“In Zambia, a united front to prevent electoral manipulation was hugely successful and the combined force of civil society and the opposition political parties delivered a massive victory for democracy.
“It takes some stretch of the imagination to believe that non-government organisations (NGOs) in Zimbabwe are likely to support terrorism, but rather less to see that the government fears financial support to political parties by NGOs.
“The proposed amendments to the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Act reflects how deeply the Zanu-PF government fears its citizens.”
Mr Reeler knows that Zanu PF has always controlled the activities of the GNOs; all aid and assistance in Zimbabwe must be distributed through the party structures or not at all. Only Zanu PF is allowed to do anything to improve the people’s lives and the party guards that right very jealously; more so during elections. And so the proposed amendment is not a surprise to anyone.
Zimbabwe had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms that would have ended all these Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The task of implementing the reforms was entrusted to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. They failed to get even one token reform implemented in five years. Not even one!
SADC leaders and anybody with half a working brain have argued that elections should be postponed until reforms are implemented. “If you go into the elections next month, you will lose. The elections are done!” SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and company at the June 2013 SADC Summit, according to Dr Ibbo Mandaza, SAPES Director. Mr Reeler knows Dr Mandaza very well, he is co-convener of the Platform for Concerned Citizens.
As we all know MDC leaders ignored SADC leaders’ warning and participated in the 2013 elections and again in the 2018 elections which Zanu PF blatantly rigged as predicted. MDC leaders are all gearing to participate in the 2023 elections with not even a token reform implemented.
By participating in these flawed and illegal elections, the MDC are giving credibility to the elections process and, by extension, giving legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF regime.
“In Zimbabwe, the most trusted institutions for citizens are NGOs, according to a recent Afrobarometer survey. By contrast, most government institutions, political figures and political parties fare poorly. For example, 79% of Zimbabweans trust NGOs “somewhat” or “a lot”, but only 48% similarly trust the president, and only 38% trust the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC),” continued Mr Reeler.
“So, why does the government not trust NGOs?”
A rhetorical question, since Mr Reeler has already answered the question: Zanu PF is rigging these elections and using food and all aid as one way of buying votes. The party has reduced many Zimbabweans, especially in the rural areas, into medieval serfs dependent on handouts from overbearing Zanu PF landlords. The party operatives often back their demands with intimidation, harassment, beatings, rape, abduction and even cold blooded murder, if need be.
The elephant in the room in Zimbabwe's politics is MDC. We must finally ask Chamisa and his MDC friends why they failed to implement even one reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU?
Why, against repeated advice not to participate in the elections without first implementing the reforms, they are the ones stubbornly insisting on participating? And only to give give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy?
Mr Mnangagwa whose current mandate is disputed, faces a mammoth task in his bid to cling to power.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the MDC Alliance, electoral reforms will give way to credible polls.
“The #PriceCampaign is a lobby by a broad alliance of citizens for electoral reforms that will avoid another disputed election outcome.
Electoral reforms will allow us to vote in a credible election that will lead to a People’s Govt that will serve the people, create jobs, invest in education, improve the capacity of hospitals & bring freedom, fairness & opportunity for all.
Electoral reforms will allow the citizens to vote in a People’s Govt that will lead to a prosperous Zimbabwe,” MDC Alliance said in a statement.
Here we go again! MDC is once again demanding electoral reforms but is once again only paying lip service to reform. MDC is participating in these flawed and illegal elections. MDC had the power to implement the reforms during the GNU. Who stopped them?
Of course, Zanu PF is well aware of the MDC hypocrisy and hence the reason the party has continued to ignore the calls for reforms. As long as MDC continue participating and giving Zanu PF legitimacy; why would Zanu PF both implement even one reform.
There is a photograph of George Charamba laughing in the Daily News headlined "They're scared of pending polls" - Charamba charges, as MDCs mull boycotts."Charamba's laugh is hiding the sorrowful crying if MDC were indeed to finally heed the advice to stop participating in flawed and illegal elections. Zanu PF has always counted on the MDC participating in these flawed elections out of greed and by participating giving Zanu PF legitimacy.
ReplyDeleteDeprive Zanu PF of legitimacy and the party will be in deep trouble because it will have to implement the democratic reforms. Zanu PF cannot afford to have the reforms implemented because that will mean the party losing its carte blanche power to rig elections and with that its iron grip on power - Zanu PF will not win free and fair elections.
Charamba and company will go into deep morning if MDC boycotted the elections because that will be the beginning of the end for Zanu PF rule!
It is insane to keep participating in flawed and illegal elections only to give vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy, after 41 years of rigged elections. Why is Chamisa and company doing it? They are doing it out of greed and breathtaking incompetence.
ReplyDeleteZanu PF is offering a few gravy train seats to entice the opposition to participate and the MDC leaders have found the bait irresistible. Chamisa and company are nothing but jackals at a lion kill, they are content for the scraps and do not care that Zanu PF is short changing the people by denying them their vote.
Chamisa and company have forgotten that the people risked life and limb to elect them into power for the purpose of implementing the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. MDC failed to implement even one reform when they had the golden opportunity to do so during the GNU for the same reasons they are participating in these flawed and illegal elections - greed and incompetence.
Of course, MDC leaders are breathtakingly incompetence otherwise they would have realised the foolishness of failing to implement reforms and ending the Zanu PF dictatorship and the foolishness of perpetuating the Zanu PF dictatorship by giving the regime legitimacy.
It was USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 2007, Chris Dell, who first articulated just how incompetent Morgan Tsvangirai and company were and, worse still, how they will be a serious burden to the nation. Tsvangirai is "flawed and indecisive character who will be an albatross round the nation's neck if he ever got into power" ambassador Dell had predicted in a secret cable back to Washington. Time has proven him right!
Exiled former government minister Jonathan Moyo has called Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube an intellectual coward and a fake champion of freedom of expression. AMH publishes NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent, The Standard and Weekly Digest and also runs an online radio and television station, Heart & Soul TV.
ReplyDeleteMoyo went on Twitter to post messages where Trevor Ncube 'confirmed' that Savior Kasukuwere and Moyo had been "picked up from President Mugabe's 'Blue Roof residence to KGVI Military Barracks’.
Is this not a case of the pot calling the pan black! Professor Jonathan Moyo is one intellectual who has sold his heart and soul to the Zanu PF devil. By his own admission, Moyo helped Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF stay in power by doing the regime’s dirty work of masterminding its devilish strategies to win elections and silence the regime’s opponents and critics.
Mugabe himself, the murderous dictator, who knew what evil is, called Professor Jonathan Moyo “the devil incarnate”!
It is no exaggeration to say Jonathan Moyo sold his own mother to the devil for a bowl of soap and boast he had a mother to sell. It is laughable then such a scandal should be calling anyone else an intellectual coward!
THIRTY-NINE members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) who are accused of participating in a gathering with the intention to cause public violence were today remanded to December 7 but they gave the State's notice that they will apply for removal from remand if the State failed to provide a trial date.
ReplyDeleteThe country is in this economic and political mess precisely because those who spear headed the liberation war believe they are special and have gone to rule the country with an iron fist. The war veterans were fooled by the Zanu PF thugs into believing this foolish notion all liberation war fighters are special and have thus become willing tools in the thugs.
It is the war veterans who have ridden roughshod over the people denying them their freedoms and rights helping the Zanu thugs impose and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship. It is a great pity that the war veterans still believe they are special and must be treated accordingly.
No one is special to the point they have the right to deny other their basic freedoms and rights. No one has the divine right to rule the country and so the right to free, fair and credible elections is sacrosanct. The war veterans have yet to grasp this basic reality!