"Zimbabweans
must understand who they are really dealing with, [President Emmerson]
Mnangagwa took over power from (Robert) Mugabe in an unconstitutional manner
and he will never let go of that power simply through a ballot box," said
Mukanya, Thomas Mapfumo.
"People
in Zimbabwe must wake up and smell the coffee, forget about elections, go out
in the streets.
"We
have seen this happen in other countries such as Egypt and that's the only way
you can remove this leadership, which has dragged the country into
poverty."
He is
only partially right and being partially right in this case is even worse than
being totally wrong because it, invariably, sops you searching for the right
solution!
Mukanya
is right, Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies will never be removed from office through
elections that are so flawed and illegal there is no verified voters’ roll,
Zanu PF cherry-pick the electorate by denying 3 million in the diaspora the
vote or 37% of the electorate, it has reduced rural voters into medieval serfs
who are frogmarched to vote for Zanu PF, etc., etc. Of course, it is insane to
participate in such a flawed and meaningless election process especially when
doing so gives the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
What is
really infuriate here is that the people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb
to elect the MDC leaders into power for the express purpose of bringing about
democratic changes, as the party name implied. Sadly, the MDC leaders have not
only failed to implement even one meaningful reform in 23 years, including 5
years in the 2008 to 2013 GNU. But to add salt to injury, MDC leaders are the
ones now giving Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in these flawed election.
It is not that the MDC leaders do not know all these things; they do!
“Look,
you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to
give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the
art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to
continue legitimizing these sham elections which don't deliver. This country
will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet,
this is the only country where a government doesn't perform, it is encouraged
by a super majority in parliament,” said Tendai Biti in a 2015 interview with
Isaac Mugabi.
“So you
can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get
crushed.”
David
Coltart went one step further and explained why the MDC leaders participated in
the 2013 elections even though they knew the process was flawed and that doing
so would give Zanu PF legitimacy.
“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,” confessed
Coltart 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.”
MDC
leaders went on to participate in the flawed 2018 elections for the same reasons
as in 2013 – incompetence and greed.
Tendai
Biti and David Coltart are Vice President and Treasurer General in the Chamisa
led CCC party, a rebranded MDC, and the party is hell bent on participating in
these flawed elections for the same idiotic reasons – incompetence and greed.
If the
truth be told Mukanya, you should be asking the people of Zimbabwe to wake up
to the political reality that the MDC/CCC has given up the fight for reforms
and free elections. It is shocking that many Zimbabweans still have no clue
what the 2008 to 2013 GNU was about implementing the democratic reforms and MDC
leaders sold out. Even now with the benefit of hindsight many still have no
clue.
The
ordinary Zimbabwean has not benefited in any way from participating in these
flawed elections. Indeed by giving Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuating the
dictatorship, they have given the regime time to drag the nation deeper and
deeper into this hell-on-earth. Still many Zimbabweans have participated in
these flawed elections because they were again and again conned into believing MDC/CCC
has winning in rigged election strategies. How can anyone let alone a whole
nation be so naïve, gullible and downright insane!
It is all
very well asking the people to wake up, forget the elections and go out on the
street to protest. Protest what exactly? That the elections are flawed, so flawed
the whole process is a mockery; when it was none other than the MDC/CCC
leaders, the individuals povo have risked life and limb to elect into power,
who have sold out on reforms and are keeping Zanu PF in power! That Zanu PF is
rigging these elections when we, the people are the ones participating to give
Zanu PF legitimacy because we do even have the common sense reject MDC/CCC’s
oxymoronic nonsense of winning rigged elections, especially after 43 years of
the Mafiosi Zanu PF rigged elections!
If Zimbabweans
participate in these 2023 elections in numbers because they are foolish enough
to believe Chamisa’s claim CCC will “win big” regardless of all the evidence
Zanu PF is blatantly rigging; then the nation must accept the consequences of
their folly. People have been warned not to participate countless times. Having
given Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in the flawed elections people must
know that they cannot remove the regime from office by staging street protest!
The
people should be demanding the implementation of the reforms to ensure free and
fair elections. Their first port of call in this is to stop the MDC/CCC selling
out of implementing the reforms. The second, for the people themselves to stop
participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy. With the first
and second steps done, only then can the people go out on the street to demand
democratic reforms. The difference here is subtle but, nonetheless, very important;
it is insane to protest against flawed elections when it is CCC and ourselves
when it is our greed and stupidity respectively that is keeping Zanu PF in
power.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's move to extend free health care to chiefs a few months before major elections has been criticised as a vote-buying gimmick.
ReplyDeleteMnangagwa handed access cards from the struggling Premier Services Medical Aid Society (Psmas) during a Chiefs Council conference in Bulawayo last week.
Psmas subsidiary, Premier Service Medical Investments' (PSMI) closed at least 150 of its clinics including pharmacies, radiology, optometry, dental which mainly benefited civil servants on Psmas cover after it ran out of money.
Psmas has over 890 000 members each with three beneficiaries who have been relying on PSMI service centres, bringing the total beneficiaries to slightly over 2,5 million.
Political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya accused Mnangagwa of abusing traditional leaders by promising them non-existent medical cover.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because of the ease with which Mugabe and then Mnangagwa has had in recruiting Zimbabweans to do his dirty bidding for a price!
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC leaders have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life, they will never rock the boat!) boasted one Zanu PF crony during the GNU when asked why MDC leaders were not implementing the democratic reforms. What the crony should have said, “MDC leaders have learned from us, Zanu PF!”
With in a few weeks of getting into power Mugabe replaced the Peugeot 406 vehicles Ian Smith’s minister had used with class E Mercedes Benz limos. This kick started the political patronage, the gravy train mentality. Zanu PF leaders have criticise their leaders even in the face of the rampant corruptions and not even the Gukurahundi massacre.
“Mose murivakadzi vaMugabe!” (You are all Mugabe’s helpless concubines!) remarked Margaret Dongo is sheer exasperation at how none of the Zanu PF MPs and ministers ever dared to challenge Mugabe regardless how justified the challenge was!
Mnangagwa has extended to political patronage system to the local traditional leaders because they are now Zanu PF political commissars in all but name. Zanu PF is rigging these elections, it is a pity that CCC and the rest of the opposition are hell bent on participating in these flawed elections – they are after their own share of the gravy train benefits! MPs get a generous salary and allowances including US$60k to buy a car. Last November Mnangagwa improved on this with a US$40k housing bribe. The traditional leaders too have learned to enjoy the gravy train good life and not to rock the boat!
This is not an empty threat. Zanu PF is rigging these elections and the only reason CCC are participating is greed! Pure and simple! https://www.zimeye.net/2023/03/18/leaked-audio-mnangagwa-orders-headmen-to-frogmarch-every-villager-to-vote-in-assisted-mode/
ReplyDeleteAs a rule, nations get the government they deserve. We in Zimbabwe certainly deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its coterie of corrupt and utterly useless opposition parties. We started well by demanding one man, one vote during the fight to end white colonial rule. Mugabe and his cronies betrayed the ordinary people by denying them a free and meaningful vote.
ReplyDelete"If Zanu PF does not win the elections, the bush war would continue," Mugabe threatened in 1980. Of course, the people voted to end the war but only to give Zanu PF the opportunity to create a de facto one party dictatorship.
There have been many chances to end the Zanu PF dictatorship the best of which was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The people have risked life and limb to elect MDC leaders into power on thye understanding they would implement the democratic reforms to end the Zanu PF dictatorship. MDC leaders have not only failed to implement even one meaningful reform but, worst of all they are selling people the idiotic nonsense that we do need reform and free elections.
The nation is now fighting to win rigged elections, Zanu PF now has carte blanche powers to rig election! Many of those who have lost their lives fighting for one man one vote must be spinning in the graves to see what they risked all traded in for something worthless!
It is laughable that people should participate in flawed election, so flawed there is no verified voters' roll, a large section of the electorate are frogmarched to vote for Zanu PF, etc. hoping against reason to win. And when they fail to win, they think they can achieve regime change by going on to the street! Why did you give the regime legitimacy in the first place!
ReplyDelete@ Godfrey
ReplyDelete“In other words This statement is saying - participation does not grant legitimacy (substitute Smith for Zanu and Muzorewa and Sithole for CCC and MDC)
So, participation by CCC and MDC will not grant Zanu legitimacy if only the arbiter SADC was nonpartisan. Participation by Opposition does not mean the system used was fair .. this in the eyes of a fair judge.
SADC is the biggest rigger because it is on the basis of their certification of results that Zanu has managed to carry on in power. EU and others acted otherwise despite participation from opposition - they marked the results on the basis of the electoral system and conditions prevailing at the time.
Focus should be on SADC and on the system NOT on opposition and participation
SADC IS THE SELLOUT ivo vega neZanu are the one’s saying the results are a fair product of the constitutional dictates.”
It was the nonparticipation of Zanu and Zapu that robbed Smith legitimacy and by the same token the nonparticipation of MDC A in 2018 would have had the same impact!
The role SADC played during the GNU has been totally different that that they have played since. MDC sold out during the GNU and they are selling out now! It is important to see the difference and react accordingly!
Chief Charumbira is just being his usual foolish self! It is not for Zanu PF and CCC to sit down postpone elections denying the ordinary people a say in the governance of the country. The last GNU was initiated by SADC because the 2008 elections had failed to produce a legitimate government.
ReplyDeleteIt is nonsensical for Zanu PF to initiate a new GNU when the party was tasked to hold elections just because holding such elections does not suit them!
It is nonsense that holding elections per se is a threat to national peace and development. It is Zanu PF that has instigated the violence and lawlessness for the purpose of denying the people their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country.
Both Zanu PF and CCC cannot be key players in the next GNU since they failed to implement even one reform last time. What is there to suggest they will do any better this time round.
Zanu PF has held the nation to ransom for the last 43 years and this must be stopped.