USA Ambassador calls on Zimbabwe to implement democratic reforms. All stakeholders have clogged ears, they can't hear. W Mukori

 “US Ambassador Pamela Tremont, recently appointed to Zimbabwe, has urged the Zimbabwean government to implement reforms and enhance transparency to spur economic growth. Addressing the media in Harare, Tremont emphasized that broad-based economic prosperity requires strong democratic institutions, good public health, and regional security,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“Tremont stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law and respecting constitutional rights, which she described as essential for Zimbabweans' future prosperity. She noted that the US supports democratic principles that align with Zimbabwe's constitution, which was fought for during the liberation struggle.”

Implementing democratic reforms have been mission impossible for three reasons:

1. 1) Zanu PF does not want to lose its iron grip on political power and one sure way of retaining that power is by returning its carte blanche dictatorial powers including the power to rig elections, keep the rural voters poor and subservient to the regime. 

Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office. Never ever!

2. 2) By the late 1990s people of Zimbabwe finally came to a consensus decision to risk livelihoods, limbs and life (over 500 were murdered in the 2008 elections alone) at the hands of Zanu PF to elect opposition leaders whose primary task would be to implement the democratic changes, reforms, to end Zanu PF’s dictatorial powers. Morgan Tsvangirai and his friends launched their MDC party in 1999 promising to deliver the democratic changes the nation was dying for. 

Last year Zanu PF not only blatantly rigged the elections but got away with it because MDC/CCC have not only failed to implement even one token reform in 24 years but have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed. Chamisa and company have given up on implementing reforms and have been conning the people to participate in the flawed elections on the oxymoronic claim the opposition have “Winning In Rigged Elections Strategies” (WIRES). Last year Chamisa claimed that he had “plugged all the vote rigging loop holes! #Godisinit!” 

Just as Zanu PF will never ever reform itself out of office, Chamisa and company will never ever implement an democratic reforms. They failed to implement even one token reform during the GNU when they had all the trump cards, it is naive to expect they to do so now when they are in Zanu PF’s deep pockets. MDC/CCC are Zanu PF team B in all but name.

3. 3) Chamisa was able to con Zimbabweans to believe in the oxymoronic WIRES with ease time and time again because, alas, the overwhelming majority of our people are ignorant, naive and gullible. Democracy demands that the people must be educated, knowledgeable and diligent; Zimbabweans are the exact opposite. 

4. 4) US Ambassador Pamela Tremont’s call for Zimbabwe to implement democratic reforms will fall on deaf ears because neither Zanu PF, the opposition nor the ordinary Zimbabweans will hear for reasons given above. The Ambassador would derive some comfort in knowing that she is not the only one calling for reforms; this is a well trodden path. SADC and AU condemned 2023 elections as flawed and illegal; the former would have denied Zanu PF political legitimacy as happened in 2008 but could not given the fact that millions of Zimbabweans participated in the flawed elections. 

Still Ambassador Tremont, Dr Nevers Mumba chair of SADC Election Observer Mission, etc. must continue to call for reforms in the hope that some Zimbabweans will finally hear and demand the reforms or, at the very least, stop the insanity of participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy.