"Some of our brothers
and sisters in the Diaspora continue to protest and demand political reforms
from a regime which knows that it will be suicidal to do so,” argued Musewe.
"Their calls for comprehensive reforms will never be heeded because ZANU
(PF) knows that it is hugely unpopular especially amongst those who had to make
the choice to leave the country. Allowing them to vote, for example, would
sound their political death knell and they will do whatever it takes to make
sure that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora do not vote. That is the truth.”
I have read the above quotation and the original Vince
Musewe article over and over again trying to make sense of it. It is clear he
accepts that implementing the GPA reforms would deliver free and fair elections
which Zanu PF fear because they cannot win.
For someone not totally versed in Zimbabwean politics; the above
quotation is misleading; the people in the diaspora would benefit from implementing
comprehensive reforms but so too will those in the country. Those in the
diaspora are asking for polling station outside the country so they do not have
to travel back to Zimbabwe to vote. For those in the country the problem is the
elections are not free and fair. Granting those outside the right to vote in
the present situation is just a waste of time; if the regime can rig the vote
from a local polling station it can do the same with vote from London, New
York, etc.
Vince accepts that implementing the reforms would deliver
free and fair elections and get rid of President Mugabe, since he cannot win
free and fair elections. So one expected Vince to be calling for the
implementation of reform and here he is tell the people the exact opposite, do not
bother demanding the reforms. Why, one was compelled to ask?
This is a clear contestation of the right of the slave to be
free and right of slave-master to deny others freedom; the right of millions of
ordinary Zimbabweans to freedom, human rights and their very survival and President
Mugabe’s right to be a dictator. So other the dictator’s right tramps the
inalienable of the ruled or is Vince is arguing that we cow in and accept the
subjugation because Mugabe will ruthlessly impose his will anyway. It is
clearly not be the latter because he furious at the people’s lack of
aggression.
“It was Thomas Jefferson who said that the tree of liberty
must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots. It therefore
can never be refreshed by continuous false hope and non-action as is the case
in Zimbabwe. I, however, truly believe that the idea of freedom can indeed be
circumvented but it can never be forsaken,” demanded Musewe.
What Vince Musewe wants is for Zimbabweans to risk all to get
Tsvangirai or whoever is the leader of his coalition but not to be even concerned
about dismantling the dictatorship even if this is within the nation’s reach.
He is talking of the folly of “continuous false hope” and yet
that is exactly what he is offering us here what could be more hopeless than
going out of our way to surgically remove the dictator so that all the other
aspects of the dictatorship are not touch in the hope the next leader will
never take advantage of dictatorial powers! In many ways that is what happened
during the GNU, MDC did not implement any reforms because they believed they
could term the dictatorship by painting it in MDC colours. This time it will be
better since the dictator will be Tsvangirai and not Mugabe!
Yeah some people do like to make simple things complex; Brother
Musewe had me scratching my head for hours, I think he is conning us into
accepting a dictatorship be it with a new party colours and new dictator!
We know that the 2008 GPA reforms are exactly what we need to
dismantle the dictatorship and with it will go the possibility of Mugabe or
anyone else rigging future elections. We must keep to this simple and
straightforward plan and not allowed those with forked tongues talk us into
doing anything else!
@ Choto
ReplyDeleteEven if you used arms to end this dictatorship you will still need a democratic constitution to replace current one.
The March 2013 constitution was weak and feeble as it was designed to avoid implementing the democratic reforms. People were warned that the new constitution would never deliver free and fair elections, the nation needed the reforms to be implemented but the people did not listen.
Tsvangirai and his MDC friends are corrupt and incompetent just as Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs are a corrupt and murderous lot. We need to take the business of electing quality leaders with the urgency the matter demands. We can deliver a democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe if we elect quality leaders without even needing to fight another civil war!