Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T
are gearing up to contest the 2018 national elections and so are the other MDC
factions. What happened to "No reform, no elections"?
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC
friends have never understood the critical importance of free, fair and
credible elections as the foundation of democracy and good governance. They
have never appreciated Zanu PF’s vote rigging powers either. Put the two
together and it is clear why MDC has failed to implement even one reform in the
five years of the GNU. Tsvangirai was convinced MDC’s popular support was so
massive that no “Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans” would overturn MDC’s
majority, he later admitted.
It was not until early 2013, the
tail end of the GNU, that MDC panic when Zanu PF started rolling out its vote
rigging machine in preparation for the elections. Suddenly MDC leaders wanted
the reforms implemented but instead of tabling concrete reform proposals, they
started asking for the life of the GNU to be extended to October 2013, at the
earliest. It was easy to shoot down the request to extend the GNU’s life since
it was supposed to last 18 months and had lasted 60 months instead and still failed
to implement even one reform. There was nothing to suggest extending the GNU
would change anything.
Besides it was no secret that MDC
leaders were enjoying the gravy train ride, a good reason to end the GNU. It is
not surprising that the GNU end after the five years and, not so surprising,
not even one reform was implemented in its life time although this was the
primary task of the GNU – implement a raft of reforms to ensure the next
elections are free, fair and credible.
The high attendance figures at
MDC rallies compared to the very poor attendance at Zanu PF rallies must have
restored MDC confidence of winning regardless of Zanu PF’s vote rigging shenanigans.
Tsvangirai was beaming with confidence of winning the elections but by noon of
the main day of voting, long before polling station closed, he came out to
complain of “Zanu PF is stealing the elections!”
The vote rigging by Zanu PF was
blatant and widespread; nearly one million voters, mainly opposition
supporters, were denied the vote; the number of polling stations was increased
from2 000 to 9 000 just two days before voting and many of these additional
stations had the same numbers of cast votes; etc. Many Zanu PF members have since
admitted they were “shocked” at the party’s victory. It was therefore no exaggeration
to say Zanu PF was “stealing” the elections!
The conduct of the July 2013
Zimbabwe elections has settled one issue beyond dispute – that as long as Zanu
PF is allowed a freehand to rig the vote no opposition will ever win the
elections and thus the people of Zimbabwe will continue to be denied a
meaningful vote and say in the governance of the country. MDC leaders have quarrelled
with each other and never agreed on anything of substance but they all agreed
on boycotting elections until meaningful reforms are implemented to stop Zanu
PF rigging the vote.
“No reform, no elections!” all
the MDC factions agreed. And true to their word, no MDC faction has contested
any of the many by-elections since the rigged July 2013 elections
We know that not even one
democratic reform has been implemented since the rigged July 2013 elections. Not
one! It therefore goes without saying that the Zanu PF vote rigging juggernaut has
not been dismantled in anyway. Zanu PF members are fighting amongst themselves
like hyenas over a carcass but they will fight off the opposition even more ruthlessly.
Come the elections, the juggernaut will be running like clockwork, oiled by the
billions of dollars looted from Marange diamonds. It is therefore alarming to
hear that all the MDC factions have called off the election boycott and will be
contesting the 2018 elections even though not even one reform was implemented.
Dr Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai
Biti, Professor Welshman Ncube, etc.; what has happened to “No reform, no
elections!”?
“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,”
said Senate Coltart, an MDC cabinet member in the GNU, of the 2013 elections.
Zanu PF has been careful to allow
the opposition parties to win a few seats during nationwide elections and it is
these seats the opposition are fighting over; if this was not so obvious in the
2013 elections it is glaring obvious this time.
“There are unjust people as there are unjust laws,” said Mahatma Gandhi.
Zanu PF is the unjust regime conducting illegal elections. Zimbabwe’s opposition politicians have played their part in the long stay in power of the Zanu PF dictatorship by granting the regime a measure of respectability by contesting rigged elections. President Mugabe has rewarded the opposition with a few seats on the gravy train, $4 million Highlands mansions, etc. The selling out of the people’s freedoms and basic human rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections by the opposition must now stop!
If boycotting the elections was
obvious thing to do in 2013; boycotting the 2018 elections is now the ONLY logical
thing to do.
"If boycotting elections was the obvious thing to do in 2013; boycotting the 2018 elections is now the ONLY logical thing to do."
ReplyDeleteWith not even one democratic reform implemented and the vote rigging and violence already sweeping the land; it is sheer madness to think the 2018 elections will be free, fair and credible. The people of Zimbabwe have yarned for peace and to bask in the sunshine of freedom and liberty. They have never had a free vote for they were denied that by the white colonialists and, for the last 37 years, by their fellow blacks.
The next elections must be free, fair and credible and if it is not possible to have free and fair elections in 2018, then we must boycott all elections until it is possible to hold free and fair elections. We refuse to go through even one more mockery of an election to please the Zanu PF thugs and the few opposition underlings who bless such processes for the sake of the scraps Zanu PF throws in their direction.
We have had the great misfortune of a vote rigging, corrupt and tyrannical ruling party Zanu PF whose tyrannical rule has been made easy and extended because we also had the great misfortune of having a corrupt and incompetent opposition who failed to implement even one democratic reform when they had the golden opportunity to do so.
ReplyDeleteAs if this was not back enough, we also have the civic society which does not know it’s right hand from its left; the failure by ZPP and other NGO to condemn Zanu PF for failing to hold free, fair and credible and condemn the opposition by giving such elections credibility by taking part is inexcusable.
If an organisation like ZPP has no clue what constitute a free, fair and credible election then they have no business wasted donors' money masquerading as an NGO, monitoring elections and producing meaningless report on a subject matter they know nothing about!
“Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is on record castigating the Head of State and Government as well as senior Zanu PF officials for reckless statements that have the potential of fanning violence and hatred among Zimbabweans,” you tell us.
ReplyDeleteAfter 37 years of voting rigging and violence and the situation has got worse not better with the passage of time; has it ever occurred to anyone, anyone at all in Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition that the organization should call for something more concrete to end the madness instead of the usual dribble and platitudes!
The failure by CZC and other NGO to condemn Zanu PF for failing to hold free, fair and credible and demand the implementation of democratic reforms to end the madness and the failure condemn the opposition for taking part in fraudulent elections, thus giving them a modicum of credibility, all these years is inexcusable.
If an organisation like CZC have no clue what constitute a free, fair and credible election then they have no business wasted donors' money masquerading as an NGO, monitoring elections and producing meaningless report on a subject matter they know nothing about!
“Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T are gearing up to contest the 2018 national elections and so are the other MDC factions. What happened to "No reform, no elections"?” You rightly ask!
ReplyDeleteWith no reforms in place, boycotting Zimbabwe’s 2013 elections was the “obvious” thing to do and SADC leaders advised Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to do just that. Senator David Coltart, credit to him for seeing it as the obvious thing to do too or be it the penny dropped on the eleventh hour! But not even he could resist the temptation of another five years on the gravy train hence the reason he would not take his own council and joined the rest of his MDC friends in contesting the elections.
The vote rigging by Mugabe was so blatant, in your face, that even the dim-witted Morgan Tsvangirai could see this was daylight robbery. By noon on voting day, there was no need to wait for voting to end or the results to be announced, he was telling the world Mugabe “stole the vote!” The world gave him the middle finger salute, because they had warned him this would happen and he ignored them.
The MDC leaders decided to boycott future elections after the rigged 2013 elections was meant as the message to the world that they have now come to their senses and will do the right thing. No one should be surprised that they have since flip-flopped back to taking part in the coming 2018 election.
These are men and women who have blundered from pillar to post all their lives because they are breathtakingly incompetent. Even on a matter that they should see as obvious and therefore be consistent they wave like branches of a willow tree. The promise of a seat of the gravy train has them whipping around like willow tree branches in gale force winds! Greed has their eyes are glassed over with visions of themselves as minister, Mugabe has all his ministers issued with the latest model of Mercedes Benzes plus many other luxuries; there is nothing anyone can say or do to stop taking part in the elections and claim the prize!
Granted they will complain the elections were rigged not that anyone will listen; it is tiring listening to fools.