Biti resolve to contest flawed elections "unshaken" by arsonists attack - we want free elections. By P Guramatunhu

“Zimbabwe’s former Finance Minister, Tendai Biti’s rural homestead has been burnt down by suspected Zanu PF arsonists,” screamed the headlines!

Whilst every peace-loving Zimbabwean will join in the condemnation of the barbaric act of burning Biti’s home it is hard to deny that this is in fact part and parcel of Zanu PF’s dirty election tactics. We cannot deny the reality of Zanu PF’s culture of political violence and vote rigging.

The whole purpose of implementing the raft of democratic reforms during the GNU was to end this perverse culture of violence and vote rigging once and once for all! It is a great pity that Tendai Biti and his fellow MDC friends allowed themselves to be bought-off with the trappings of political office and failed to implement even one reform.

Mr Biti and his MDC friends had the option to withdraw from contesting the 2013 elections and force the implementation of the democratic reforms but again failed to do the right thing for selfish personal reasons as Senator David Coltart has his admitted.

“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 elections,” explained Senator Coltart in his recent book.

“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.”

Zanu PF’s vote rigging juggernaut is a fine-tuned machine thanks to the billions of dollars that are pouring in from the wholesale looting and plunder taking place in Marange and Chiadzwa. Zanu PF members’ hunger for political power and the wealth it has brought them in insatiable. Zanu PF may have their own internal problems but their resolve to rig the 2018 elections and stay in power is rock solid.

Grace Mugabe’s boast that even “a corpse” of Mugabe will win next year’s elections is not as hollow and naïve as some people have been quick to say. Only three weeks ago Zanu PF thugs, Village Heads and Chiefs corralled villagers in the Bikita West by-elections to give the party’s candidate a resounding 78% electoral victory. As long as the party retains the total control of all State institutions, total control of every aspect of the whole electoral process and, above all else, unfettered access to the nation’s wealth and resources to bankroll its most devious and no-expense-spared vote rigging schemes; Zanu PF will be unbeatable.

Zimbabwe’s elections are so flawed, Zanu PF has carte blanche license to rob the nation blind to bankroll its political activities, to harass, beat and rape the electorate and even murder some – over 30 000 have been murdered already. Tendai Biti and his fellow opposition friends have turned a blind to all this madness and ever provided the regime the smokescreen to hide its lawlessness and tyrant by participating in the elections regardless.

If boycotting the 2013 elections was the “obvious” thing to do; boycotting the 2018 elections until reforms are implemented is the ONLY thing to do.

“However, despite these attempts on the life of the PDP leader, President Biti and the entire PDP family remain unshaken and resolute as we prepare for the watershed 2018 elections,” said the party statement.

Tendai Biti, his PDP family and all the other opposition politicians hell-bend on contesting the 2018 elections are doing so for their own selfish person ambition of winning the few seats Zanu PF throws away as bait, as Senator Coltart rightly pointed out. They are not advancing the national cause to implement the democratic reforms so we can finally have the country’s first free, fair and credible elections. Indeed, by their continued participation even when there is overwhelming evidence of the folly of doing so, they are now actively undermining efforts to implement the reforms.

Tendai Biti & co. are not doing the nation any favours by contesting flawed elections and they must stop patronising the people with all their lying and nonsense talk of selfless sacrifice. MDC leaders sold-out during the GNU and they are still doing so today, given half a chance.

The key question Tendai Biti & co. must now answer what else does Zanu PF have to do to finally convince you the elections are flawed and thus finally force you to boycott the election until reforms are implemented?