Surest way of stopping Zanu PF rigging 2018 is by forcing MDC to honour "No reform, no elections!" By P Garamatunhu

The need for Zimbabwe to hold free, fair and credible elections next year is now the single most important issue on the nation’s agenda because it is the pre-requisite to economic recovery. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has seen unemployment soar to 90% and the number will be boasted by another 200 000 who will be send back from SA end of the year; basic services such as health, education and supply of clean water have all but collapsed; millions of our people now live in abject poverty; etc. The economic situation is totally intolerable and unsustainable; we are now standing on the very edge of the precipice.

We need do no something to revive the economy and save the nation from tumbling over the edge into economic, social and political chaos. We know what we need to do to revive the economy – end the mismanagement, corruption and lawlessness. We have done nothing to address these economic evils for the last 37 years because we are stuck with this Zanu PF regime that will not do anything to address these problems and, worse still, rigs elections to justify its continued stay in power and stopping anyone else getting into power and address the economic problems.

For years, my anger and frustration has been directed at President Mugabe and Zanu PF for dragging the nation into this economic mess and for creating this de facto one party dictatorship the has made it very difficult to get out of the mess. But in recent years my anger and frustration has turned on Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends; whilst they have continued to keep up the outward appearance of fighting in the common people’s corner to bring democratic change it is now increasing clear they are the ones now stopping change, for their own selfish reasons!

Tsvangirai and his MDC friends sold-out during the GNU years; they accepted President Mugabe’s gravy train lifestyle bribes plus a $4 million Highland mansion for Tsvangirai himself and, in return, they saw to it that not even one democratic reform was implemented. This is a well-established historic fact that no one, worth his salt, can dispute!

As if selling-out during the GNU was not bad enough, MDC leaders continue to undermine the people’s struggle to end this Zanu PF dictatorship with their mind boggling mediocracy or out and out betrayal!

“Recent reports to the effect that the bankrupt and faction – infested Zanu PF regime has, all of a sudden, managed to raise the more than US$17 million that is needed to acquire biometric voter registration kits are very disturbing,” said a recent MDC-T statement. “The MDC is deeply concerned about the improper involvement of the Zanu PF regime in the acquisition of the biometric voter registration kits.”

“For the record, the Constitution of Zimbabwe specifically provides, under Section 232, that the ZEC is one of the five (5) independent Commissions. This essentially means that ZEC should be getting its own budgetary allocation from the national budget for the purpose of running its operations.”

The issue of making sure the next elections are free and fair is a serious matter and making sure that ZEC is independent, voter registration and voting are transparent, etc. are all very important. It is therefore very disappointed that MDC are trivialising these matters by making a mountain out of mole hills. MDC should be calling for the wholesale democratic reforms of the funding, appointment and supervision of ZEC and not waste time on minor issues of no consequence. Accepting UNDP funding of the biometric voting kit would not have guaranteed ZEC’s independence or stopped the regime corrupting the system afterwards.

As for Zimbabwe government being “bankrupt”, MDC-T leaders should know by now that there is a “parallel government in Zimbabwe, the Joint Operation Command (JOC), with its own source of funding”, as Tendai Biti, when he was Minister of Finance in the GNU, rightly pointed out. Whilst the formal government is bankrupt JOC is loaded with cash.

It was JOC that paid the US$20 million for Zanu PF’s fleet of new 365 off-road vehicles, in preparation for next year’s elections. Zanu PF must have spent $4 billion, at least, in 2013 elections and the party has already started spending money as if there is no tomorrow, at this rate the party will burn $10 billion for 2018 elections.

The funding disparity between Zanu PF and the opposition is so big; it is no exaggeration to say the latter have already lost the elections! It is also in the nation’s interest to establish the sources of Zanu PF’s lavish finance; given big hospitals like Harare and Mpilo Hospitals have been running out of life saving basic drugs due to decades of underfunding!

“We are not going to allow a situation whereby the moribund and corrupt Zanu PF regime will be allowed to steal the people’s vote in Election 2018.The MDC is doing everything possible to ensure that the biometric voter registration kits are going to be supplied by a legitimate and credible company and not by a surrogate company of Nikuv that is manipulated and controlled from Chaminuka and Munhumutapa Buildings in Harare,” concluded MDC-T.

This is just hot-air coming out of Harvest House, MDC-T HQ!

MDC-T were warned not contest the 2013 elections without implementing the reforms first, they did not listen. They were confident they will win regardless of the Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans. It was only after the rigged elections that MDC leaders came to their senses and accepted that reforms were important. The party resolved to boycott elections until reforms are implemented. “No reforms, no elections!” they agreed.

MDC-T has failed to get even one democratic reform implemented since the July 2013 elections. Not one! And yet, surprise, surprise they are going to contest next year’s elections! They are assuring us here they “doing everything” to stop Zanu PF rigging the 2018 elections and yet they have done NOTHING.

Indeed MDC-T are doing everything to make it easy for Zanu PF to get away with another rigged elections because by participating they are giving the whole process a measure of democratic credibility! Zanu PF has since learned that by allowing the opposition to win a few seats they will participate in elections regardless how flawed and unfair the process happens to be.

MDC-T sold-out during the GNU by failing to implement even one reform. They sold-out by participating in flawed 2013 elections in total disregard of the warning not to. They are now preparing to participate in the flawed 2018 election in disregard of their own resolution of “No reform, no elections!”

We want to stop Zanu PF rigging the 2018 elections we can do so be stopping Tsvangirai and his band of sell-out opposition friends from contesting the flawed elections! As the Shona would say “Kukwira gomo kupoterera!” (The most direct route up the mountain is not necessarily the quickest, easiest or most effective way!)