“When you look at situations like
that which prevails in Zimbabwe today, you can see that without change, the
country is not going to be able to get out of the mess it is in. To add to the
many indicators that confirm our status as a country that has totally screwed
up its future, last week a continental study said that we are now the country
with the lowest average wealth on the continent.” Wrote MP Eddie Cross, in an
aptly titled article, Bullets and Ballots
and Big Power, in Nehanda Radio.
MDC had five long years to implement the reforms during the GNU but failed to get even one reform implemented. They compounded our situation by contesting in the 2013 elections without reforms and thus allowing Zanu PF to rig the elections and, worse still, end SADC’s supervisory powers in Zimbabwe before even one reform had been implemented.
If anyone thought that MP Cross and his MDC goons had learnt their lesson after the rigged 2013 elections they were in for another shock. Although MDC leaders resolved that they will never again contest elections without making sure the democratic reforms are implemented first; they have since change their minds. MDC are gearing to contest the 2018 elections with not even one reform in place!
“Gone are the days of colonial power when a gun boat can be dispatched to bring down a delinquent regime, gone are the days when independent States will accept the interference in their domestic affairs and if the ballot does not work (like Zimbabwe) then what is going to save our countries from ourselves and put us on the road to the future?” concluded MP Cross.
We know that MDC leaders, including MP Cross, are not interested in seeing free and fair elections; they are all gearing to contest in the coming elections knowing fully well Zanu PF will rig the vote. MDC leader are not interested in seeing democracy work and the ballot rule the roost, they are only interested in the scraps Zanu PF offers to those who contest the flawed elections, as David Coltart has 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.
“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.”
If MDC leaders had had the courage and foresight and implemented the reforms during the GNU or, as the eleventh hour redeeming act, boycott the 2013 elections Zimbabwe would have implemented the reforms and held its first ever free, fair and credible elections in 2013. The country would have ended the nightmare of corrupt and tyrannical dictatorship and would be reaping the fruits of five years of competent and accountable government.
MDC leaders like MP Cross must be forced to honour their party “No reform, no election!” resolution and demand the implementation of the reforms.
MP Cross continue to shed buckets of crocodile tears “saving the country” and yet they have done nothing to save the country even when they had the golden opportunity to do so.
Indeed, by stubbornly continuing to contest in flawed elections they are playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded revolver but only because the know it is pointing at povo, the ones who have suffered and died the consequences of 37 years of this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship, and them!
There is no end in Zimbabwe's madness especially by the country's politicians. Now they have their eyes on the gravy train seats, their eyes are glazed and there is no reasoning with them. Mugabe won 62% of the vote in 2013 because he rigged the vote. The single opposition candidate then would have got 38% of the vote.
ReplyDeleteIf we do not implement the reforms designed to stop the vote rigging Mugabe he will do so again next year.
Everyone agrees that not even one reform has been implemented since the 2013 elections so why are the opposition contesting flawed elections in violation of their "No reform, no election!" party resolution!
It is high time the ordinary Zimbabweans wake up and refuse to follow these greedy, corrupt and incompetent politicians blindly like sheep. People must demand the implementation of the reforms BEFORE the elections, period!
At the very heart of Zimbabwe’s seemingly intractable political paralysis of one meaningless election after another are our politicians from both sides of the political divide. First and foremost we have Mugabe and his corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF regime who have corrupted our democratic institutions making it impossible to elect competent and accountable government. Zimbabweans are in this political and economic mess because we are stuck with the regime that has developed vote rigging into an art.
ReplyDeleteSecond, we have a corrupt and incompetent opposition that has failed to implement the democratic reforms to stop the vote rigging even when they had the golden opportunity to do so during the GNU. Ever since they have continued to contest in flawed elections giving Zanu PF vote rigging the modicum of democratic credibility for the sake of the few gravy train seats the regime has allowed the opposition to win. The opposition have come up with all manner of feeble excuses why they continue to contest the elections with no reforms.
“(Opposition) Critics argue that the BVR alone cannot address all the electoral concerns in the country, among them a biased State media, the militarisation of ZEC, inadequate voter education, intimidation and at times outright violence before, during and after the polls and the existence of electoral laws that favour the sitting government,” reported Financial Gazette.
The opposition are right to say BVR alone will not stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, they have been warned of this 1001 times. They have also been warned that these wide-ranging reforms cannot be implement now with just over a year before the elections.
The opposition should come out now and declare they will not contest next year’s elections until all the reforms are implemented. Since the July 2013 rigged elections, they have had an outstanding “No reform, no elections!” party resolution. Why are they discarding it now?
Even if the BVR system was fully operational in time for next year we will still have no guarantees that the elections will be free, fair and credible because none of the fundamental reforms have been implemented.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is we have an opposition that is keen as mustard to contest the elections knowing fully well Zanu PF will rig the vote. All they are after are the scraps they know Zanu PF will give away and that is all they care about. They said "No reform, no elections!" after the 2013 elections but they are now disowning their own resolution!
We must stop the opposition betraying the cause of reforms and free and fair elections for their selfish greed!!!!!