“I want you to know that when hunting there are those who will be following the one chasing the prey and when he is about to catch the prey you see them sharpening their knives.
“So, be careful of such individuals,” Nelson Chamisa said to cheers from the MDC crowd.
Chamisa was quick to remind us that the MDC-T, under Morgan Tsvangirai, has been in the trenches challenging Zanu PF since formation in 1999; its leaders were battered and incarcerated while supporters have been brutalised at the hands of the ruling party and a State security system avowedly against an opposition takeover of power.
Well if the right to rule is going to be decided on the basis of who was in the trenches the longest and suffered the most, then MDC leaders like Morgan Tsvangirai and Nelson Chamisa but step aside and allow the veterans of the liberation struggle Emmerson Mnangagwa, Joice Mujuru and Robert Mugabe rule! Let us have a constitution one-party, Zanu PF, cum one-man dictatorship; not this de facto one-man dictatorship. Why bother with the multi-party democratic constitution!
Whatever sacrifices Zanu PF leaders or anyone else made in the fight to end white colonial oppression it was so that every Zimbabwean can enjoy freedom, liberty and human rights. The fact that since independence President Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies has systematically denied the people their freedoms and human rights is to be condemn because it undermines the very values the nation fought for and valued. We do not want the nation to be perpetuity at war as each generation fights the generation before it for their freedoms and rights.
MDC may have been in the opposition trenches for many years, that does not give they the right to view the opposition as their own exclusive domain! We are fighting to end one dictatorship to create a democratic Zimbabwe and not to create another dictatorship.
It is easy to see why MDC failed to implement even one democratic reform designed to dismantle the de facto dictatorship in five years of the GNU; deep down in their collective intellect, MDC leaders saw nothing wrong with the dictatorship now that they had been accepted as members of the ruling elite.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends were elected on the ticket to bring about democratic change, as their party name implies. In all their 17 years in power, five of which at the very heart of government in the GNU, they have failed to bring about even one change!
“Zimbabwe’s problem is not Mugabe. Your problem is the opposition,” wrote David Barber in The Zimbabwean. “That is because Mugabe is still in power for one reason and one reason only: your opposition leaders are working at a level no higher than school children fighting over sweets. They are not behaving in the adult, responsible way that is needed if a tyrant is to be removed.
“I hate saying this because I am fully aware, as the whole world is, of the enormous sacrifice many members of your opposition have made over the years: abuse, wrongful imprisonment, brutality and murder. How many bodies lie in unknown, unmarked graves?
“But, unfortunately, bravery alone does not win battles. To win, one must still fight in the right way. And it hurts to see people hurling themselves impotently against a solid door when all the time the key was there if only they knew how to use it.”
Tsvangirai and company had the golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms during the GNU and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship once and once for all. President Mugabe bamboozled not just Tsvangirai and a few other, everyone in the two MDC factions in the GNU, into kicking reforms into the tall grass.
MDC will never remove Zanu PF from power, they missed their chance to do so during the GNU and ever since they have settled for the few seats the tyrant gives away to entice them to contest elections.
“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,” admitted David Coltart, as MDC Minister in the GNU, 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.”
Coltart was writing about contesting the 2013 elections with no reforms in place. Since those rigged elections not even one reform has been implemented and so Zanu PF is certain to rig next year’s elections. Tsvangirai and company are set to contest next year’s elections for the same reason they contested the July 2013 elections – greed.
“I am saying all those who want to join us please feel free to do so because we have opened our doors for any coalition,” continued Chamisa.
“Those who want to work with us like Joice Mujuru, please come and follow Tsvangirai. Tendai Biti if you want to work with us, come and follow Tsvangirai, Dr Simba Makoni, even if you once failed, you are free to come and join Tsvangirai.”
Tsvangirai et al have long ago given up the fight for free, fair and credible elections, all they are after is the few gravy train seats and bragging rights to being Zimbabwe’s main opposition party!
Zimbabwe is in a serious economic mess, unemployment has soared to 90% and Zimbabweans are now the poorest in Africa. The principle reason we are in this mess is because for the last 37 years the nation was stuck with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime. To remove Zanu PF form power we must implement the democratic reforms – there is no other way.
We need competent leaders who will stand firm and demand implementation of the reforms BEFORE elections – there is real no point in contesting flawed elections. Tsvangirai and his MDC friends will never get even one implemented now, they failed to do so when the task was much easier during the GNU.
If Tsvangirai is the “one chasing the prey (Mugabe)” then it is fair to say he is just chasing shadows as Mugabe has out foxed him a long, long time ago. Only the naive and gullible individual still expect Tsvangirai to make the kill after 17 years of blundering failures!
“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,” wrote David Coltart
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fundamental truth and solid fact that not even Morgan Tsvangirai in his confused and foggy mind, given to flip flopping, has ever tried to deny it. Even his motor mouthed sidekicks Obert Gutu and Douglas Mwonzora has, for once in their useless life, found themselves speechless.
Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, Eddie Cross and one or two other with half brain have been very careful not comment on why they contest the flawed 2013 elections. They know they will look the complete idiots they are if they tried.
With not even one reform in place the 2018 elections will still be "so flawed, so illegal that the only logical step is to withdraw". The question of why are these opposition participating is going to haunt them; the next 12 months are going to be hell for the opposition because the question in not going away! Some of us will see to it that they are asked the question again and again and again; their silence will only encourage us to ask even more often, we will pretend they did not hear!
@ Munya Shonhai
ReplyDeleteWhilst we, the people, are fighting for democratic change, democratic reforms, so we have our freedoms, human rights and human dignity back it is disheartening to note that it is none other than the opposition who are helping Zanu PF deny us our freedoms and rights. Mugabe deliberately got Tsvangirai and his MDC goons "drunk with power that comes with the ministerial offices" and for five years these drunkards failed to get even one reform implemented.
Now our drunken fools are happy with the few seats Mugabe gives out as inducement for contesting flawed elections; as long as they contest the nation is forfeiting the chance to implement the reforms. We must force Tsvangirai his troop of fools to honour their "No reform, no election!" pledge.
We, the people, have not done ourselves any favours by electing people into power and then did not bother to what they were doing. They got up to a lot of mischief and no one was there to see it and so they got away with it!
ReplyDeleteA healthy and functional democracy demands a vigilant electorate who are watching all the time and courageous one who will hold the officials to account. We prefer to elect our leaders, at least the opposition leaders, and then give them a blank cheque - whole cheque book - to fill in the amount and spend as they please.
President Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs have tasted absolute power, loved it, and have found the prospect of giving it up unthinkable. They have corrupted the state institutions to consolidate their iron grip on power. If we want change then we will have to fight for it!
@ Linda
ReplyDelete“Opposition parties now believe that massive voter registration is the panacea for all our electoral problems. The message being relayed is that voters should gather courage and defy ZANU PF orders by refusing to vote against their will. Elections are not meant for brave voters. In the first place they must never be coerced to vote against their will. Opposition political parties and civil society organizations should therefore advocate, canvass and lobby for an end to the coercion of voters to vote against their will and not canvass for bravery. The brave ones are usually abducted and killed and voters have experienced this,” you said.
I could not agree with you more on this point.
SADC leaders have already said that Zimbabwe should implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF from blatantly rigging the vote through vote buying and the use all manner of coercion including beating, rape and murder. It was Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who betrayed the nation and failed to get even one reform implemented in five years.
It is the same sell-out politicians who are preaching this gospel of the electorate must be brave and openly defy Zanu PF. They say it in broad day and quickly drive off to the relative security of the urban homes leaving the rural people to face the Zanu PF thugs on their own. Last time Tsvangirai felt threatened he off to the Netherlands Embassy in a flash!
SADC leaders warned MDC not to contest the 2013 elections with no reforms in place, Tsvangirai et al did not listen because they were after the few seat Zanu PF gives away to entice the opposition to contest and give the electoral process some credibility. MDC leaders do not care that the electorate were being frogmarched, beaten, raped or murdered, all the care about is winning a seat back on the gravy train.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to be gained by the ordinary Zimbabwean from participating in all these flawed elections, if the people were given a free vote on whether they wanted this charade to continue the overwhelming majority will happily vote no.
Ian Smith denied the blacks a vote; that is by far better than what Mugabe is doing. The tyrant was focus to accept the multi-party constitution complete with the need to hold regular elections. So, Zimbabwean have regular elections in which the frogmarched, beaten, raped and over 30 000 have been murdered in the last 37 years just to make sure they voted for Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs!
The right to vote should be a gift but, like so many other things in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, it has become a curse!
I am pleased that a few Zimbabweans are beginning to see that our political nightmare is not just because of the corrupt and tyrannicl Zanu PF dictatorship but also because of the incompetence of the opposition. MDC sold-out big time during the GNU and continue to do so now; the sooner the people woke up to that political reality the sooner they can start looking for competent leaders to get us out of this hell-hole.
ReplyDelete@ Nqaba Matshazi
ReplyDelete“I am exhausted by people who think they deserve my vote simply because they have been in the so-called trenches for eons,” you said.
“I am tired of people, who for no reason, think they are the only ones God-ordained to challenge Zanu-PF and President Robert Mugabe.
“I am tired of this nonsense called splitting votes, because to me it just does not make sense. How is my vote split because I have decided to vote for my favourite candidate?
“Just a reminder; that your candidate is popular with you and your circles does not mean I should like him or her or better still that does not mean they have earned my vote.”
Capital! Bravo!
What is more, the nation risked life and limp to elected these individuals into power in the past and they, like their Zanu PF counterparts, took Mugabe’s bribes and forgot to implement not even one reform in five years they were in the GNU.
“Mazivanhu eMDC adzidza kudya anyerere!” (MDC people have learned to enjoy the gravy train lifestyle and not rock the boat!) boasted Zanu PF bigwigs as to why MDC had abandoned their main task in the GNU - implementing the democratic reforms.
SADC leaders warned MDC leaders of the stupidity of contesting the 2013 election with no reform in place and they did not listen. Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections and landed us in this mess. Worse still, the same idiot want to drag the nation into yet another flawed election next year and they even have the chutzpah to deny the people the right to hear alternative views and right to vote for anyone else!
Mugabe claims he has the right to rig elections to further his no-regime-change mantra. And Tsvangirai thinks he too has the right to haunt anyone from the opposition camp so MDC can be the country’s only opposition party. So, to fight Zanu PF one must first fight MDC! Anyone worth the salt some at least dispatch the latter with easy and you, Nqaba, have just shown how to do it!
“You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!” said Oliver Cromwell to the Rump Parliament of 1653.
To save Zimbabwe from the same scourge of perennial bad governance, we must now say the same to Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The nation is sick and tired of messaging Tsvangirai and his band of breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent village idiots’ hot-air balloon size egos! They, like Mugabe and his thugs, have overstayed their good they have ever done to the nation.
@Nqaba
ReplyDeleteThe issue of the opposition losing the presidential race because they split the vote is a lie being peddled by those who have no clue what they are talking about.
In the first vote the winning presidential candidate must get a minimum of 50% plus one of the cast votes. If the opposition candidates' total vote was 50% plus one it means the opposition would have won if they had fielded one candidated but it does not matter because the Zanu PF candidate did not win either since the best he/she can ever get is 50% MINUS one. In the run-off that will follow there can only be one opposition candidate and he/she can still get the 50% plus one!
Opposition leaders like Tsvangirai pretend to be democrats but only when it suits them, they hate democratic competition and will make all manner of outrageous claims just to stifle debate and competition. It is important that people realise what is going on and stamp it out!