Vote Dr Moyo for "best economic policies," - pity lacked the most important quality of all P Guramatunhu

“Nkosana Moyo is the best candidate to support and vote for in the 2018 presidential elections,” came Kuda Bhejana resounding endorsement of Dr Moyo.

“President Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist, James Carville coined the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid!”

“This is exactly the core principle of Dr. Nkosana’s message. He emphasizes the strategy of using government to create an economic environment which positions Zimbabwe as the centre of business in Africa.”

Let me be absolutely clear from the outset, I agree with Kuda 100% that Dr Nkosana Moyo would be infinitely better as President of Zimbabwe than Robert Mugabe or any of Zanu PF candidates fighting to be his successors.

If the truth be said, and it must be said, Morgan Tsvangirai would have made a better President of Zimbabwe than Mugabe. One has only to see the difference MDC’s presence made during the GNU to the country’s economic standing. As soon as Zanu PF retained its full tyrannical control again after the 2013 elections, overnight, the country’s economic decline returned.

Yet regardless of Tsvangirai’s stand head and shoulders higher rating compared to Mugabe, the MDC leader lost the July 2013 election to Mugabe because winning elections in Zimbabwe has absolutely nothing to do with the economy or voters. President Mugabe rigged the vote.

“Mugabe stole the vote,” complained Tsvangirai at the elections.

Of course, Mugabe rigged the elections. We all saw the hooded Zanu PF youths who were bussed around casting multiple votes; the nearly one million mainly opposition supporters who were denied the vote because their person details were deliberately posted in some other constituency voters’ roll other than the one they expected; etc.

The posting of details in wrong constituencies was definitely a deliberate and calculated move by the regime because it then followed this by stubbornly refusing to release the voters’ roll although it is legally obliged to do so, a month before voting day. The regime did not want the deliberate mistake of misplaced details discovered in time and corrected.

The regime has refused to release the voters’ roll even to this day because it is the smoking gun to many of its vote-rigging schemes.

Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections were a watershed elections in that Zanu PF showed the world the range its vote-rigging schemes. Everyone, even the SADC and AU election observers who are renowned for approving some dodgy elections, refused to accept President Mugabe’s claim that the 2008 elections were free and fair. SADC forced President Mugabe to agree to the implementation of a raft of reforms designed to stop his vote rigging.

A GNU composed of Zanu PF and the two MDC factions was formed and given the task of implementing the reforms. Sadly, at the end of the GNU not even one reform had been implemented.

With not even one democratic reform in place it was clear Zanu PF would just use the same vote rigging tricks it had used in the 2008 elections; that was obvious. SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and his MDC friends not to contest the 2013 elections with no reforms in place. As we know, MDC leaders did not listen and it was very foolish of them not to listen; as we know Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig that election, as noted above.  

It is a great pity that MDC leaders were breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent, they failed to implement the democratic reforms. Still there is absolutely nothing to be gain by contesting elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF will rig the vote.

Indeed, there is a heavy price to be paid by contesting. Zanu PF will rig the vote and retain to power and the nation will suffer the consequence of another five years of corrupt and tyrannical rule. But worse still by participating in the flawed elections we forfeit the chance to get the reforms implemented and thus end the dictatorship and move on, as David Coltart acknowledged in his book.

“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.”

You, Bhejana, and Dr Moyo should know that not even one democratic reform was implemented since the rigged July 2013 elections. It is therefore midsummer madness of the worst order to contest next year’s elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF will blatantly rig the vote.

You and Dr Moyo can write volumes of how sound his economic policies are but they are as useless to the nation as a mirage to one dying of thirsty! Dr Moyo must win the election first for him to implement even one of his policies; an impossible fit given Zanu PF rigs the vote!

Dr Moyo is no more than a migrating herd of wildebeest whose mind is so focused on the sweet grass on the other side of the river the herd will ignore the immediate danger of the flood river, the steep river banks, the swarming crocodiles, etc. It will take the death of a hundred or more individuals before it finally dawns on the herd that it is too dangerous to cross at that point or time. The more savvy zebra will have the good sense to find another cross point or wait for the flood water to go down.

Zimbabwe is in a real serious political and economic mess, we know the country has the potential to be a rich and prosperous nation but has failed to do this these last 37 years because Zanu PF has been rigging the elections. We are stuck with this corrupt, tyrannical and vote rigging regime.

SADC leaders have spelt it for us what we need to do, “DO NOT CONTEST THE ELECTIONS UNTIL YOU IMPLEMENT THE REFORMS DESIGNED TO STOP ZANU PF RIGGING THE VOTE!” Common sense really!

It is madness to keep contesting the flawed elections and expecting a different result. That too, is common sense!   

For all his many university degrees, PhDs and all his working experience with world renowned institutions and companies, his time as cabinet minister, etc., etc. it is clear that Dr Moyo does not have the most important quality that all our current crop of leaders have lacked – common sense.