Zimbabwe
is in a serious economic and political mess and one of the reasons why we are
in this mess is the failure to think through our problems logically and
thoroughly. Here is one typical example.
"The
news of the progressive opposition coming together in their numbers under the
banner of MDC Alliance is, perhaps, the biggest news that 2017 has ever seen,”
said Bulawayo prominent lawyer Matshobana Ncube.
"The
scenario that happened in Matabeleland South in the 31 July 2013 where the
opposition MDCs (led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Prof Welshman Ncube) went
neck to neck in terms of numbers and thus allowed Zanu-PF to snatch victory on
a silver platter should easily be avoided in 2018 under an Alliance.
“Secondly,
there are lots of people who are despondent about politics in Zimbabwe and have
given up its ability to deliver change owing to the fragmented opposition. Added
to these are those who see opposition politicians and politics as being
informed by greed and selfishness, where politicians only care about their own
careers (and right to ‘eat') to the detriment of the national good. Allied
closely to this group are the fence sitters, those who are undecided whether to
vote at all or not, in light of the fragmentation within the political ranks.
These people will without a doubt begin to believe again in the ability of the
electoral process to deliver on a life outside of Zanu-PF."
True
enough looking at the results of the July 2013 elections for Matabeleland South
and a number of other constituencies up and down the country, there is no
disputing that a straight forward addition of the split opposition votes would
have given a united opposition candidate victory. But this is totally
misleading because next year’s elections are not about one or two provinces
plus a few select constituencies; these are national elections. We must
consider what happen in every village, growth point, town and city in the whole
of Zimbabwe not in Matabeleland South alone.
President
Mugabe won 62% of the national vote and so a united opposition candidate would
have won 38% of the votes and thus lose the presidential race. If all the 62%
who voted for the Zanu PF presidential candidate voted for a Zanu PF
parliamentary and senatorial candidate then Zanu PF would still have won the
majority in both houses.
We
all know many people failed to register to vote because there were few voter
registration centres opposition strongholds than in Zanu PF strongholds. Nearly
one million people were denied the vote because their details were not in the
constituencies voters’ roll they expected. We all saw with our own eyes hooded
Zanu PF youths who were bussed from one polling station to the next casting
multiple votes. The regime increase the number of polling stations from 2 000
to a staggering 9 000 just two days before voting day.
The
regime refused to release a verified voters roll although this is a
constitutional requirement. Such errors, assuming there were errors, as personal
data being posted in a wrong constituency would have been discovered and
corrected. There is no doubt that the voters roll was the smoking gun that
would have revealed how Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections.
That
is right Lawyer Ncube, Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections. President Mugabe
owes his 62% landslide victory to systematically denying opposition supporters
the right to vote whilst fraudulently increasing his vote by allowing his
supporters to cast multiple vote, frogmarching village to vote for him, etc.
By
noon of voting day, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends across the country
were openly admitting that Zanu PF had rigged the elections. Of course, SADC
and other outsiders ignored the complains because MDC leaders had been warned
this would happen.
In
2014 MDC passed a party congress resolution not to contest future elections
until democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging elections are
implemented. “No reform, no elections!” they said.
For
your own information, Advocate Matshobana Ncube, not even one reform has been
implemented since July 2013. Not one! With no reforms in place there is nothing
to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote again.
The
formation of the MDC Alliance will stop the opposition splitting the vote but
will do nothing to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote. Tsvangirai and company are
using the Alliance as a feeble excuse for contesting next year’s elections with
no reforms in place in total disregard of SADC leaders’ advice again and their
own “No reform, no elections!” resolution.
Whilst
one would expect the ordinary Zimbabweans in the rural back waters to be easily
fooled by Tsvangirai into believing the Alliance will stop vote rigging, it is disappointing
that even our learned friend, Lawyer Matshobana Ncube, was easily fooled too. But
then, he is not the only lawyer, engineer, degree or even PhD holder to be
fooled by these corrupt and incompetent MDC and Zanu PF politicians. In a
country where PhD can be awarded to someone with a few “O” passes after three
months part-time university work; we have so many university graduates but only
a few have learnt anything of value or even have common sense!
"A
guaranteed electoral win will be possible under the Alliance. It does not
matter how hoarse one argues against the Alliance, statistics are stubborn and
these do not lie,” continue Ncube.
“Nhamo
inenhero!” (Fools are stubbornly foolish!) as one would say in Shona.
Contesting next year’s elections with no reform is foolish because Zanu PF will
rig the vote just as they have done in the past. After 37 years of rigged
elections, it is madness contesting the elections knowing fully well Zanu PF
will rig the vote but hoping against hope that the result will be different,
Zanu will rig the vote but lose the election!
It is very disappointing that even now with all the mountain of facts before us there are people who still pretend not to know that Zanu PF rigs elections. Our learned friend, Lawyer Ncube's whole argument is premised on the assumption that July 2013 elections were free, fair and credible.
ReplyDeletePresident Mugabe and his Zanu PF’s vote rigging advisers know that the challenge for them is two-fold; one, win the presidential race and the majority in parliament and senate. Two, make the rigged elections as credible as possible. There many, many different, ways of achieving its first objective just as there are many ways of achieving its second objective. With such expect advice from NIKUV, the Israeli firm that has worked with the regime on vote rigging for years now, the regime can mix and match to produce an infinite number of ways to achieve its two objectives; the more varied the hard it will be to detect a pattern.
It is not inconceivable, for example, that Zanu PF would allocate 80% of its fictitious votes to a Zanu PF candidate, enough to win, and the rest to the weakest candidate is a given race. The very fact that combined votes of the opposition was enough to beat the Zanu PF candidate will work to the party’s advantage because it all points to race was close and credible.
No doubt there will be independent or other smaller parties contesting next year’s elections beside the MDC Alliance and Zanu PF candidates. It is not beyond Zanu PF’s vote rigging capability to rig the vote so an independent candidate like Fadzai Mahere, for example, win in Mount Pleasant. A simplistic view of such a result will lead people like our learned friend Ncube to concluded that the elections were free, fair and credible. The truth is, of course, different; what we have here is a regime with very sophisticate, well-funded vote rigging machine.
The 2008 elections showed us all what the Zanu PF vote-rigging juggernaut can do; cook up figures to turn a 73% into a 47% after six weeks of recounting and turn on the wanton violence to overhaul a 27% defeat in March into an 84%victory in June! It is naïve to keep denying Zanu PF does not rig elections and insane to believe a simple act of uniting the opposition alone will be enough to defeat Zanu PF.
There are some, Tsvangirai and many in the opposition camp today, who believe the nation must contest the elections no matter how flawed and illegal the process has become. These people are single-track minded and down-right stupid and dangerous. Elections are a contest much like a game of football, the game is played in a field with clearly defined boundaries, with rules and officials to ensure everyone observes the rules. It is totally unacceptable that Zanu PF can be both contestants and the officials, set the rules which they alone know and can change as and when it pleases them. Of course, under such conditions the game becomes a meaningless farce. Those who continue to take part are doing the nation a great disservice in that they are, by participating, giving the modicum of credibility to the flawed and illegal process.
Tsvangirai and company continue to contest the flawed elections because they are after the scraps Zanu PF throws away to entice the opposition to take part. Tsvangirai and company are using the Alliance and many other feeble excuses to justify why they contest the flawed election even whilst admitting the elections will be rigged.
Of course, Zanu PF will never accept reforms and free and fair elections; why would they if they are getting away with rigging elections and staying in power.
After 37 years of rigged elections, it is madness to continue participating and giving the flawed process the modicum of credibility. We are being cheated of our right to free, fair and credible elections; the very least we can do here is refuse to register to vote, attend no rallies and come voting day, stay away from all polling stations. This is a sham election and we should have absolutely nothing to do with the whole shameful and illegal process. Nothing!