“When your
self-confidence is low; you fight to lose. Zimbabweans’ confidence to hold
free, fair and credible elections is rock bottom and it shows!” commented my
Norwegian friend.
He attached the link
below.
“As a member of
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
(ZLHR)’s member lawyers operating from the provinces are offering free
Commissioner of Oaths services to assist those who are registering during this
ongoing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process,” read the report signed by ZLHR.
I knew EXACTLY what my
friend meant! ZLHR are supposed to be fighting for people’s basic human rights
including the right to free, fair and credible elections. What the hell are
they doing fighting in Zanu PF’s corner by helping the regime deny the people the
free vote!
The stories of how
Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs have ridden roughshod over the people’s dreams,
freedoms and human rights including the right to free, fair and credible
elections and even the right to life itself have been told and retold thousands
of times. There is no question that, without democratic reforms in place, next
year’s elections will NOT be free, fair and credible. That is a given!
Indeed, the regime’s
vote rigging is well and truly underway already. There is no way ZEC is going
to produce a verified voters’ roll ready for next year’s elections, for example.
If the regime wanted to have verified voters’ roll then it would have started
the voter registration back in 2015 and not leave it till now with less than a
year before voting day.
The regime failed to
produce a verified voters’ roll for the July 2013 elections and there were many
voting irregularities which would have never happen if we had a verified voters’
roll. It is clear the regime is not going to release a verified voters’ roll
for next year’s elections for the same sinister purpose!
With no democratic
reforms in place, next year’s elections will not be free, fair and credible;
that is obvious.
President Mugabe and
his Zanu PF thugs do not want free, fair and credible elections because they
will not win!
“What was accomplished
by the bullet, cannot be undone by the ballot!” he said in 2008 as he
encouraged his party thugs to use wanton violence to force people to vote for
him.
Morgan Tsvangirai and
his MDC friends know that with no reforms, the elections will not be free, fair
and credible. They have continued to contest the flawed elections regardless
because of greed, as David Coltart has since admitted 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.”
The three main MDC
factions plus three other opposition parties have since agreed to form a
coalition, the MDC Alliance. However, no one in the Alliance has even mentioned
anything about boycotting next year’s elections – proof that it was not “the
failure to agree a coalition” that compelled MDC leaders to contest flawed and
illegal elections.
Ever since the 2008
elections in which Mugabe gave a graphic demonstration of the depths of depravity
he would sink to win elections the only way forward has been for us to
implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the vote. To
hold elections with no reforms in place is a waste of time and ZLHR with
everyone else involved with Zimbabwe elections should know this.
It is insane to even
participate in a process one knows if flawed and illegal much less encourage
others to do the same. By participating ZLHR and povo are doing their bit to
give the process credibility!
“Mobile services are
available upon request and these will be benefiting some marginalised
communities,” continue the ZLHR report.
“Offering free
Commissioner of Oaths services, my foot!” I replied my friend. “Many of these
ZLHR lawyers would not be wasting their time and money on this utterly futile
exercise if it was not for the generous donors bankrolling their activities. Many
of Zimbabwe’s fat cats are working in the civic society.
“The biggest losers
here are the ordinary Zimbabweans. Povo view the active involvement of ZLHR, ZESN
and all the other NGOs as an endorsement that the electoral process is clean
and participating is the right thing to do. They will be disappointed when they
are frogmarched to attend rallies, denied the vote because their name is not in
the voters’ roll, etc., etc.
“Worse still, most 90%
unemployed and the 72.3% living on US$ 1.00 or less a day are ordinary
Zimbabweans; they are the ones who are desperate to see meaningful political
change. They cannot afford another rigged elections and five more years of the
present economic meltdown.
“Yes, Zimbabwean’s confidence
in self-governing is eroding away after 37 years of blundering from pillar to
post. There is a limit to how many times one can be knocked down and get up again.
Many will not get up, if we have another rigged election!
“It is ironic that ZLHR
should be pretending to be doing the nation a great favour when, in fact, they
are helping Zanu PF to deny the people their right to free and fair elections and
giving the flawed and illegal electoral process the modicum of credibility!”
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