“We Will Trounce Zanu PF- MDC!”
screamed the Zimeye headline.
Former government employee Lloyd Mupfudze
who is likely to contest in the House of Assembly election in Gutu Central
Constituency on an MDC ticket is upbeat about victory.
“Ladies and Gentlemen I am glad to announce
that my beloved party MDC T led by President Advocate Nelson Chamisa has
approved my candidature for the 2018 general election.
“I will be
contesting with fellow cadres in the primary elections to be held in due
course.
Gutu Central
is our constituency. I am confident of winning both the primary elections and
the Gutu North Parliamentary Seat,” said Mupfudze.
The trouble with those MDC leaders is
that they have made these election victory claims time and time again but have gone
on to be trounced instead. What is at issue here is not so much that the
opposition have lost the elections but that Zanu PF blatantly rigged the
elections. It is not so much that the individual opposition candidate or party
was cheated but more importantly that the voters and the nation at large is
being cheated.
Opposition candidate like Mupfudze and
political parties themselves like MDC Alliance are not doing the voters and the
nation any favours by failing to do everything in their power to ensure there
is no cheating, the elections are free, fair and credible. Politicians should
not just be concerned about the result but also in the process.
If elections are not free, fair and credible,
the whole electoral system will become a meaningless farce, a worst of time and
resources and the voters lose confidence in the whole electoral process. There
is the important issue of denying the voters a meaningful say in the governance
of the country. But worst of all, a nation that fails to nurture and guard a
functional democratic system as a peaceful and orderly system of government is
certain to have corrupt and tyrannical government.
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess with
unemployment a nauseating 90%, our basic services such as health is such a
sorry state the filthy rich ruling elite are now routinely going to SA,
Singapore, etc. for all their health needs, etc. because for the last 38 years
the nation has been stuck with an incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF
regime. The party has rigged elections to stay in power.
So, the issue of making sure elections
are free, fair and credible is a serious matter and, sadly, the country’s
opposition has failed to treat it with the seriousness and urgency the matter
demands.
In the landmark 2008 elections when Zanu PF showed the sickening depths of political madness the party would sink to rig and win the elections. SADC leaders forced Mugabe to agree to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the sadistic barbarism of the 2008 election.
SADC leaders were disappointed that not even one reform was implemented during the five years of the GNU. They made it very clear that Zimbabwe should not hold the elections without first implementing the reforms.
MDC leaders dragged the nation into the 2013 elections with no reforms, convinced they will win the elections "regardless of all Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans," as Tsvangirai later confessed.
In the landmark 2008 elections when Zanu PF showed the sickening depths of political madness the party would sink to rig and win the elections. SADC leaders forced Mugabe to agree to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to end the sadistic barbarism of the 2008 election.
SADC leaders were disappointed that not even one reform was implemented during the five years of the GNU. They made it very clear that Zimbabwe should not hold the elections without first implementing the reforms.
MDC leaders dragged the nation into the 2013 elections with no reforms, convinced they will win the elections "regardless of all Zanu PF vote rigging shenanigans," as Tsvangirai later confessed.
Five years after the rigged 2013
elections, still with not even one reform in place MDC leaders are once again
dragging the nation into these flawed and illegal elections on the promise the
party has devised "stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the
elections"! Ask Chamisa to name even one of these measures he keeps
wittering about and so far he has failed to do so.
The only way to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections is by implementing the democratic reforms. All these talks of stringent measures to stop rigging, united opposition into a grand coalition, mobilising the voters to vote, Winning In Rigged Elections strategies, etc.; they are all feeble excuses to justify taking part in the flawed election.
The only way to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections is by implementing the democratic reforms. All these talks of stringent measures to stop rigging, united opposition into a grand coalition, mobilising the voters to vote, Winning In Rigged Elections strategies, etc.; they are all feeble excuses to justify taking part in the flawed election.
If winning 73% of the vote is not good
enough to win then the process is unbeatable and it must be reformed without further
undo.
The only reason MDC leaders have stubbornly refused to listen to SADC leaders' advice to demand the reform before elections is greed.
The only reason MDC leaders have stubbornly refused to listen to SADC leaders' advice to demand the reform before elections is greed.
“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 former MDC Senator David Coltart in his
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.”
Senator Coltart was commenting on why he
and his MDC contested the 2013 elections. The MDC factions have since formed
the MDC Alliance but there is no talk of boycotting this year’s elections for
the same reason as before – greed.
The people of Zimbabwe must condemn President Mnangagwa and his junta for refusing to implement the democratic reforms and restore the people's freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections. We must also denounce the MDC and the rest of the opposition camp for dragging the nation into these flawed elections for no other reason than greed.
But, most important of all, the people of Zimbabwe must demand that these flawed elections be declared null and void and allow the nation to get out of this seemingly intractable and vicious cycle of rigged elections and bad governance. We need to appointment an interim administration to implement the democratic reforms and hold the nation's first ever free, fair and credible elections!
The people of Zimbabwe must condemn President Mnangagwa and his junta for refusing to implement the democratic reforms and restore the people's freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections. We must also denounce the MDC and the rest of the opposition camp for dragging the nation into these flawed elections for no other reason than greed.
But, most important of all, the people of Zimbabwe must demand that these flawed elections be declared null and void and allow the nation to get out of this seemingly intractable and vicious cycle of rigged elections and bad governance. We need to appointment an interim administration to implement the democratic reforms and hold the nation's first ever free, fair and credible elections!
Zimbabweans are desperate to end the
economic meltdown but that will never happen meaningful political reforms and
that means implement the reforms.
It is all very well Mupfudze and all the
other opposition candidates boosting of “trouncing Zanu PF” and ignoring the
blatant vote rigging taking place. They will all be crying foul by the end of
the elections. If Mupfudze & co. cannot tell us how they are going to
trounce rigged elections then they must shut up. All they are doing is making
it easy for Zanu PF to pretend these are democratic election. Zimbabwe cannot
afford another rigged election and another five more years of incompetent,
corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule!
If Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had not sold-out during the GNU and had implemented the democratic reforms we would not be in this mess.
ReplyDeleteTo go one stage back, if Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs, including the thugs in government today who are masquerading as the nation's saviour which they are not, had not sold-out for the last 38 years by corrupting the country to create the Zanu PF dictatorship we would have needed to implement the reforms.
Whilst it is true that the nation has never had a free media and freedom of expression and so the great majority of our people have never had the chance to be enlightened in any meaningful way. Ian Smith had the media controlled to keep the black majority ill-informed and voiceless. After independence Mugabe kept the same oppressive system so it served him and Zanu PF. During the GNU MDC too kept the oppressive media practices out of ignorance - frankly MDC leaders had no clue how much the nation gained form having a free media, they did not appreciate how they, as the opposition, gained too.
So, whilst at first sight, the people must take the blame for failing to supervise both Zanu PF and MDC to make sure they did not sell-out on people's freedom and rights. However, on closer examination, it is clear that most people were powerless to ever hold any politicians to democratic account because they never understood their duties and powers in a healthy and functional democracy. The country's political system was set up to keep them in the dark and never allow them to see the light.
We have never had a healthy and functional democracy because the ordinary citizens never had the freedoms and basic human rights; as citizens they had the duty to defend these freedoms and rights when someone threaten to take take them away and to demand them were they were denied. But if they never in their whole lives ever had these freedoms and rights it was rich to expect the people to defend and/or demand something they never had.
It is clear both Zanu PF and MDC want these flawed elections to go ahead for selfish reasons, they are sharing the spoils of office in that the former has its landslide victory to keep its iron grip on power whilst the later is happen the scraps.
The ordinary people are the greatest losers here in that they remain poor economically and with no real political power to hold the ruling elite to democratic account. Implementing the democratic reforms is the only sure way of restoring the people's freedoms and basic human rights, left the people hold these freedoms and rights in their own hands; there is fair chance they will fight for them and never allow anyone to ever take them away again.
If President Mnangagwa fails to keep his promise to hold free, fair and credible elections then he should be so in no uncertain terms by declaring these flawed elections null and void. Someone who can implement the reforms and hold free and fair elections must then be found!
Tendai you can wish all want for regime change, that will never happen in Zimbabwe - not whilst Zanu PF continue to enjoy the carte blanche powers to rig elections. These elections will only be remarkable in Zimbabwe's history if they are free, fair and credible. Or, if they not, they are declared null and void and, this time, lead to the implementation of the reforms and the hold of free, fair and credible election.
ReplyDeleteWe are in this political and economic mess because of the Zanu PF's breath-taking incompetence, corrupt and tyrannical rule. We have been stuck with the regime for 38 years now because it rigged elections again and again to stay in power. This year's elections must be about breaking this vicious cycle of rigged elections followed by five years of bad governance leading to another rigged election etc.
We need to end Zanu PF's carte blanche powers to rig the elections because until we do we will never have a competent government that is accountable to us, the people.
All this talk of the November 2017 coup completely transformed Zanu PF bringing a new dispensation, a new Zimbabwe and new era, is all cheap propaganda. Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by thugs. The regime's "Zimbabwe is open for business!" clarion call has failed to bring into the country the expected flood of investors. Investors are a shrewd lot who are not easily fooled, they have shied away from Zimbabwe because it is clear to them that the country is still ruled by thugs!
By failing to hold free, fair and credible elections, Zimbabwe have effectively told the world "Zimbabwe is NOT open for business!" With unemployment a nauseating 90% and ¾ of our people swallowing in abject poverty; Zimbabwe needs investors to help revive the economy.
Millions of our people are suffering and hundreds are dying every month for want of $5 per month worth of drugs. The filthy rich ruling elite are going to SA, Singapore, etc. for all their health needs; costing the nation millions of dollars every month in travel, accommodation plus the usual medical fees. If all this money was spent in the local health service, it would not be in the deplorable state it is in.
How long are we going to allow this tragic waste of human lives to continue and to what end and purpose?
If we allow President Mnangagwa to get away with yet another rigged election; it will add five more years to the 38 years we have been stuck with this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. Add five more years of economic meltdown and heart-break human suffering and deaths! And, worse still, we would done this because we would not believe our own eyes; see Zanu PF is still a party of ruthless, corrupt, vote-rigging and incompetent thugs!
Zimbabwe's economic and political problems are not simple linear equations with simple solutions.
ReplyDeletey = 8w - 6
If you know the value of w you can work out the corresponding value of y
if w = 1, y = 8x1 - 6
= 8 - 6
= 2
Adding one more variable to the above changes the equation.
y = 8w - 6z
This time it is not enough to know the value of w, you also need to know the value of z to work out the value pf y.
if w = 2 and z = 1 y = 8x2 - 6x1
= 16 - 6
= 10
Before last year coup.
p(Zanu PF chefs) = R Mugabe + w(good Lacotse) + z (bad Lacoste) + m (good G40) + n(bad G40)
Have assumed that the good and bad Zanu PF leaders who did not support Lacoste or G40 had no real influence and can be left out.
In the post November era we know the following;
R G Mugabe was asked to resign.
All good Lacoste members are still in government/party/Army/Police/ etc. w= 1 000
There are no bad Lacoste members z = 0
All good G40 members have been rehabilitated and accepted as good Lacoste members m = 50
Dab G40 members are Grace Mugabe, J Moyo, P Zhuwao, S Kasukuwere, Mphoko, I Chombo, W Mzembe, A Chihuri, Bvonyongwe, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, MPs and all other senior leaders n = 100
If we assume that Zanu PF chefs from MP to President, senior civil servants, service chiefs, etc. p = 2000
2 000 (Zanu PF) = (1) RG Mugabe + 1 000 (good L) + 50 (good G40) + 100 (bad G40)
Even if we factored RG Mugabe's huge influence to give him the presence of 100 chefs in one the maths still do not add up. We need the number of bad Lacoste members to be reviewed upwards, z = 0 does not make any sense. We also know that many of the Lacoste members involved in the coup have been looting in Marange, confirming z cannot be zero.
To suggest that Zanu PF does not have any more thugs post the coup is a nonsense.