When someone like Trevor Ncube speaks, people
listen.
“Given what is on offer I think ED is the right
man right now. Not Zanu PF. I am confident he will deal with the remnants of
Zanu PF, NPF, G40, etc. He wants to live legacy and show he is different from
Mugabe,” said T Ncube on his twitter account.
The twit made headline news in Zimeye and, no
doubt, was re-twittered many times. Sadly, Mr Ncube could not be more wrong
this time!
Zimbabwe is in this economic mess with a world
record unemployment rate of 90%, another world record beater of having ¾ of the
population living on US$1.00 or less a day, etc. because of the criminal waste
of human and material resources through gross mismanagement and rampant
corruption under this Zanu PF regime. Mismanagement and corruption are
everywhere, what has made these problems into the life-threatening cancers they
are today is that the nation was stuck with this incompetent and corrupt but,
worst of all, vote rigging regime for 38 years.
The majority of Zimbabweans realised, by the
late 1980s at the latest, that Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime were not
delivering on their promise to bring mass prosperity. By the late 1990s the
people had learned one more thing – that they could not remove Zanu PF from
office in the conversional way by voting the party out of office, hence the
call for democratic change to stop vote rigging.
When Morgan Tsvangirai and friends launched
their political party in 1999, they named it Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), borrowing from the popular and common sentiment calling for democratic
change. For the last two decades the people have risked life and limb to elect
MDC politicians into public office on the ticket they will bring about
meaningful democratic changes including the right to free, fair and credible elections
and thus stop Zanu PF rigging elections and staying in power against the democratic
wishes of the people.
It was Dr Kwame Nkrumah, post independent Ghana’s
first president and one of Africa’s intellectual and visionary leaders who said
"Seek ye first the political freedom and everything else shall be added
unto you!"
As soon as they got into power, tyrant like Robert Mugabe have
sought to erode the people’s freedoms, human rights including the right to hold
those in power to account. Mugabe and his cronies have even violated the
sanctity of human life in their selfish pursuit for absolute political power
and the influence and wealth it brings.
As stated above, it took the majority of Zimbabweans until the
late 1990s to come around to the same view as Dr Nkrumah that economic
prosperity can only be achieved after political power is secured and
guaranteed. The last 20 years has been a hard slog for democratic change and
free, fair and credible elections. Of all people, one would expect an intellectual
and public figure like Mr Trevor Ncube to understand this.
So when Mr Ncube said, “Given what is on offer
I think ED is the right man right now.” This begged the question: Is ED going
to implement the democratic reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections?
Although President Mnangagwa has promised to
hold free, fair and credible elections; he has stubbornly refused to implement
even one democratic reform. ZEC has only managed to register 5.3 million out of
the target 7 million voters, has failed to produce a clean and verified voters’
roll, etc. because the voter registration exercise was started in September
2017 when it should have started in January 2015 at the very latest. It is
nonsensical to talk of these elections being free and fair when nearly 25% are
denied the vote, when there is no clean and verified voters’ roll, etc.
If ED is not going to deliver free, fair and
credible elections and thus end the nation’s fight for political freedom; how
can he then be the right man to rule Zimbabwe?
Yes, ED has shown that he totally different
from Mugabe on the economic front. He has scrapped Mugabe’s obnoxious
indigenisation law and his “Zimbabwe is open for business!” has impressed the naïve
and gullible simpletons but none of the foreign investors. The flood of foreign
investors has not materialised because by failing to hold free elections ED has
confirmed Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by thugs. Investors do not do
business with thugs, period!
On the political front, President Mnangagwa and
Robert Mugabe are two sides of the same coin. They are ruthless tyrants with a
hot-air balloon size inflated ego with second-to-none intellectual and
leadership abilities. Even with Zanu PF’s track record of 38 years of
disastrous economic ruin, corruption, vote rigging and blood of over 30 000
innocent Zimbabweans dripping from their hands; still they are adamant they are
God Almighty’s greatest gift to Zimbabwe.
They were so cocksure of their divine calling
to lead they have ruthlessly established and retained the de facto one-party
cum one-man dictatorship just to be absolutely certain no mere mortals’ vote
removes the divinely ordained leader from office. No wonder Mugabe is still
fuming about last November’s coup; Mnangagwa claims it was divinely ordained. (Both
men claim to get their divine inspiration from the same God!)
“It (Zanu PF ideology) also believes in putting
people at the centre of governance for inclusive value adding decision making
as was amply demonstrated during the historic and successful Operation Restore
Legacy where the driving force was popularised motto "Vox Populi, Vox
Dei" ("The Voice of the People is the Voice of God"),” says the
Zanu PF 2018 manifesto.
Yeah right! Deny the people the vote and then
claim they are at the centre of decision making. How can the people popularise
something they do not even know what it means!
It is disappointing that outsiders like the Americans and SADC leaders are the ones who have been piling up the pressure on Zanu PF to implement the reforms to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible. Many Zimbabweans do not seem to care whether the elections are rigged or not.
ReplyDeleteWith no reforms in place it is as plain as day light that Zanu PF is rigging these elections. How can there be free and fair elections with no free public media, no clean and verified voters' roll, etc. After 38 years of rigged elections how can someone who is rigging these elections be the right man to lead the nation when this is the scourge we have been working hard to end.
I believe the international election observers are going to declared these flawed and illegal elections null and void. If they did not do so it would be because Zimbabweans themselves would have talked the observers to turn a blind eye to all these glaring vote rigging activities.
"ED is the right man!" Yes ED is rigging the elections; I did not know we are looking for the man to rig elections!!!!
@ Mukwirivindi
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons people have hated Mugabe with a passion is because he rigged elections to stay in power against the democratic wishes of the people. Since Mnangagwa is rigging these elections too, it follows that people will hate him for that.
Chamisa has his own strengths and weaknesses what every thinking Zimbabwean out there will never ever accept is using Chamisa's weaknesses as the cover for rigging the elections.
@ Mukwirivindi
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe is in this political and economic mess because the nation has been stuck with the corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF that rigged elections to stay in power. Mnangagwa is rigging these elections and those who think the nation is having a meaningful say in these elections are naive.
The single most important task before us is to make sure we have free and fair elections. Whilst most people would agree that ED has made a lot more sense than Chamisa; still we would be making a terrible mistake to turning a blind eye to his rigging the elections because it means we are still a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs. No investors will do business with thugs!
@ 2018
ReplyDeleteEvery one has the right to express his/her opinion and must be allowed to do so freely as long as they do so responsibly because we all a duty of care to others. You cannot shout "bomb!" in a crowded place causing a stampede in which some people may be injured or even killed and think you will get away with it!
Trevor Ncube is free to say ED is the right man but when it turns out that ED is rigging the elections and thus reaffirming that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs, surely Ncube is being irresponsible! How can a thug be the right man to rule the nation!
@ Manginde
ReplyDeleteTrue the elections this years have been very peaceful but even you must admit that the 2013 elections were relatively peaceful compared to 2008. And yet that did not stop Zanu PF rigging that year's elections because none of the democratic reforms had been implemented.
You cannot deny that not even one reform was ever implemented since the rigged 2013 elections and Lo Behold the elections are being blatantly rigged too. How can these elections be judged free and fair when there is no free public media, no clean and verified voters' roll. etc., etc.?
Zimbabwe's economic recovery is dependent on the country shedding off its pariah state. By rigging the elections Mnangagwa is confirming Zimbabwe is still a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs. We do not want a thug for a president just as no investors will ever want to do business with a thug. This is why Mnangagwa cannot be the right person to rule Zimbabwe!
Boris Johnson resign in protest at PM May's "soft" Brexit proposal. He is the third minister to resign.
ReplyDeleteThe prime minister was due to address her backbench MPs in Westminster at 5.30pm, in an atmosphere becoming increasingly febrile. If 48 MPs write letters of no confidence to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, May will face a vote of no confidence.
Oh, dear me!
Chamisa has already said he will not ask Mugabe to account for all the looted wealth, the vote rigging, the blood of the over 30 000 murdered during his 37 years in power, etc. It is therefore no wonder the tyrant is endorsing Chamisa and saying he will vote for him.
ReplyDeleteChamisa has his own reasons why he will never want Mugabe asked to account for his past, MDC leaders sold out big time during the GNU and Mugabe knows that. If Mugabe was ever asked to account for his past, he is not the type to go to jail alone, Chamisa will know that for sure!
"ZEC has the exclusive constitutional obligation to design, print, safeguard and distribute ballot paper.
ReplyDelete"There is no legal framework that allows some of these requests or demand by political parties. Different political parties want different things and quite evidently we have failed to build consensus so far we are now debating whether we continue the consensus-building exercise or just stick to the letter and spirit of the law," said Justice Chigumba.
Since when has ZEC ever done anything in good faith much less "to the letter and spirit of the law". The only law ZEC knows and respect is that Zanu PF must win at all cost!
These elections should not be taking place with first implementing the democratic reforms designed to end the undemocratic control Zanu PF has over ZEC and all the other state institutions. We cannot stop the elections now but can make sure the process is declared null and void and the final chapter in this political charade finally closed!
The ballot paper is important but even if MDC was to completely take over the printing and distribution of the ballots this will not change the reality of these election they are not free, fair and credible. We do not have a free public media, we do not have a clean and verified voters' roll, etc., etc. These elections should have never taken place without first implementing the democratic reforms. All that MDC leaders are now doing with making all these marginal demands is fudging it!
ReplyDeleteIt was Dr Kwame Nkrumah, post independent Ghana’s first president and one of Africa’s intellectual and visionary leaders who said “Seek ye first the political freedom and everything else shall be added unto you!”
ReplyDeleteDr Nkrumah was right we should seek the political freedom first because it does not matter what these in power promise, as long as they know the people do not have the power to hold them to account they will never feel the need to honour their promise. It is the assurance that come what may Zanu PF will win the elections regardless how unpopular the party may be with the populous that has made Zanu PF arrogant and totally indifferent to the suffering and even deaths of ordinary Zimbabweans.
Those is power will do everything they can to wrestle political power from the people, usurp the people’s right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country. It takes a disciplined and truly enlightened electorate to resist and never ever give in to the political machinations of the ruling elite take away the people’s political power in exchange for empty promises. Those who have given up political power for promises of economic prosperity have given up the real thing for a mirage!
It is most disappointing that people like Trevor Ncube, to whom many people look up to for leadership, should turn out to be so naïve and gullible they cannot see the trees from the wood, reality from a mirage! Very, very sad! How can ED be the right man to govern when, by rigging the elections, he is confirming the Zanu PF dictatorship to keep the populous in perpetual servitude, with no meaningful vote?
@ Question Mark
ReplyDeleteChamisa has tarnished his own image by failing to implement even one democratic reform during the GNU.
ED is corrupt and incompetent and has the blood of thousands innocent Zimbabweans he had murdered as Mugabe's enforcer dripping from his hands.
Neither Chamisa nor ED is fit to rule Zimbabwe. Those who see this election as the coice between the two are doing so because they are incapable of thinking outside the box.
These elections should have never taken place without implementing the democratic reforms first. Both Zanu PF and MDC do not want the reforms implemented because they each know that they will not compete, not with their respective pathetic track records.
We cannot stop these elections going ahead now but what we can do is make sure they are declared null and void. The international community do not need any lesson on what constitute free and fair elections. They can see that Zanu PF is rigging these elections. If they should fail to condemn these elections it will be because idiots like Trevor Ncube have talking them out of it. "If Zimbabweans are happy with a corrupt and tyrannical system of government who are we to deny them of it!" they would reason!