Thursday 5 July 2018

"No reform no election!" threatens Chamisa - not bluffing, the wheels are flying off the bullet train P Guramatunhu

Chamisa threatens to withdraw from the elections; he has bluffed in the past but this time events beyond his control are force him to withdraw - the wheels are flying off the Chamisa bullet train!

MDC leaders have been their own worst enemy with their double talk. It is all very well rattling the party’s red-line reform demands and insisting “there will be no elections unless our demands are met; but we will not boycott the elections”, to their simpleton MDC supporters. The later have always followed like sheep to the slaughter, no questions asked. It is different matter rattling the same nonsense to the many international elections observers now in the country.

After patiently asking the MDC leaders to explain what exactly this double Dutch meant in practice and getting no sensible answer; the observers must have rightly concluded that MDC leaders were just a bunch of pretenders posturing with no clue what they were doing.

How can anyone with even half a brain agree to take part in an election process with no free public media, no clean and verified voters’ roll, etc. The very fact that MDC leaders and the rest of the opposition candidates were doing so has forced the observers questioning the sanity of these politicians.

In June 2013, just a month before that year’s Zimbabwe elections, SADC leaders wanted the elections postponed because they were convinced Zanu PF was going to rig the vote. “If you take part in next month’s elections, you will lose; the elections are done!” they warned Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends.

If the international election observers would repeat the same warning if they believed anyone in the opposition camp would listen.

Still, it is what the international observers are going to do next that finally got attention of Zimbabwe’s opportunistic opposition politicians. With no such basic requirement as free media, no clean and verified voters’ roll, etc. it is as clear as day that the international observers are going to condemn these flawed elections and declare the process null and void.

Of course, MDC leaders have gone into these elections knowing that with no reforms in place Zanu PF was going to rig the elections. Still, they joined the rat race regardless, because they also knew that to make the process look credible Zanu PF was giving away a few gravy train seats. It is these bait seats they are after, as David Coltart, MDC senator and Minister in the GNU, readily 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 (2013) 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.”

But with the international community now set to declare the process null and void, the MDC leaders know the few gravy train seats will be of no value.

Worst of all, being named as one of the opportunistic opposition candidates who participated in the sham elections will be curse that will force one to take early retirement from politics. A savvy political opponent in future races will remind the electorate that participating in the sham elections one had helped to give the flawed electoral process credibility and to forfeit the nation’s chance to bring about real political changed.

If these elections are declared null and void, the country will be forced to revisit the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GNU and, this time, get the reforms implemented. It will be tough enough to survive in a new open and democratic political dispensation; it will be impossible to do so for anyone with the albatross round their neck of having sold out by participating in the sham past elections. This is a political reality is dawning even in the sloth-minded ones in Morgan Tsvangirai House, MDC Alliance HQ.

If there are no gravy train seats to be had then boycotting these elections even at this the eleventh hour and, hopefully, get rid of the albatross makes a lot of sense. The scramble to be the MDC candidate of two weeks ago may very quickly turn into rout as opposition candidates withdraw from the race!

As MDC leaders lose the little political credibility they still had the Chamisa bullet train express will lose its wheels, as election candidates withdraw, followed by many of its simpleton passengers, even they know a train with no wheels will go nowhere!   

14 comments:

  1. Chamisa writes to ZEC requesting a meeting to discuss a list of MDC demands.

    Even if this meeting was to be granted and everything requested in this letter was granted; would this make this election free, fair and credible? the honest answer to that question has to be a no!

    There is lot more to free, fair and credible elections than the layout of the ballot papers and messaging individual candidate like Chamisa's hot-air balloon size ego. Millions of Zimbabweans have been denied the vote by the simple act of ZEC failing to give all those of its targeted 7 million voters reasonable time to register because BVR was started very, very late. There is no hope of producing a clean and verified voters' roll now just weeks before voting.

    This list of demands is just another one of the MDC's time-wasting gimmicks that the people of Zimbabwe and the international election observers must dismiss with the contempt it rightly deserves.

    MDC leaders have been advised 100 000 times and 100 000 times again not to take part in these elections without first implementing the reforms. We are in this mess because Chamisa and company will not listen.

    These elections should not be taking place without first implementing the reform. Now that we have been dragged into this mess, the best course of action is to just declare these flawed and illegal elections null and void.

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  2. ZDF has been involved in the wanton violence of 2008 and 2013 and stage a coup only eight months ago and we are to take Mungwisi's word that it is a professional army that up holds the law. How naive!

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  3. You should be concerned about whether the elections are free, fair and credible because no investor will want to do business in a pariah state ruled by vote rigging thugs! As it turns out Zanu PF is rigging these elections!

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  4. Zimbabwe's failure to have a healthy and functional political system can be attribute to three centres:
    1) Zanu PF
    The party has used its liberation war platform to impose a corrupt and tyrannical de facto one party dictatorship. The regime is now sold to the idea that it has the divine right to rule Zimbabwe until kingdom come regardless of its pathetic record of misrule and murder

    2) MDC opposition
    The MDC had the best opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship but has wasted them all. MDC leaders have never had the confidence to rule Zimbabwe without Zanu PF's blessing and hence the reason the party has always sort ways of accommodating Zanu PF even when they had the opportunity to dismantle the dictatorship.

    3) The people
    The people have never had an real chance to assert their freedoms and basic human rights, the white colonial regime had treated them as third class citizens and Zanu PF wanted the system to continue. It took 20 years or so for the people to actively seek a more just political system. They risked life and limb to elect MDC into power but only to be betrayed. The people have never bothered to understand the detail of the democratic changes they wanted and making it easy for MDC people to sell-out on reforms.

    The need to open up the country's media and freedom of expression are of the greatest importance and urgency. We need an informed electorate if we are ever going to have a healthy and functional democratic system of government.

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  5. FRAUD accused former Energy Minister, Samuel Undenge went ballistic and demanded President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s arrest as he took to the dock Wednesday to defend claims of prejudicing the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of $12,000 during his tenure.
    Undenge emotionally took it to the witness stand where he claimed he was being persecuted for belonging to the infamous G40 faction which was once fiercely opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding then President Robert Mugabe.
    He called for Mnangagwa’s arrest saying the now State leader was the one who directed Fruitful Communications Company, which is at the centre of the fraud storm, to do public relations for ZPC without going to tender.
    The ex-minister said his prosecution was a clear mockery to the country’s justice system considering that “corrupt individuals” were walking scot free while he was being pursued over $12,000.
    “An official from the president’s office, Ndlukula testified in this court that Vice President’s wife, Marry Chiwenga was given a contract without going to tender, for a company which did not even exist.
    “The company was even named when authorities decided to favour her with the deal because it never existed.
    “It was a multimillion dollar deal but procedures were not followed; that is outright corruption,” he said.
    “It also baffles me that owners of Fruitful Communications, Oscar Pambuka and Psychology Maziwisa clearly indicated that they were instructed to do PR work by the (now) President but the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has never made any effort to record a statement from him.
    “That is why I insist that am being persecuted for political reasons and I ask this court to acquit me because I did not commit any offence.”
    Yes Mr Undenge, you are being singled out because you are G40 member as for the amount you are being accused of looting I have a feeling that $12 000 is only the start. The regime has promised to stamp out corruption and after eight months in office has yet to come up with some results. You, Mr Undenge are one of the few success story the regime needs. Bad luck or call it what you will!

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  6. SADC know that turning a blind eye to Zanu PF vote rigging in 2013 was a big mistake since that did not bring economic recovery, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange index fell 35% when result came out, or political stability, Zanu PF factional wars intensified leading to the November 2017 coup, as we now know. The bomb blast last Saturday reminded everyone that Zanu PF's internal fighting is still on the cards.
    By declaring these elections null and void SADC will have a second chance to end the Zimbabwe crisis, a second bite of the cherry, and they will be really foolish if they did not make it count.
    When Mugabe realised Zimbabwe was going to be booted out of the commonwealth he pre-empted the move by resigning. I believe MDC leaders are going to do the same. As soon as if become clear the international community are going to declare these elections null and void MDC leaders will pre-empty the move by withdrawing from the election under the pretext Zanu PF and ZEC did not implement the reforms they had asked for.
    Know MDC as we do they will even start calling for the international community to declare the elections null and void so when they do MDC leaders can claim the credit.

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  7. SADC has more to lose from the continued economic chaos and political instability in Zimbabwe than anyone else. The regional body did not lose anything by declaring the 2008 elections null and void. Instead they got the golden opportunity to get Zimbabwe back on a more stable path, if only MDC had implemented the reforms. By declaring these elections null and void they will give Zimbabwe another chance.
    President Mnangagwa will have only himself to blame for the decision to declare the election null and void, just as did Mugabe in 2008; he promised free and fair elections and failed to deliver. It will not be only SADC saying this; the whole world will be saying the same. Not even the Chinese and Russians would want to be seen to say the elections were free and fair in the face of all this evidence. in 2008 they said nothing and they will do the same again.

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  8. In an open message at Westminster, May answered the chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Zimbabwe, HON. Kate Hoey saying, “I say to the honourable Lady, I commend the excellent work that she does .. she continues to do as chair of the APPG on Zimbabwe and obviously we welcome the announcement of the date of the election the 30th July but we are urging all parties involved to pursue free and fair, peaceful elections, cause that I think that is what the Zimbabwean people deserve and we will certainly trade carefully to see how those elections are conducted and consider obviously the conduct of those elections as appropriate.

    “And we have repeatedly said if the Zimbabwean government can demonstrate commitment to political and economic reform then the UK stands ready to do all it can to support its recovery. But obviously that commitment is essential.”

    Sadly that commitment to democratic reform has been noticeably lacking because these elections are going ahead with not even one reform in place. There is no free public media. ZEC has failed to register nearly 22% of the targeted 7 million because there was no time to do so as the BVR was started very late. ZEC has failed to produce a clean and verified voters’ roll; etc. etc. There is no way these elections can ever be deemed free, fair and credible. No way!

    All the people of Zimbabwe are asking for, have been dying for, is free, fair and credible elections – that is not too much to ask of their government. If President Mnangagwa and his regime cannot deliver free and fair elections as the promised then they must step aside to allow the appointment of an interim administration that will hold free and fair elections. After 38 years of rigged elections the people of Zimbabwe are not going to accept yet another rigged election! No way!

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  9. @ Tafirenyika

    The British wanted to let Mnangagwa off the hook, they are only now saying the right thing.

    What is wrong with saying Zimbabwe must hold free, fair and credible elections? Your foolishness is coming through!

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  10. The international observers are being invited to say whether these elections are free and fair and, given what we can see already, they are going to give a thumbs down and this is why ED supporters are getting jumpy already.

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  11. The international observers do not need lessons from Chamisa on what constitute free and fair elections and they certainly do not agree with Chamisa's foolish posturing. Only a first class fool will be a clean and verified voters' roll this late in the election process for example. If anything, the observers are disappointed with the sheer incompetence of the MDC and are completely ignoring that lot!

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  12. The EU, Americans and most of the international observer KNOW what constitutes free and fair elections and they are certainly not going to be influenced in any way by Chamisa's idiotic blaundering. Their decision will be more rational than Chamisa's "MDC win the elections were free anf fair and if the part blose the elections were rigged!"

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  13. @ Tuhwe

    We should not be surprise that ED is trying to sell himself as the best thing to ever happen to Zimbabwe; he is a tyrant and like all tyrant he has a very high opinion of himself, so high he believes he is the only one competent to rule the country. We had the same tyrannical arrogance from Mugabe and hence the reason he stayed in power for 37 years. Even when the country was going to the dogs Mugabe still believed he was the only one fit to rule.


    Mnangagwa has his 38 years record of incompetent, corrupt and murderous rule and yet refuses to admit it and wants everyone to forget it. "Let by-goes be by-goes!" he is insisting. Mnangagwa is going through the motion of holding elections so he can claim to have the people's mandate when in reality he has rigged the elections.

    These elections are being rigged and the best option for us is to denounce these flawed elections and demand that they must be declared null and void NOW and not wait for voting day because we will be counted together with the MDC idiots. The MDC idiots are refusing to denounce the process now because they are hoping to win rigged elections. They will cry foul only after they have lost!

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  14. The firebrand opposition leader said he (Chamisa) will not boycott the July 30 elections saying he had the capacity to bring together responsible parties to ensure that all irregularities were ironed out.

    This is just MDC being it usual irresponsible self - the country is in this economic and political mess because for the last 38 years we have been stuck with an incompetent, corrupt and tyrannical regime that has been rigging elections to stay in power. The nation is desperate to end the misrule. The best chance to do this fell to MDC during the GNU when all Chamisa and company were asked to do was implement the democratic reforms. They failed to get even one reform in place.

    SADC leaders have advised that elections should be postponed till the reforms are implemented and it is MDC leaders who have wanted the elections to go ahead with no reforms in 2013 and the same thing this year. There are no meaningful reforms that can be implement just three weeks before the elections.

    Chamisa has "the capacity to get all the irregularities ironed out before 30 July 2018!" Yeah right! Chamisa has now assumed the arrogance of Mnangagwa and Mugabe before him - these is NOTHING he cannot do!

    The people of Zimbabwe must start demanding that these flawed elections must be declared null and void and not be like Chamisa and his MDC supporters who think they can win rigged elections!

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