There those who have argued that the targeted sanctions imposed by USA and other western countries on the Zanu PF leaders and a few companies associated with the regime have missed the target and should be scrapped. “Sanctions have become the most convenient excuse used by the regime for Zimbabwe’s economic failures,” they argued.
The counter argument was that sanctions highlight the regime’s repeated failure to uphold basic human rights including the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Yes, the failure to police the sanctions has meant the targeted individuals have found many ways to circumvent the sanctions. But even then, it was important that the sanctions stayed; the symbolic significance of the sanctions was just as important.
Time has proven those who wanted the sanctions to stay, right!
"US sanctions against Zimbabwe are aimed at achieving regime change-continuation of measures citing political & economic reforms is telling. Ironically, the US has befriended many rogue regimes well known for extrajudicial killings, genocide & corruption,” twittered Zanu PF Deputy Minister of Information, Dr Energy Mutodi.
The deputy minister was responding to the recent decision by USA US President Donald Trump to extend the sanctions imposed on Zanu PF leaders by another year.
"Mr Trump has missed a glorious opportunity to open a new page in the ZIM-US relations. Agonisingly, he may not be there to see another sanctions review anniversary, with Joe Biden in hot pursuit to take over the Presidency.”
There are four key points worth noting here:
- First and foremost, the sanctions are aimed at forcing Zanu PF to hold free, fair and credible elections and to accept the reality that such elections can result in regime change, if that is indeed the democratic wish of the majority of the electorate. Zanu PF has been rigging elections because the party cannot stomach the prospect of being booted out of power!
- President Trump will certainly be very disappointed if he was to lose the elections this November but, like it or not, that is no excuse for him to even try to deny the American people their fundamental right to decide who is going to be their next president! (No doubt Mutodi and his Zanu PF friends would only be glad to show the Americans a few vote rigging dirty tricks!) The irony here is that President Trump would have been furious, rightly so too, if four years ago, he had been cheated of victory.
- Zanu PF is not denying it has failed to deliver free, fair and credible elections the deputy minister is pleading that the US has turned a blind eye to other rogue regimes and therefore must do the same with Zanu PF.
- The most important point here is that Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous Zanu PF regime for the last 40 years and counting. The party has usurped the people’s freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. The economic meltdown has forced unemployment to soar to dizzying heights of 90% and millions of our people now live in abject poverty. The nation is facing a serious existential threat and the solution is to dismantle the de facto one-party dictatorship and restore the individual freedoms and rights including the right to free, fair and credible elections. Of course, every thinking Zimbabwean out there welcomes the retention of the sanctions as a way of forcing Zanu PF to accept democratic reforms. We want regime change, we are desperate for regime change. Fcuk you, Mutodi, and all your fellow Zanu PF thugs, for landing Zimbabwe in this mess with your no regime change nonsense!
Of course, President Donald Trump will agonise if he was to lose the upcoming presidential elections in November. What our Deputy Minister is suggesting here is that President Trump should rig the elections and so be certain of NO regime change. That is the Zanu PF way.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt in return for USA lifting the sanctions on Zanu PF leaders, the regime will happily send Mutodi and other Zanu PF thugs to teach the Americans a few vote rigging dirty tricks including the party's favourite, "Shoot to kill!"
The statement notes that Zimbabwe had “ample opportunity to implement reforms that could set the country on a constructive path, stabilise the Southern Africa Region and open the door to greater cooperation with the United States’.
ReplyDeleteThe best opportunity to implement the reforms was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when SADC forced Mugabe and Zanu PF to sign the Global Political Agreement and commit to the implementation of reforms. The task of implementing the reform then fell to MDC.
Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Not even one! All MDC’s backers and supporters deserted the party in disgust, the west should have slapped the MDC leaders with sanction too for good measure!
SADC leaders advised MDC leaders not to take part in elections with no reforms but were ignored out of greed. MDC leader knew by participating they will give the flawed elections credibility, they still did because they are after the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away.
Last week Nelson Chamisa admitted the party will participate in the 2023 elections even if no reforms are implemented!
So where is this nonsense coming from? “No Re-engagement With International Community Without Reforms”. MDC has not only failed to implement reforms but it is the one undermining those outsiders piling the pressure on Zanu PF to reform by participating in elections with no reforms. MDC is making this call out of opportunism and Zanu PF knows it!