I watched a documentary on meerkats. A family group came across an ostrich egg. A meerkat will easily crack the shell of most eggs but so with the ostrich egg. Meerkats get most of their food by digging and so one after another they moved the egg back and forth by digging round it or pushed it in a frantic effort to bite it. After a while the meerkats gave up and moved on.
Zimbabwe has an army political “meerkats” masquerading as political analysts who believe the solution to Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis is first and foremost keeping Zanu PF and MDC leaders in power
no matter what!
"Given conditions in Zimbabwe, dialogue is the only sensible way forward, but both MDC factions need to be involved and the dialogue needs to be transparent and even-handed,” argue Professor Stephen Chan of University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.
"Having said that, formal talks might well be beneficially preceded by an informal meeting between the ‘Big Three' - Mnangagwa, Chamisa and Mwonzora - something like a Kariba Houseboat meeting of the sort once brokered by South Africa.
This is a foolish idea because the proposal has failed to acknowledge the reality that these Zanu PF and MDC leaders are the ones who not only landed the nation into this mess but, worse still, are the ones who created the mess. They are the problem; how then can they be the solution too!
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s crisis is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. Guess who has been rigging elections all these last 40 years - Zanu PF leaders.
The nation had its golden opportunity to implement democratic reforms designed to end the vote rigging during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Guess who wasted the opportunity and failed to implement even one token reform in five years - MDC leaders.
Professor Chan and his fellow political meerkats’ insistence in allocating the key political roles to Zanu PF and MDC leaders is not only unworkable but must must be dismissed with contempt because it seeks to perpetuate the lie that both these parties are legitimate.
Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 2018 elections. ZEC failure to produce some thing as basic a verified voters’ roll, for Pete’s sake!
MDC leaders had no business participating in the 2018 elections knowing fully well Zanu PF was rigging the plebiscite. They participated because Zanu PF was giving away a few gravy train seats, bait they found irresistible. By participating the elections MDC gave credibility to the process and legitimacy to the result.
So, “the big three” are being allocated the principle political roles because they either blatantly rigged the elections or sold-out of the fight for reforms and free, fair and credible elections!
The real meerkats had the common sense to walk away from the ostrich egg when they realised they did not have the right tools or intelligence to crack the egg. After 40 years of corruption, breath-taking incompetence and murderous tyranny by Zanu PF thugs and their MDC acolytes, the political “meerkats” are more determined than ever to impose the same leaders as the answer to our problems. Of course, the political meerkats are insane!
It is not enough to call for free, fair and credible elections, we must demonstrate our commitment to the same by condemning those who rig elections and stop the folly of rewarding them with absolute power.
After 40 years of appeasing Zanu PF by giving in to all the thugs’ demands; the thugs demanded a foot, took yard and were back to demand even more. Zanu PF misrule has dragged us deeper and deeper into the abyss we now find ourselves stuck in. We are not going to get out by appeasing Zanu PF!
Zanu PF and their MDC vote rigging conspiratorial partners are illegitimate and must step down to allow the nation to appoint a competent and independent body that will, at long last, implement the democratic reform. Zanu PF has held this nation to ransom for 40 years and counting; this must not be allowed to continue. Enough is enough!
Mwonzora calls for national dialogue.
ReplyDeleteAny dialogue ending with Zanu PF and MDC leaders in charge of the way forward is a waste of time and resources. These leaders are the ones who have dragged us into this mess, they are the problem and so cannot be the solution too!
What Mwonzora is after is a new GNU and a cabinet post! We want a solution to the nation's problems not a gimmick to gratify some village idiot's insatiable greed!
People like Professor Chan are sold on the idea that Zanu PF is the only party fit to govern in Zimbabwe and so the way forward must led by Zanu PF. The very fact that Zanu PF has been in power for the last 40 years and all the regime has ever done was to drag the nation deeper and deeper into this hell is of no consequence. How an intellectual could have such a closed mentality beggars belief!
ReplyDeleteIt was Professor Chan, be his own admission, who advised the British government to attend Mnangagwa's inauguration following the rigged July 2018 elections. Other people like MP Kate Hoey wanted the tyrant isolated and punished for rigging the elections. The British government should have listened to MP Hoey.
It is pleasing to note that one of the first things the British government has done since breaking away from the EU straitjacket was to impose sanctions of four Zanu PF thugs. One hopes they will follow this up with more decisive action.
Zimbabwe cannot afford another rigged elections in 2023; if that happened then this time Zanu PF must be punished. The regime must not be let off the hook and asked to implement reforms in the future. The elections must be declared null and void and others competent to implement the reforms appointed.
@ Luke Tamborinyoka
ReplyDelete"Last Saturday last week marked the midway mark into Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 5-year mandate and this week, I make a citizen’s audit of what has been a stolen term of unfulfilled premises, lies and fibs," you say.
"The disputed election was held on 30 July 2018. Last Saturday it was exactly two and a half years since that last poll. Mnangagwa may have officially begun his 5-year term at his inauguration on 26 August 2018 but we may as well begin a candid midterm assessment of the man’s blood-soaked tenure thus far against his own promises to the nation and the world."
The world will also remember that the July 2018 elections would have been declared null and void and so Mnangagwa would have never assumed office was it not for MDC A and the rest in the opposition camp who participated in the elections. By participating in the elections the opposition gave credibility to the flawed and illegal process and gave legitimacy to the result. Chamisa and company participated out of greed.
Zanu PF offered a few gravy train seats plus a cut of the annual pay off from the Political Party Finance Act; bait the opposition found irresistible!
What is more, the opposition knew that by participating they will give legitimacy to the vote rigging Zanu PF as David Coltart admitted in his 2016 book In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
“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,” wrote 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.”
No one with half a brain is fool by MDC A and the rest of the opposition's blubbering of Zanu PF stealing elections when they are the ones, out of selfish greed, giving the regime legitimacy.
MDC A is right now gearing for the 2023 elections with no reforms in place. I dare you to deny it!
“We have got a regime full of people engrossed in unsounded thirst for ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation & selfish greed. We deserve a gvt that feels for its people. That which put people first no matter the political color. Zimbabwe belongs to all of us. It is our love,” said Sikhala.
ReplyDeleteWas MDC "feeling for the people" when the party failed to implement even one meaningful reform during the 2008 to 2013 GNU?
Where you, Hon Zengeza West MP Job Sikhala, "feeling for the people" when you participated in the July 2018 elections knowing Zanu PF was rigging the elections and that by participating you will give legitimacy to the regime? You participated because you knew Zanu PF was giving away a few gravy train seats especially in urban areas like Zengeza West!
You and the rest of your MDC A friends are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections knowing Zanu PF will rig the plebiscite because you are not giving up your Zengeza West gravy train seat. I dare you to publicly confirm you will not participate in the 2023 elections without the assurance the elections will be free, fair and credible.
Chamisa, you are being very childish saying one thing today and the exact opposite the next!
ReplyDeleteYou and your fellow MDC A friends participated in those elections knowing Zanu PF was rigging. We all know why Zanu PF has to rig elections - how else will it remain in power! You participated in the 2018 elections regardless because, as you said, "MDC A has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections!”
So are you now admitting that you were lying, MDC A does not have and measures to stop Zanu PF rigging elections?
And more significantly, do you really believe Zanu PF will “stop rigging elections” because you asked them to on twitter? What a laugh! The whole Shake-Shake Building is rocking with laughter!
Mr Nelson Chamisa, can you deny that you and your MDC A friends are right now gearing for the 2023 elections knowing that Zanu PF will rig the elections? I dare you to public deny you will not participate in yet another rigged elections under the pretext elections will be free and fair following your twitter request to stop rigging the elections!
MDC-T spokesperson, Witness Dube in a statement on Thursday said the party's National Standing Committee held its virtual meeting and condemned the sanctions and ruled that they are hurting the common man on the street, among other reservations.
ReplyDelete"The party reiterated its position that the continued international isolation was hurting the common man and woman. It therefore calls for the total and equal re-engagement of Zimbabwe with the international community," Dube said.
"The party reiterated that it stands for the unity of all progressive forces to fight for the betterment of the lives of the Zimbabwean people," he said.
It was USA ambassador to Zimbabwe 2004 to 200, Chris Dell, who said Morgan Tsvangirai was “a flawed and indecisive character who, if he ever got into power, would be an albatross round the nation’s neck”! The ambassador was proven right!
MDC leaders failed to implement even one democratic reform to end Zanu PF dictatorship when they had the golden opportunity to do so during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Worse still, they have since not only given up the fight for free and fair elections but are now actively involved in keeping Zanu PF in power.
By participating in flawed and illegal elections, knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging them, MDC leaders are giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
We should not be surprised at all that the MDC sell-outs are now campaigning for the sanctions imposed on Zanu PF thugs to pressure the latter to restore basic human freedoms and rights. MDC leaders are nothing more than Zanu PF thugs’ acolytes and an albatross round the nation’s neck!
There is real case for the sanctions imposed on the Zanu PF being extended to the MDC acolytes!
@ Daily News
ReplyDeleteThey only need to look at our history and take notes from the Unity Accord and the Global Political Agreement which resulted in government of national unity (GNU) - events ample proof of the effectiveness of honest dialogue and its capability to unlock Zimbabwe's much-vaunted potential.
The country is dying for leaders who are prepared to take the bull by the horns for the sake of the country. Whatever differences the politicians may have should be settled amicably. It's now time to demonstrate decisive leadership by being prepared to make difficult decisions.
If the Unity Accord and the GNU were such resounding success then why is Zimbabwe is such a mess? The Unity Accord ushered in the de facto one-party dictatorship. The GNU was supposed to dismantle the dictatorship by implementing the democratic reforms. Sadly MDC leaders sold-out and failed to implement even one reform.
The political dialogue you are proposing is to bring the same corrupt and incompetent politicians who dragged us into this mess and kept us there all those years. How anyone can think that is “taking the bull by the horns” beggars belief!
Zanu PF rigged the 2018 elections, the regime is illegitimate and it must step down and allow the nation to move forward. Only the village idiots would want to appease Zanu PF by keeping the thugs in power!
ARTUZ notes with shock the irresponsible insinuation uttered by one Jamwanda whom we understand is George Charamba to the effect that teachers are responsible for some dismal Grade 7 results in some schools across the country.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Mr Charamba does not understand the dynamics, ins and outs, intimacies and intricacies of education does not surprise us. His consistent uneducated utterances over the years have left everyone in no doubt whatsoever that he is dead from the neck upwards. The fact that the administration chooses such an airhead for speaking for the President says all about the calibre of the same administration.
Zanu PF has all but destroyed the country’s education service by starving it of resources and instead of admitting it, the regime is blaming the victims, the teachers. The biggest victims in all this are the children whose lives are blighted for the rest of their lives!
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ReplyDelete