"A new great Zimbabwe is possible!" says Chamisa. Not as long as paying lip service to reforms. W Mukori

 

Nelson Chamisa, President of CCC, Zimbabwe’s main opposition party penned a three pages long article – a departure from his usual two paragraph tweets – affording a very rare glimpse into what’s cooking in the hermetically sealed thus impermeable to reason and logic clay pot!

“A new great Zimbabwe is possible!” proclaimed Chamisa.

“In a few months, Zimbabweans head to the polls to decide on their future.

“There have been many elections before, all of which have not brought the change we desire. So, I understand why, for many of our people, voting may seem like a futile exercise. However, history tells us that nothing lasts forever.”

Stop!

I am short sighted. I have been to the Optician and wear proscription glasses to give all round good vision. Of course, it would foolish of me to have done nothing about it in the hope that if I suffered long enough my eye sight would get better because “nothing lasts forever”!

We know the root causes of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown, political chaos and the tragic and easily avoidable human suffering and deaths of the last 43 years are gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and Mafia style lawlessness fostered on the nation by this Zanu PF dictatorship. The nation has failed to remove these Zanu PF thugs from power because they have rigged elections started with the 1980 elections!

We know the disease – the Zanu PF dictatorship – and have the cure – implement the democratic reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.

The people of Zimbabwe have risked life and limb to elect Nelson Chamisa and his MDC friends on the understanding that once in power they would implement the democratic changes necessary to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections; as the party name implied, Movement for Democratic Change. After 23 years, 5 of which in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, there has not been even one meaningful democratic change implemented and hence the reason why we are still stuck with a vote rigging Zanu PF!

If there was ever any doubt that there could be any meaningful elections in Zimbabwe without implementing democratic changes first, the watershed 2008 elections made the doubts disappear like mist under the morning African sun! So, why did MDC leaders fail to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they had the golden opportunity to do so?

Chamisa and his MDC friends know that it is futile to keep participating in these flawed elections and, worse still, that doing so only serves to give Zanu PF legitimacy.

 “Look, you can't keep on participating in flawed electoral processes that serve to give big benefits to dictators such as Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has perfected the art of winning elections. So it will be very foolish for the opposition to continue legitimizing these sham elections which don't deliver. This country will go through a serious economic crisis in 2020 caused by Zanu PF. And yet, this is the only country where a government doesn't perform, it is encouraged by a super majority in parliament,” said Tendai Biti in a 2015 interview with Isaac Mugabi.

“So, you can't continue subjecting Zimbabweans to processes where their hopes just get crushed.”

In the three page article, Chamisa acknowledges the importance of reforms before the 2023 elections.

“Through our representatives in Parliament, we have crafted an Electoral Amendment Bill, which is now before Parliament. This Bill carries our demands for electoral reforms: respect for the right to vote, including implementation of the diaspora vote; accessible voter registration; a credible voters' roll; the security of polling material; the security of the vote and clear dispute mechanisms; independent and credible polling staff; transitional mechanisms; credible results management system, including allowing parallel voter tabulation; and demand for media reforms,” he wrote.

“These reforms will ensure that our country finally lays to rest the ghost of disputed elections, allowing us to finally move forward.”

Ordinarily, one would be falling off the chair with laughing if this was not such a serious matter, the prospect of Zanu PF rigging and winning these elections and extend the regime’s corrupt and tyrannical rule for another five years is unthinkable!

Chamisa is playing lip service to reform and free and fair elections. He knows that if this Amendment Bill was going to reduce Zanu PF’s carte blanche power to rig elections it would never see the light of day given Zanu PF has 2/3 majority in both chambers. Even if one was able to pressure the Zanu PF MPs and senators to pass the Bill it is naïve to think the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora, for example, can be added on the voters’ roll in time to for them to vote in August, just four months away!

The truth MDC had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms during the 2008 to 2013 GNU when they were in government and had the majority in parliament and senate and had the solid backing of SADC, who was the guarantor of the Global Political Agreement. Ever since the end of the GNU Zanu PF has held all the trump cards including the certainty MDC leaders would participate no matter flawed the process got as long as they were assured of winning a few gravy train seats. As David Coltart confessed in his book MDC and now CCC leaders are participating in these flawed elections out of 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 (2013) elections,” confessed Coltart in his Book, , The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.

“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.”

Chamisa knows that Zanu PF is rigging these elections, knows that CCC’s participation will only give SADC leaders the excuse to grant Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the people’s suffering and deaths. Chamisa and company are hell bent on participating in these elections because they are after the few gravy train seats Zanu PF is offering as bait and that is all they care about.

Of course, it is an outrage that the nation’s chances to cure itself of the curse of rigged elections and bad governance continue to be wasted, traded off for 30 pieces of silver by the men and women povo risked all to elect into power entrusted the responsibility to deliver change.

MDC/CCC will never ever implement any democratic reforms and deliver free elections. Never! The sooner the people realise this new political reality the sooner the nation can go back to demanding reforms before elections, the prerequisite to ending vote rigging and good governance.

“The sun will rise and shine in Zimbabwe. Change is in the air, hope is coming back, and citizens are ready to take back their country.

“Come let us reason together. We are one people! It's possible. God is in it!” signed off Nelson Chamisa, with his usual self-righteous arrogance.

MDC/CCC sold out during the GNU by failing to implement even one democratic reform and they are selling out now by participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and thus perpetuating the tragic human suffering in the country. And this because of greed. How can God have any party in  such treasonous betrayal the long suffering povo and rational thinking!