Sunday 19 February 2017

Mawarire may contest next elections - no problem but to what end and purpose. By Wilbert Mukori

Pastor Evans Mawarire says he may contest next year’s elections.

“If the need arises or if it becomes necessary for me to participate in the elections I really want to be available for that,” he said, according to a Zimeye report.

“I believe it is my duty as a citizen to serve my nation in that way …. I haven’t made that decision as yet but certainly I don’t want that door to be closed.”

Is this just another green-horn lamb to the slaughter!

During his sojourn to the United States of America, the land of the free and many opportunities, Pastor Evans Mawarire must have heard the common place quotation “In America, anyone can become the President of America; all he/she has to do in win the majority votes!” The punchline of the quotation, which is often left out but must be included in the context Zimbabwe politics is “in a free, fair and credible election!” Those green-horns politicians who have failed to digest the punchline and thought they can transplant America’s democratic ideal into Zimbabwe have fallen flat on their faces!

The Pastor Mawarire is 39 years old and, other than the short spell in the USA, he has lived in Zimbabwe all his life. He is old enough to have witnessed Zimbabwe’s chaotic and violent elections of 2008 and beyond. In short, he should not be a political novice, at least not so naïve and gullible not to know Zimbabwe elections are NOT free, fair and credible.

It was Professor Jonathan Moyo; Zimbabwe’s most seasoned political turncoat and, most significant, the man masterminded many of Zanu PF vote rigging schemes (and boasted about it too); who said in a free and democratic vote Mugabe would lose the election to a donkey. Moyo was right, the remark underlined how much the nation hated and despised the tyrant! The fact that Mugabe has been “winning” elections regardless of his rock bottom popularity with the voters goes to show the effectiveness of the regime’s vote rigging juggernaut!

In the March 2008 elections, for example, Tsvangirai won 73% of the votes, by Mugabe’s own, (inadvertent) admission, but the tyrant ordered ZEC to withhold announcing the result and recount the vote. After six weeks of recounting 5 million votes, ZEC finally announced the “cooked up” result, Tsvangirai had 47% of the vote!

Mugabe has since upgraded his vote rigging system so the vote rigging is done early in the electoral process such as the blatant tampering with the voters’ roll to deny opposition supporters the vote whilst allowing hired Zanu PF supporters to cast multiple votes, as happened in the July 2013 elections. Although the regime is required by law to release the voters’ roll one month, at least, before voting day; Zanu PF, stubbornly, refused to do so. Even to this day, the regime has still not released the 2013 voters’ roll because it is the smoking gun on how it rigged the July 2013 elections.

Zanu PF has access to billions of dollars from looted diamonds to bankroll its vote rigging juggernaut. It is 18 months before the elections and the party is already spending money as it there is no tomorrow. In 2013 elections, the party must have spent $4 billions and it is set to spend three times that amount for the 2018 elections. All the opposition parties would be lucky to raise $12 million, 0.1% of Zanu PF’s budget!

Zanu PF is so confident of electoral victory next year that Grace Mugabe has even been boasting that Mugabe’s “corpse” will win as long as Zanu PF is free to rig the elections. The complete opposite of Jonathan Moyo said if the elections were free and fair!

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends had many, many opportunities to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, the best chance was during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Mugabe had his hands tied behind his back after signing the 2008 GPA committing himself and his party to implementing the reforms. What the tyrant got off the hook however bribing the MDC leaders with the trappings of power and the $4 million Highlands mansion for Tsvangirai. In return; MDC, obligingly, kicked the reforms into the tall grass.

MDC’s betrayal of the nation did not stop with the failure to implement the democratic reforms; they went on to compound it by participating in the flawed July 2013 elections that followed, as MDC Senator David Coltart has rightly admitted.

“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 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.”

The consequences of the rigged 2013 nation elections are not just the people were once again denied their right to a free and meaningful vote; worse than that. The Genesis Zimbabwe’s ever worsening economic meltdown and political paralysis are the country’s failure to hold free and fair elections. Holding free and fair elections is the key to getting out of the economic and political hell-hole Zanu PF has dragged us into.

Whilst it seemed the penny, on the critical importance of holding free and fair elections as contrast taking part in flawed and meaningless elections, had finally dropped in the MDC leaders’ empty heads; they all resolved not to contest any more future elections unless there are free and fair. Sadly they have all since flip-flopped, they are once again contesting the 2018 elections with no meaningful reforms are implemented.

Of course, MDC leaders sold out, by failing to implement even one reform during the GNU and by going on to contest flawed elections thereafter. Again, one would expect Pastor Mawarire to be well acquainted with these simple historic facts. If he is not then, frankly, he has no business meddling in Zimbabwe politics. He will be just another new addition into Zimbabwe’s crowded but confused and useless opposition camp.

With no reforms, Zimbabwean elections are not only a meaningless charade, a mockery of what democratic elections should be, but a continued betrayal of the people’s hopes and dreams of freedom, justice and a prosperous Zimbabwe. Sadly, Zimbabwe has had the great misfortune of having so many leaders with no common sense much less principles to guide them to do the right thing. Zimbabwe’s political leaders have been so corrupt many have sold their own mothers for a price and boasted of having a mother so sell. One would hope Pastor Evan Mawarire is not one of the many such corrupt and incompetent leaders!

Pastor Mawarire, no one is going to stop you contest next year’s elections; the question you must answer, however, is contest to what end and purpose?

Are you fighting for free and fair elections and fighting to end the culture of rigged elections? If so then you will be demanding the implementation of democratic reforms as a pre-requisite to holding the next elections.

On the other hand, if you are fighting for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF dishes out as bait to the opposition? Then you, like many other opposition contestants, need not worry about reform; after all Zanu PF is rewarding you with the seats in payment for contesting in the flawed elections and giving the process a veneer of democratic legitimacy!


14 comments:

Patrick said...

Citizen Eddie Cross you had your opportunity to serve Zimbabwe and its people by fulfilling your promise to bring democratic change in the country by implementing democratic reforms. You had five years to implement the reforms but failed to get even one reform implemented.

No one is here to defend what President Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime has done not just to you, your family, your fellow whites and black citizens alike. But are you not a traitor yourself just like Mugabe himself and just as unrepentant!

We had the golden opportunity to end Mugabe's corrupt and tyrannical rule but you, MP Cross and your fellow MDC friends wasted the chance for thirty pieces of silver. May you live forever!

Patrick said...

Grace Mugabe knows that Zanu PF is well equipped to rig the next elections so confident is she that she knows even the corpse of Mugabe will win the day! Our challenge is to stop contesting flawed elections whose results is determined way in advance.

If dead people have "voted" in past elections why are we surprised to hear that the living are voting for the dead!

Patrick said...

The fight for who will get one of the 365 new off-road vehicles and 10 buses acquire by Zanu PF last year at a cost of about US$20 million is heating up as an extension of the factional war in the party.

“Thirty of the vehicles were dispatched to the party’s 10 provinces last month for allocation to chairpersons of the party’s three wings — the main wing, the Women’s League and the Youth League,” reported Fingaz.

“Each wing leader will be issued with a car to allow them to move around their provinces, conducting party business.

“Provinces will get a bus each for use to transport party officials and supporters.
More vehicles would be given to those who would have emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections for both Parliament and local authorities.”

The worsening economic situation is definitely making Zanu PF members very hungry and desperate to secure power at all cost. Those opposition politicians who think they will win some of the seat Zanu PF has allowed the opposition to win in the past may be in for a big surprise.

Patrick said...

MDC leaders are taking part in flawed elections just because they hoping to win some of the seat Zanu PF gives away to encourage opposition parties to contest. Well judging from the serious in fighting for who gets one of the new 365 off-road worth over $20 million the party itself is spending big time to win the elections and each party candidate will be as hungry as a hyena that has not eaten in months!

The number of seats Zanu PF will allow the opposition to win next year may well be considerably reduced next year. Watch out!

Patrick said...

People praised Tsvangirai and Mugabe before him when they first stepped on the political stage but look what they have done. The latter has dragged us into this hell-hole and the former is now doing his best to keep us there!

I think it is prudent for the nation to demand to know Pastor Mawarire's plan and not just assume he knows where the Promised Land is and how to get there! For all we know he may turnout to be just as corrupt and incompetent as all the other politicians crowding the political stage!

If there are any lesson we should have learnt from the last 37 years of blundering from pillar to post then it must be that we must elect competent leaders with some common sense, at least. “Kwete kungo kuvirira zvose mavhu namarara!”

Patrick said...

@ Sadly Zimba

You are as a nation we are indeed very "shortsighted" and you yourself are the typical case!

You acknowledge that MDC the "2nd biggest party and they failed to topple" Zanu PF. Have you ever asked yourself why they have failed? If you had done so then you would have come to the conclusion that Tsvangirai and his friends are breathtakingly corrupt and incompetent.

It seems you have asked yourself that question because you do also admit of "the issue right now is not about getting in a better leader".

Only a real myopic person would not see the folly of putting one's trust in the same corrupt and incompetent leaders, who have already proven beyond all doubt that they have no clue what they are doing, to lead!

Albert Einstein said insanity was "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Yes he was talking about you and all the other dim wits out there who have continued to support President Mugabe or Morgan Tsvangirai regardless of the two’s track record of corruption and incompetency. Zimbabweans love recycling deadwood, even someone who is 93 years old, can hardly walk and dozes off at the drop of a hat, they will keep him because "the issue right now is not about getting in a better leader"!

The most important issue is to get the best leader possible before doing anything else!

Patrick said...

Heal Zimbabwe produce a report to review the up coming Mwenezi East by election.

Does Heal Zimbabwe serious expect the by-election to be free, fair and credible or is this just one of those academic exercises to tell us what we already know and, worse still, change nothing on the ground!

Patrick said...

Zimbabwe has had the great misfortune of having a string of political leaders who are heroes one day and useless or worse the next. Look at Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe, the latter is the liberation war hero who has since independence dragged us into this economic and political hell-on-earth.

The people heralded Tsvangirai as the man who would deliver democratic changes to end Mugabe's reign of terror. Tsvangirai sold-out during the GNU and failed to implement even one reforms although he had the golden opportunity to do so. It is Tsvangirai's betrayal that is keeping us in this hell-hole!

The people of Zimbabwe will be wise to scrutinize all future leaders, not just Pastor Mawarire, to ensure they are competent and have some common sense, at least. "kwete kungokuvirira zvose mavhu namarara!"

Zimbabwe Light said...

@ Godfrey

Well Zimbabwe is in a very serious economic and politic mess and even you cannot deny that leaders like Joice Mujuru, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti and even more so Robert Mugabe have all sold out. We have a serious problem of electing corrupt and incompetent leaders, the sins of commission and omission are what have landed us into this mess. 

We need to deal with the problem of electing competent leaders and not bury our heads in the sand! From henceforth all would be national leaders must be grilled, no-hold barred, assessment to establish their suitability! Pastor Mawarire will be subjected t the same acid test as everyone else; if he cannot stand the heat then he must get out now because it is going to get a hell lot tougher and hotter!

Zimbabwe Light said...

@ mtetwa

If he wants to be leader he should be welcomed, after all there is not even one quality leader on the political stage at present.

What these mediocre politicians need desperately is serious democratic competition; what leaders like Tsvangirai need a democratic kick in the back side not prayers!

Zimbabwe Light said...

Rural teacher go on strike to demand the payment of their last year’s bonus!

Central government may be broke but the party Zanu PF is loaded! The party has already started spending money as if there is no tomorrow, buying 365 new off-road vehicles and Grace Mugabe is already on the campaign trail - all her rallies cost a pretty penny! Zanu PF is pulling all the stops to win next year's elections and when the day is done the party will have spent $12 billion or so. 

The regime has no money to pay teachers their due but it has billions of dollars to splash on its selfish personal and party interests! This is madness!

We need to implement all the democratic reforms which will look into reforming all institutions to ensure free and fair elections including party funding - there is no doubt that Zanu PF is looted the nation's wealth to fund its party's political activities.

Patrick said...

@Tari
Your criticism of Wilbert is flawed in that it assumes that nothing could be "done with a Psychopathy like Mugabe who does not have remorse or conscience" was relevant. This was total irrelevant because the implementing of the democratic reforms, on this occasion, would have happened regardless of Mugabe's tyrannical disposition. After signing the GPA Mugabe's wishes and whims were irrelevant as all the parties to the agreement undertook to have the raft of democratic reforms implemented.


It was incumbent on the two MDC factions to propose the democratic reforms and have them approved by parliament. Tsvangirai and company did not propose even one reform in five years. Mugabe bribed them to kick reforms into the tall grass and the y did!

It is disappointing that even now, with all the benefit of hindsight, you still have no clue what happened during the GNU.

The solution, which Wilbert has spelt out a thousand times, is for the nation to get rid of these corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders who are now helping to perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship by contesting in flawed and illegal elections when the "obvious" thing to do is boycott them.

If you think this is not a solution then why don't you table your solution? 

Zimbabwe Light said...

@ Tari

I totally reject this nonsense of opposition politicians contesting elections they KNOW will be rigged and complain of "Zanu PF stealing the elections!" afterwards. This is insane, we keep contesting flawed elections and hoping for a different result. 

Tsvangirai and Co. lied that MDC would win the 2013 elections and they are doing so again. This grand coalition of the opposition will not stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, only implementing the reforms will do that. 

I do offer a solution to participating in elections you know are flawed; boycott the elections; it is insane to do otherwise! 

Boycotting the elections is an individual person and then party decision just as insanity is an individual mental condition; none of us are accountable for the insanity of others so why is MDC-T's decision to boycott elections be dependent of Gwanzura Party making a similar decision?

I am sick to the back teeth of people like you always coming up with the most feeble excuses for corrupt and incompetent leaders like Tsvangirai. He sold-out during the GNU when receive the $4 million Highlands mansion in return for doing nothing on the reforms. He sold out when he contested the flawed 2013 elections with not even one reform in place. Tell you what,

I will be damned if I allow the upstart sell this nation again by contesting the 2018 elections with no reforms. Every Zimbabweans must know Tsvangirai is lying to them and if they allow him to short change them yet again; at least this time no one can say they did not know!

Zimbabwe Light said...

@Sarah

And what has the useless armchair analyst done to stop them freeing themselves? Indeed, if these people where so clever, they would have never allowed themselves to get in the mess in the first place. 

You are tired of the hogwash from me but have never said anything about all the corruption and tyranny from Mugabe that got us into this mess in the first place or have you ever criticised the treasonous betrayal of sell-out like Tsvangirai and Biti who are keeping us in this mess. 

It is not me who is confused by you and it is you who should shut up! Let me tell you here and now, I will shut you up! You come on this site and talk your usual nonsense and you will be FIRMLY put in your place - your idiot's place!