Sunday 9 July 2017

NAYO demand proof of residence scrapped to prove "ZEC independence" - how naive!

Zanu PF will make it very hard for certain sections of the population, those it cannot command and control, to register to vote and make it even harder for lucky enough to register, to vote. Meanwhile the regime will make sure all those people it commands and control register and will even use all manner of tricks to ensure they cast multiple votes.

ZEC’s demand for voters to produce proof of residence is certainly one way the regime can use to screen voters it does not command and control.

“"We therefore call for the following action points: an immediate reversal of the idea to re-introduce the proof of residence by ZEC- as this brings more questions to their independence. To adopt the mechanism were people in need of registration to only affirm to a registration officer their physical address without providing proof of residence,” said chairperson of National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO).

How naïve! Does the estimable NAYO chairperson really believe scrapping the need for proof of residence will stop ZEC putting other obstacles to stop opposition supporters registering and then denying the vote whilst opening new opportunities inflate the voters’ roll with Zanu PF supporters and then allow then to cast multiple votes!

Like political parties, there are so many youth organizations because everyone wants to be the leader. And, like the political parties, they all have one thing in common – they have no clue what they want!

The idea that be scrapping the requirement for people to produce proof of residence will prove “ZEC’s independence” is laughable. It will take a lot more than that to free ZEC from Zanu PF control and restore the commission’s independence.

The 2008 to 2013 GNU was all about implementing a raft of democratic reforms designed to free to just ZEC but other State Institutions like the Police, Army, Judiciary, etc. to carry out their statutory duties without fear or favour. Only when we have implemented the reforms can we talk of an independent ZEC, Police, etc. and trust ZEC to carry out a proper and transparent voter registration exercise and deliver free, fair and credible elections.

SADC leaders warned Tsvangirai and his MDC friend not to contest the 2013 elections without implementing the reforms first. “If you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done,” they warned. 

SADC’s warning before the July 2013 elections is still relevant today as we prepare for the 2018 elections. It is madness to participate in yet another election with not even one democratic reforms in place.

"NAYO through the Leave No Youth Behind Campaign National Coordinating Committee will do all what it can to approach ZEC, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) if need be the Courts as a way to protect the rights of young people to vote and participate freely in national processes," said NAYO.

Yeah right! So, far NAYO, NERA, MDC-T, Zimbabwe Congress of Church, etc., etc. have all failed to get the regime to implement even one token reform. It is now less than a year to go before the next elections and someone is still wittering about getting the regime to implement reforms because they do not have the courage to admit the country will never appease Zanu PF and have free and fair elections.

We can appease Zanu PF by allowing them to rig elections and forfeit the right to free and fair elections. It is foolish to even think we can have both!

No doubt NAYO will do all it can to protect the rights of young people – all except the right, obvious, common sense and only thing, accepting SADC’s recommendation to stop contesting flawed elections.

5 comments:

Patrick said...

Until now, I did not see the importance of implementing the reforms to make sure we have free, fair and credible elections; I certain do so now. The futility of contesting flawed elections is glaringly obvious and cannot be denied.


There are many people in NAYO, NERA, Church groups, etc. who are throwing their weight behind all these vote education and voter mobilisation activities, they mean well. And yet one cannot deny the futility of their labour, by encouraging the nation to contest in an election which, some people are already saying, has been rigged already. These people are unwittingly helping Zanu PF to conceal its treasonous act of rigging elections.

Sadly, most of these NAYO, NERA, etc. people are simple minded and so they struggle to grasp more than one or two ideas. How Zanu PF has rigged elections is a very complex subjected made even more complicated by Zanu PF’s brainwashing propaganda and MDC’s self-saving lies and deceit. Voter education and voter mobilisation are simple ideas and there have worked in other nation and it is no surprise that our simpletons have latched on these and are running with.

They are simply refusing to accept the simple fact that Zimbabwe is not like many other countries in that the whole electoral process has been thoroughly corrupted. The only way forward is to reform it, SADC leaders have said so and anyone with any brain can no long deny it. These do-gooders are thick, myopic and single track minded, reason and logic mean nothing to them.

Opposition politicians are contesting the flawed elections for the selfish reason of getting a seat on the gravy train! It will take a lot of serious human rights violation to get these opportunists to stop contesting, of that we can be certain. I do not buy the argument that A is contesting because he/she cannot allow B to contest and win the give-away seats. It is clear that by contesting opposition are selling-out doing the right thing is always a harder choice and an individual choice, that is exactly why it is the narrow and straight road less travelled by. After decades of selling-out Zimbabwe is desperate for honest politicians with some common sense!

Patrick said...

The war of words continues between Minister Jonathan Moyo and General Chiwegwa and Perence Shiri.

The country is on a knife edge with a USA think tank warning of the danger of Zimbabwe sliding into political instability and yet those governing the nation continue fighting among themselves regardless! This is a nightmare we could have been saved if MDC leaders had not sold-out during the GNU and implemented the reforms!

Patrick said...

What exactly has Fadzai Mahere done that the rest should try to follow? Throwing her name in the political hat to contest next year's elections shows that she has the same gravy train ambition that has blinded the young and old alike in our country.
Of course, she is blind; why else would she want to contest elections everyone knows are flawed. She does not care that the elections have become a hell for the ordinary people who are frog marched to attend rallies and who are the victims of the corrupt and tyrannical regime that has ruled the nation denying them a free and meaningful vote. She does not care that by contesting she is helping perpetuate the oppressive system.
She has benefited from the oppressive regime and she is now seeking ways to join the ruling elite in her own right. Fadzai is no different from Grace Mugabe, one is gunning for MP the other for presidency. There is nothing in their naked greed and callous indifference to the suffering masses. What is there to admire in that?

Patrick said...

@Briggs Bomba
“There is urgent need to craft a comprehensive and transformative vision for the Zimbabwe we want understanding where we are coming from,” said Bomba, Project Coordinator for the Zimbabwe Alliance.

How do you expect Civic Society to play any meaningful role in that transformation when civic leaders like you are the one who continue to mislead povo in all these meaningless voter education, voter mobilisation and election monitoring activities. Povo are losing confidence in the electoral process because you keep telling them these activities will deliver free and fair elections but only to see the elections rigged!

Civic Society must wake up to the reality that what we need is to have the meaningful democratic reforms implemented and stop wasting time on trying to make the dictatorship work.

Zimbabwe Light said...

@ Patrick

The single most important task before this nation today is to make sure that next year's elections DO NOT go ahead until the democratic reforms are implemented to guarantee the election are free, fair and credible. The country is right on the edge of the precipice and one more step and we will be tumbling over.

All Tsvangirai and his opposition friends are fighting for is the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away to attract them to contest. If SADC leaders knew the 2013 elections were rig in June 2013, a month before the voting started; Zanu PF has out done themselves they have election sown-up a year ahead of the voting. Most Zimbabweans, especially in the rural areas, know that MDC lost the fight on implementing the reforms, lost the fight to form a viable coalition, lost the fight to ensure there was some semblance of order in voter registration, etc., etc. Zanu PF has the billions of dollars looted from Marange and Chiadzwa to bankroll its vote rigging schemes.

Zanu PF has the 2018 elections in the bag! The party is just going through the notions of voter registration, holding rallies, etc. before announcing its landslide victory!

A Zanu PF victory will be the last push to send the nation tumbling over into the abyss!

Stop the flawed elections going ahead and the nation will buy itself time to implement the reforms and hold free and fair elections. Only by holding free and fair elections will the country restore the people’s hope of a meaningful economic recovery and step backwards from the brink!