“Coltart accuses international community of
'white-washing' Zim election!” screamed the headlines in Bulawayo 24!
Yes, it is very true that there are some
sections of the international community who would “white-wash” these flawed and
illegal elections by judging them free, fair and credible for their own selfish
reasons. But if the truth must be said, it MUST be said, it is the corrupt and
incompetent MDC leaders like David Coltart who have provided these foreigners
all the white-wash and free labour!
“It (MDC Alliance) has also raised concerns
over the quality of the voters roll. An opposition-aligned group of analysts,
TeamPachedu, claims that up to 900 000 records on the roll had been
tampered with,” continued the report.
"The international community needs to know that these are not superficial concerns. These are valid concerns based on the breach of the law," Coltart said in comments carried by the private Daily News.
"The international community needs to know that these are not superficial concerns. These are valid concerns based on the breach of the law," Coltart said in comments carried by the private Daily News.
True these are not superficial concerns and
there are a whole host of other concerns equally important such as ZEC’s
failure to release a clean and verified voters’ roll at least one month before
nomination day, as is required by law. It is all very rich for Mr Coltart to
ask the international community not to sweep these very serious issues under
the carpet when that is exactly what he and his MDC friends have done!
MDC Alliance KNEW that ZEC had not
released the voters’ roll even by nomination day, 14 June, but they all
pretended not to notice and they all lodged their nomination papers.
Today, we are just 4 days away to voting day
and still ZEC has not released credible, clean and verified voters’ roll and still
the MDC Alliance members are all as keen as mustard to participate in these
elections regardless!
If Zanu PF knew that MDC leaders will NOT
participate in the elections no verified voters’ roll, for example; they would
have seen to it that it was released. As things are, Zanu PF knew MDC would
participate in the elections regardless of ZEC failing to release the voters’
roll and so, surprise, surprise, there is no voters’ roll. Common sense, really!
MDC leaders had the golden opportunity to
implement the democratic reforms designed to take away Zanu PF’s carte blanche
powers to rig the elections during the GNU. They failed to implement even one
reform in five years.
“MDC believed it had the numbers to overwhelm
all Zanu PF’s vote rigging shenanigans!” the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
confessed soon after Zanu PF blatant rigging to secure another landslide
victory in the 2013 elections.
"If we believe in the rule of law then we
must believe in the rule of law; everyone, including the international
community," Coltart, a lawyer by profession, pontificated!
To these corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders: the
democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections are not necessary as
long as MDC feels confident it will win the elections. However if MDC should lose
the elections then all hell breaks loose. They will complain of “Zanu PF stealing
the elections!” and accuse SADC and the international community of “white-washing”
the flawed process.
For umpteenth time Mr Coltart; these elections not
be taking place, not without first implementing the democratic reforms setting
out the ground rules to ensure free, fair and credible election. Those who agree
to taking part in the elections with no reforms in place are, per se, agreeing
to playing with no rules and therefore must not complain, after they have lost,
that the opponents broke the rules!
Zanu PF is set to rig these elections and, by
agreeing to take part with no reform in place, MDC have provided the smoke
screen the regime need to hide the blatant vote rigging.
One only hopes the international community will
not punish the whole of Zimbabwe because of MDC leaders’ repeated blundering
incompetence in participating in these flawed elections with no reforms. The
international observers cannot, in all honesty, pretend these elections are
free, fair and credible when the regime has failed to provide something as
basic as a credible, clean and verified voters’ roll.
What the long suffering people of Zimbabwe want
from SADC and the international community is for them to declare these
elections null and void. By doing so they will give this nation a chance to
revisit the raft of democratic reforms agreed at the onset of the 2008 GNU and,
this time, make sure all the reforms are implemented.
Please! Please! Give us a chance to get out of
this hell-on-earth that Zanu PF and its acolyte MDC partner have landed us.
Please, we beg of you!
8 comments:
MDC was warned against participating in these elections without first implementing the reforms because Zanu PF will rig the elections but they have ignored the warnings again and again. Now that it is clear that these elections are being blatantly rigged MDC start complaining!
Coltart and other had the golden opportunity to implement the reforms and they failed to get even one reform implemented in five years. Not even one!
The people of Zimbabwe must now accept the political reality that MDC leaders like Coltart, Chamisa, etc. are running with the hare well it suits their selfish agenda but they are also hunting with the hounds when it suits their selfish agenda. We are in this political mess because of MDC's blundering incompetence and double crossing!
These elections are being rigged and the only course of action now is to have absolutely nothing to do with the whole sham. Those who participate will be giving the flawed process credibility with no chance of changing the already predetermined Zanu PF landslide victory.
@ Vimbai
If you accept TeamPachedu, finding that 900 000 records on the roll have been tampered with then why would you still want to take part in the election process?
If you KNOW that your opponent is using a dodgy coins, one with heads on both sides and the other with tail on both sides; you will be a fool to be bet against such character because whatever you call he will use the appropriate coin to make sure he wins!
We must snap out of this foolish habit of participating in elections we can all see are being rigged and then complain after the act that they were rigged. We need to have the mental agility to be pro-active and not always react to something when it is too late to change the outcome.
@ Nduna
"ZEC is in favour of ZANU PF, now EU, SADC and AU they all support ZANU PF, please stop those accusations, its a sign of fearing elections. ED pfeee"
Yes there are some foreign nations who would happily rubber stamp these flawed and illegal elections but not all. There are some nations out there whose conscience will not allow them to pretend that an election process can ever be free, fair and credible when the authorities have failed to produce something as basic as a credible, clean and verified voters' roll!
By allowing these elections to go ahead with no voters' roll ED can pretend all he likes that these elections are free, fair and credible but everyone knows that they are not. ED is nothing but the naked Emperor in Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Emperor's New Clothes. It took just one child to force everyone to admit what they had not dared to admit because of fear or foolishness. It will take just one person, media house, foreign nation, etc. to expose the naked truth of the blatant electoral fraud that is taking place here and ED will be history!
It is one thing to claim, "The people have spoken and the voice of the people is the voice of God!" It is another matter if it then comes out that many of these people had spoken out of term as they voted multiple times and some are dead!
@ Stephen Jakes
After months of pledging a free and fair election and to respect the will of the people, this week President Mnangagwa told South African television in no uncertain terms that "if we lose these elections, we will hand over power to the party which wins the election. This is democracy."
Much as I too would want to believe that President Mnangagwa meant every word he said, common sense tell me not to believe a word. As you have correctly said President Mnangagwa has pledge to hold free and fair elections and yet he has stubbornly refuse to implement even one democratic reform to make this possible.
Do you serious want to tell me these are free and fair elections when ZEC has failed to produce a credible, clean and verified voters' roll? Mark my word Jakes, on Monday millions of Zimbabweans will be milling around like headless chickens when they turn up at polling stations only to be told they are not in the polling station voters' roll. Meanwhile Zanu PF supporters will be bussed from one polling station to the next casting multiple votes!
ED can afford to state categorically that he will accept the results of these elections because he is guaranteed a landslide victory already before the first ballot is cast!
"With four days to go to the election it is clear that the MDC Alliance has won this election without a shadow of doubt . Let not the entrepreneurs of chaos try to plunge this country into an abyss by interfering with the people s will," said Tendai Biti.
This is in stark contrast to what David Coltart, another MDC Alliance leader, is saying. Coltart is saying these elections are being rigged and gave the example of TeamPachedu, who have analysed the voters' roll and found that up to 900 000 records on the roll had been tampered with. The voters' roll has 5.6 million registered voters and so Zanu PF has 16% head start already. The party needs only another 34% to win. Zanu PF is certainly strong in the rural areas with 60% of voters and so getting 34% should be easy.
We also know from the 2013 elections that nearly one millions, mainly opposition supporters, were denied the vote because their names were not in the constituency voters' roll the expected. ZEC has failed to release the voters' roll again this year and so we can expect the same to happen again. So the opposition are starting with a -16%! The opposition needs 66% to win. They are strong in the urban areas with 40% of the voters. How are they going to get 66% from 40%!
Clear Tendai Biti is talking nonsense!
The opposition were warned that with no reforms, Zanu PF will rig the elections but they all refused to listen. Only now when there is nothing anyone can do to get the reforms implemented some of the opposition leaders are finally admitting that Zanu PF is rigging. Other leaders, with their heads still buried in the sand are still pretending these are free, fair and credible elections!
Having these corrupt and incompetent MDC leaders has been a curse to Zimbabwe second only to having the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF thugs!
@ Chiriga
WITHOUT a doubt, Monday's election is about the economy - and who is likely to deliver a better future for Zimbabwe, and the much-needed hope.
Zanu PF is rigging these elections and fictitious voters do not concern themselves with such niceties as who will deliver a better economic programme!
@ Todd Moss
Under the current conditions, it is apparent that a free, fair and credible election is not possible in Zimbabwe. That so many people across the country - particularly the youth - remain undaunted by these major trials, offers a ray of hope. The world should speak up and stand with them.
The best way the "world can speak up and stand with the long suffering ordinary Zimbabwe stuck in this hell-on-earth created by Zanu PF thugs and their acolytes the incompetent MDC is by declaring these elections null and void. The people of Zimbabwe a desperate for a clean start and for that they need to implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the de facto one-party, Zanu PF, dictatorship.
@ Musa
U cannot have a Credible Election without an Agreed, Transparent, Verifiable and Analyseable Electronic BVR Voters Roll and an Opaque Ballot Paper Printing Processes. U cannot have a Credible Election when ZEC has violated the Zimbabwe Constitution, International, Continental and Regional Guidelines for Democratic Elections. ZEC has failed to conduct this Election in accordance with International, SADC and AU Benchmarks for Credible Elections. The Author of this Article is Spot on. It remains to be seen whether International Election Observers will declare a Clearly Rigged Election as Credible. Time will tell. The writing is on the Wall.
Musa, you have hit the nail on the head and driven it home! Well done!
These elections are so brazenly flawed and illegal I think even the British who have been keen as mustard to rubber stamp the process must know that they will find themselves defending the indefensible for generations to come.
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